"Uuugh, we need better traveling options to reach this place... or at least better padding inside those wagons."
There was a groan from the Lepus as she stepped out of the wagon, before her attention turned back to her companions for the trip. A hand was extended towards the smaller blonde girl, the Lepus careful to infuse some Nature magic into her palm so Azykia could see it. "Watch your step, Azy-chan." Toko would wait until the teen was safely on the ground and with her magical cane on hand, before turning to look at Madison as she spoke.
"So, did the Lions already shared the quest info with you... or do we need to get briefed inside the mushroom house?"
Personally the Lepus had only heard small bits of information when the quest had been posted at the Guild, something about a type of Myconid appearing too close for comfort of Camp Nisus.
What was their name... funnyguys? Mmm, no, that sounds off...
Yu groaned as he leapt down after Azykia from the wagon, his stiff limbs protesting movement after being idle for so long. "Man, they could've at least sprung for some cushions," he agreed with the lepus, pulling his rifle out of the wagon before making room for Madison to get out as well.
"I just know we're here to gank some Myconids, and that's good enough for me," the man said. "If I recall, they're mostly sticking around the outskirts just kind of...watching," Yu said, pulling out his little memory book and skimming over the quest brief. "MIT also wants us to try and recover some of the mutants. Bounties are dead or alive." The hemomancer looked over at Madison, "Your call there on that one Boss."
Personally, Yu would've preferred just killing the fungi and turning tossing them onto a grill with some meat skewers. The last time the man had met a Myconid, the assholes had dragged him and Ilya off to do god knows what to them. All in all, it had not been a pleasant experience.
Similarly aching from the longer-than-necessary ride to the outskirts of the encampment, Madison stretched her arms over her head as she rose from her seat on the wagon. "Lion Arms just want them gone. If we could scare them off to remind them that the expedition isn't to be fucked with; then great. If they forgot what happened the first time they attacked us, well... They can feed the worms for all I care. I'd rather we just fire spells and bullets over their heads and spook 'em, though."
But she knew as well as anyone that's not how these things work in a video game like Terrasphere.
The gunslinger quickly checked her UI. There was no possible way that, with the pain screaming up her lower back and the general numbness of her cheeks (non-face variety), that stupid wagon hadn't dealt her at least one hit point worth of damage.
Her boots hit the wet, mossy earth with a soft thump. Her pistols hung snugly on her hips, but she instead reached for her rifle. "If the MIT really wanted to study some of these things, they would've sent someone with us. But as we're out here by ourselves--" She let the sentiment die with a shrug. Whatever happened, happened. Those bookworms can shuffle their feet out here on their own time and pick up whatever the scavengers left behind.
Madison tapped her temple twice, blinking on Deadeye. Slowly turning on her heels, the raven began scanning their surroundings for any myconids.
Thanks to Toko's magic hand and a little bit of patient, Azykia pulled herself out of the wagon and slowly stepped onto the ground to a texture she could practically feel through her shoes. After giving her aneue a polite thank you, she let go of the Lepus's hand and held her palms out in front of her with one stacked upon the other. A bright blue light formed straight down from her palms, and a couple seconds later she was holding a cane made of Arcanamancy. An ar-cane if you will.
As she made effort to reacquaint herself with the two less familiar voices accompanying her, she took a slow, deep breath. She listened to their stepping about as each leapt onto the ground from that torture device the guild deigned to call a wagon and tried to establish not only where it was safe to walk towards, but what the ground itself felt like. She had other tricks she could use to take in her surroundings better, but those all took energy that she wasn't willing to expend until this mission was over.
For the time being, she remained mostly silent. At least until one sort of thought came to mind that was too against the grain not to mention. "If we take a mutated specimen back, it might prevent future endeavors. Should we not make sure to take even just one back?" She raised a loosely curled fist to her mouth in thought and paused between her words only long enough to make one wonder if she was about to continue speaking. "I have utter confidence in our abilities. I hope none of you are worried on my behalf."
Gains the Vulnerable State
Protected by Yugam, negates Vulnerable State
-65 DMG from Elite Myconid Caval Retal
+83 Buff from Azykia
She released Azykia's hand once the blonde had both feet safely planted on the ground, the familiar blue arcane promptly manifested so the girl could familiarize herself with the surroundings. A small part of the hare found this slightly comical, after all Toko had met the teen for the first time shortly after the mission caravan had been ambushed by Myconids... and here they were today, about to maim and maybe even catch some funguy variety for the nerds at MIT to go bonkers over.
"Azy-chan brings up a valid point, if catching one of these weird little—" Ah, right, she should probably mind her language around the young one... even if the player behind the blonde avatar could probably handle it in real life. "—funnyguys will lower the chances of enduring a wagon ride all the way to Camp Nisus, then perhaps it would be a good idea to do so?"
If any specimen looked like a prime candidate Toko could always try to bind and immobilize the creature with the use of vines from her Nature magic... and after that she was sure someone else from the party could figure out how to properly restrain the creature for the scientists to later prod and examine.
A raised eyebrow was given as she listened to Yugam call Madison 'Boss', though the Lepus didn't comment on her intrigue as she brought forth her palm UI by closing her left fist. She took a moment to flick through the options, finally landing on < Investigation Mode > and tapping it on, before the now pink glowing eyes turned to look at the rest of the party as Toko grinned.
"Let's find some Myconids then~"
The gunslinger was quickly up to the task as well and soon enough the quartet had begun combing the nearby surroundings to the camp. Some unusual tracks had caused the rabbit to alert her teammates, the company heading in a southwest direction, before rustling sounds ahead caused the hare to stop in her tracks as a wave of primal energy softly watched over her companions.
< Up ahead. >
The message was simple and clear, her eyes trained on two figures almost blended against the undergrowth and natural flora of Isulus... before a grimace showed on Toko's face upon seeing the large eye that one of the fungal creatures seemed to harbor in its chest. Bet the nerds would love getting their hands all over that one... Toko quietly rubbed her palms together, the hare focusing to gather cosmic energy between them, before slowly pressing them against the ground. She infused the available dirt and stones with her magic, before two small "asteroid" belts appeared and hovered around her three companions.
When facing the unknown it was never wrong to be cautious, and the hare would feel more comfortable to fight along her teammates knowing they held some form of protection against this new enemy they were about to undertake. Unfortunately it seemed the creatures were more perceptive than the hare had anticipated, and as the fungus bristled in irritation Toko found herself responding by lashing out with an additional astral belt.
"Look out, they're releasing spores from their head!"
Ultra Protect
1d100 (86) + 25 + 25 + 25 + 93 = 244
-1 LP to Elite Myconid Caval
Azykia, Madison & Yugam gain the Protected status.
Toko gains the Vulnerable state. Astramancy | Toko | 1057C1
Spore Cloud EX
After attacking this enemy make an Expertise Check[ Fitness or Knack, DC 55 ] to physically build some distance between your team & the Caval and avoid the Myconid dispersing a cloud of spores upon being hit, which will hinder your team.
The person posting after a failed spore cloud check takes an extra 30 DMG and reduce their main action roll result by 30.
-33 HP from Retaliation +83 Damage Dealt [ Azykia ]
Elite Myconid Caval
6 | 100 | 65
❰ 2 / 6 ❱
Spore Cloud EX
After attacking this enemy make an Expertise Check [ Fitness or Knack, DC 55 ] to physically build some distance between your team & the Caval and avoid the Myconid dispersing a cloud of spores upon being hit, which will hinder your team.
The person posting after a failed spore cloud check takes an extra 30 DMG and reduce their main action roll result by 30.
1057C1
The way Yugam reasoned it, even if they just dragged one of the fungal corpses back to the researchers at the MIT, dissecting the overgrown mushrooms would still yield plentiful boon. Knowledge about the mutation, how to combat any strange infections they might infect. They weren't exactly looking to study mating habits up there in their tower. Or at least, he hoped not...
Much like Toko and Madison, Yu activated his investigation mode, quietly blinking before his eyes began to glow in a dull scarlet. Hunters, the lot of them.
They delved into the forest that surrounded the camp, each spreading out just enough to not be caught all at once, but still quick enough to respond if another needed assistance. Yu, in particular, made it a point to stay close to Azykia. Though he had no doubt she was more than capable of fending for herself, the man felt a little better knowing she wasn't separated from the rest.
'Up ahead.'
The telepathic message was jarring at first. Yu had never had someone else's voice in his head like this before, but the unfamiliarity didn't make him hesitate. Lowering himself into a kneeling position, Yu lifted his rifle to eye level and began to scan the area ahead, where Toko had indicated as rings of stone began to circle the team. Silent though it was, somehow the myconids noticed.
"Look out, they're releasing spores from their head!" Toko shouted as she retaliated, shortly before Yu squeezed the trigger. The crack of his rifle echoed through the trees, and in an instant, a bloom of thick red mist obscured them all from the myconid's view. "I've got you covered!"
Lion Arms - Future Sheriff
-65 HP from Retaliation (Vulnerable, but protected by Toko) +93 +83 Damage Dealt buff from Azykia (-10 from Knack check fail before Azykia post)
Elite Myconid Caval
6 | 100 | 65
❰ 0 / 6 ❱
Spore Cloud EX
After attacking this enemy make an Expertise Check [ Fitness or Knack, DC 55 ] to physically build some distance between your team & the Caval and avoid the Myconid dispersing a cloud of spores upon being hit, which will hinder your team.
The person posting after a failed spore cloud check takes an extra 30 DMG and reduce their main action roll result by 30.
1057C1
Madison had been part of one of the patrols who spotted the myconids beginning to surround the camp. She wasn't the first to report the impending threat; but the ones she spotted seemed very much like scouts themselves--small, scrawny (as much as a mushroom man could be), lightly armed and armored. Meant to move quick and quiet through the underbrush.
The ones that greeted the four? Oh these fuckers were built for battle.
The moment the brute shrooms crashed into the clearing, gunfire and magic greeted them. Toko and Yugam both shouted above the noise, warning the gunslinger about the spores that shook from the myconids' heads whenever they were hit. Madison deftly swung out of the way, holstered her rifle, and opted for her trusty revolvers.
So much for keeping things quiet!
Madison wheeled around on the remaining enemy. She blinked. Time slowed to a crawl for a brief moment that stretched into eternity. In the raven's vision, various red marks appeared on the hulk that stomped towards her. Three marks. Six marks. Twelve. The knees, the elbows, three more where her Hyper Sense told her its heart might be--and the rest between the eyes.
Time snapped back; and with it, she emptied her revolvers as quick as she could. Bullets ripped and tore through the spongy flesh of the myconid. With each impact, more and more spores dusted the clearing until it became a veritable fog.
And when the thunder stopped, the myconid collapsed--more holes than mushroom at that point.
Rolls
Burst Attack
17d20 exploding (17 + 6 + 2 + 4 + 18 + 8 + 6 + 11 + 19 + 13 + 7 + 2 + 1 + 10 + 12 + 16 + 15) + 20 + 93 = 280 280 damage (Explosions: 0) -10 for a total of 270
Gain the Vulnerable state Ranged Weapons | Madison Freebird | 1057C1
Adventurer's Guild - Silver Rank
-65 HP from Retaliation (Vulnerable, but protected by Toko)
-30 HP from spores
Action -30 from spores
Elite Myconid Caval
6 | 100 | 65
❰ 0 / 6 ❱
Spore Cloud EX
After attacking this enemy make an Expertise Check [ Fitness or Knack, DC 55 ] to physically build some distance between your team & the Caval and avoid the Myconid dispersing a cloud of spores upon being hit, which will hinder your team.
The person posting after a failed spore cloud check takes an extra 30 DMG and reduce their main action roll result by 30.
1057C1
The youngest of the group made sure to follow along as closely as she could to the nearest set of steps. It wasn't as though she could tell who exactly it was, but with the magic on Toko's hands for her guiding purposes and the less familiar woman's voice progressing a little further away, she assumed it to be the one man she had been partied up with. It was just a bit distracting, trying to keep just enough distance from him to keep him from running to her aid while also trying to stay close enough to be a worthy contribution to the team once the need would arise.
And arise it did, as she heard Toko's mental message loud and clear. Too loud and clear, as it almost stunned the magically attuned girl for just long enough to delay what she had been holding at the ready for first sighting.
With the sounds of gunfire and the sights of Toko's familiar and assuring protection, Azykia decided that the best course of action for her was the one she felt would be the most helpful to everyone, and not just her self-preservation (despite what people told her literally every combat she had been a part of up until now). She wasn't an old dog anymore, so it was time for some new tricks.
Firstly, those spores. She couldn't really do much to avoid them except wall and pray as she set up her own sights. With a dance-like sweep of her palm forward, mist arose from the dense moisture of the ground and sprayed out in front of her. As her Hydromancy trick revealed the troublesome troupe ahead, she felt something gross, as the body she put such great efforts into keeping clean was doused with a suffocating amount of stinging, sticky spores.
Disgusting.
Infuriating.
How dare they waste her time like that?
She felt her yukata sticking to her arms, her hair sticking to her face. Her lashes felt like she was wearing mascara made of molasses, and she wasn't fond of it. Yes, this repulsive creature could rot in an MIT lab for all she cared anymore. Her eyes began to glow a bright blue, and the small battlefield around the girl began to visually bend and distort here and there as her senses reached out to the magic just as they had during the climax of the Red Fever raid. Her hair began to float, and as she readied herself to cast a spell, her shoes slid over the ground with no resistance. It seemed as though gravity and friction were on vacation for a moment as the girl surrounded herself with such a palpable force of magic, and the asteroids around her by Toko's efforts only furthered the zero-gravity aesthetic.
She clapped her hands together in front of her chest as though in prayer, then spread her arms like wings as her hands began to glow with the bright, gleaming glow of divine magic. With a few more gestures and a twirl or two, the divine magic on her hands became a veritable storm of lights.
At first, thick spiraled lines going out in every which direction, but then those lines began to break into smaller and smaller pieces as brilliant golden specks like fireflies made of light began to cover the entire battlefield. Those that came into contact with Madison, Yugam, and Toko would disintegrate as the magic entered their body and shared Azykia's power with them. It was a lot of power, too. The very amount it looked as though someone like her shouldn't have.
The wisps that twirled further out began crashing into the myconids. If she had to feel like a pair of starched jeans, then so too did they! As each of the many lights exploded against the fungal foes ahead, their every move stiffened and slowed, until they were left to be ripped asunder by the hyper-powered bullets of divine judgment. Cast in the name of God, ye guilty.
It was only as the last of the foes fell that the dots of light began to fizzle out one at a time until they were all gone, and Azzy herself hunched forward and propped herself up with her ar-cane. She started having a coughing fit, which she personally hoped would just be ignored by the rest of the group as she was left to cope with how genuinely terrible she felt all of a sudden.
Those spores were no joke. She couldn't see it, but she was still standing in a veritable cloud of them, and since she was covered in them already she didn't bother to bring her sleeve up to cover her mouth nor to use magic to trap in what was already in her system. After long enough, she raised herself to a mostly standing position and started trying to repress the urge to cough with teary eyes, only coughing once or twice here and there. And gods, did it burn.
Rolls
Power Buff (AoE)
2d100 (98 + 66) + 20 + 15 + 80 - 30= 83 (Total divided by 3) +83 buff to 3 targets for 1 post
Gain the Vulnerable state Divine Magic | Azykia | 1057C1 | Surge Activated +80 to a roll
A part of her should've seen this coming, in the back of her mind Toko was aware of this, but even then she couldn't help but looking in equal parts of shock and admiration as the team absolutely obliterated the shit out of these funguys. The Lepus was snapped from her stupor when several coughs echoed behind her, turning to see Azykia enter a coughing fit as a thick cloud of spores finished settling around the blonde, but before Toko could act she noticed one of the downed myconids twitch.
"Oh no you dont...!"
Her hands quickly pressed against the dampened soil under her feet, a pulse of Nature magic emanating from them, before the hare watched as purple thorny vines erupted from the ground around the twitching individual. It was the creepiest one around, with a large eye seemingly jabbed right into the center of its chest, and Toko felt a shiver of disgust run down her spine before the prickly bindings successfully wrapped all around the creature and effectively immobilized it.
"Right... I'm sure the geeky scientists back at the base are going to lose their shit upon seeing this one's still alive."
With their target safely secured Toko stood once more, the rabbit dusting her hands in the air to get rid of any clumps of dirt that stubbornly clung to her skin thanks to the high humidity of this area. Another glance was given at the remaining corpses, most resembling swiss cheese thanks to Madison's very accurate shot barrage, before the hare managed to spot one that was in slightly better condition compared to its companions.
"I can carry Maiku Wazousski over there back to camp... which one of you wants to carry bulky dude over here? I'm sure the nerds will be delighted to have a corpse and a living specimen for whatever experiments they have lined up inside that 'shroom house of theirs."
A glance was given to the blonde girl as her coughing fit had seemingly lessened by then, concern crossing the Lepus' face before she gently nudged Azykia's mind privately.
Spore Cloud EX
After attacking this enemy make an Expertise Check[ Fitness or Knack, DC 55 ] to physically build some distance between your team & the Caval and avoid the Myconid dispersing a cloud of spores upon being hit, which will hinder your team.
The person posting after a failed spore cloud check takes an extra 30 DMG and reduce their main action roll result by 30.
All at once, bright orbs of light flew around the battlefield, just as Madison let loose a veritable barrage of lead loose at the overgrown mushroom. The woman was closer to a machine gun than a human being at that moment, the hail of bullets poking holes in the blood mist Yu had created, dispersing it and revealing the blow apart corpses she'd left behind.
Wordlessly, Yu stood from his kneeling position and approached the group of dead fungi, dead checking them one by one, pressing his boot into their eyes...well, whichever ones actually had eyes at least. Those that didn't he gave a firm kick to, occasionally leaving a bullet in their flesh if he couldn't be certain. Before Yu managed to check the last couple of mushroom people, the man heard Toko cry out as her vines lashed the last living fungus to the ground.
Having checked the last of the dead, Yu looked over at Madison saying, "Damn, remind me not to piss you off," as he reloaded his rifle, and wracked the lever before looking at the absolutely massive fungus Toko had indicated, just as Azykia began to cough violently. The man cast a concerned look over to the girl, then over to Toko. She knew her better, and could better assess her condition. "I'll grab the big guy."
The battle was over, but Madison had yet to switch off her Deadeye. One by one, she pressed fresh bullets into the cylinders of her guns, click, click, click. Slowly, she scanned the entire area. There was no way that the skirmish didn't alert every other mushroom in a quarter mile.
Satisfied that 1) her guns were ready to bring hell again; and 2) they wouldn't need to after a couple minutes of turning around in the same spot and wearing scuff marks into the damp earth, she holstered her irons and finally looked at the carnage that laid before her.
...For all of three seconds--then her stomach turned at the memory of having to eat a bit of one of these fuckers after Toko punched her in the tiddy.
"Once you learn to slow down time, it really feels like cheating," she said to Yugam. Madison never was one to learn how to accept a compliment. But her barrage of lead caused thick clouds of spores to blanket the clearing. Which brought her to her next task:
Madison snatched a flask from an invisible inventory pocket and presented it to Azykia. "Hey kid, thanks for the boost. Here; have a sip. It's spirits." She held out the flask for her to grab. "Either, like, healing spirits that will make you right as rain; or it's actually gin. I don't remember what I filled it with this morning."
Azykia whole-heartedly had expected Toko to come rushing over, but she was actually thankful she hadn't. To be a detriment or a setback of any kind was never the goal. Indeed, it was the opposite of the goal. In that sense, there was simply no winning this one as one of the two she was less familiar with had come to her aid instead. Granted, at least it was made to feel like a trade. That whole teamwork thing.
The girl tried to give thanks as she reached out to take the offered concoction, but she only ended up coughing again, and it was getting more and more painful every time. Thankfully, it would be the last as she imbibed the woman's bottled spirits. She could feel it tingle in her throat, then her lungs, then other places here and there as it worked to fix her most dire issue at the moment.
With pupil-less turquoise eyes, she looked up at Madison with a smile. "It certainly tastes like gin." She giggled softly. "Thank you, miss... Madison, was it?" Azykia brought her hands to just above her head and pressed her efforts into the form of a large disc made of water above her head, spinning like a whirlpool. Slowly, she lowered it over herself and took her sweet time making sure to get all of the spores off of herself--based on feeling, since she couldn't actually see it in the first place. Once she was done, she began to twist her hair and wring it out, giving a grin in Toko's general direction.
"Daijoubu." She responded softly as she conjured a bright blue towel using Arcanamancy. She wrapped it around her head for her hair, then conjured another to actually dry off with. "If anybody else needs a rinse off, please don't hesitate to ask. That wagon was unbearable as it was on the way over here. I wouldn't deign to make that ride with a bunch of toxic spores all over me, personally."
"Although, the unpleasant ride, I can certainly do something about." She gave... no one in particular a sly smirk (honestly more of a smile, but hey who's counting).
There was a faint sigh of relief as the blonde responded back, a faint smile lining the hare's lips as she glanced over to Azykia. She was thankful for the potion Madison handed over to the slight girl, but the rabbit made no comment about it as she instead hoisted the tangled funguy up on her shoulder—making sure to keep the Nature magic steadily flowing into the tendrils that held a very tight grip on every inch of the creature.
Not far off she could see Yugam move to do the same for the heavier variant of funguy, and once ready the party would begin the short walk back towards Camp Nisus. "I don't know if to be thankful these guys were so close that bringing them back will be a walk in the park... or concerned that these things are being so daring to actually come this close to camp in the first place." A glance as given over to the gunslinger, the sole Lion Arms member that Toko properly knew, to gauge her take on this matter... though she assumed Madison herself wouldn't be too happy about this either.
"Oooh~ What new trick do you have up your sleeve, Azy-chan?"
She'd look towards the blonde as Toko spoke, the hare always quietly trying to ensure that the youngest party member was also within her view range... even if the Lepus did her very best to give the teen the space and independence Toko knew Azykia craved and needed in order to grow stronger.
"I'll be sure to add chronomancy to my list of masteries I want, but will never get," Yu replied to Madison as he slid his rifle back into the holster on his back, alongside the black-hilted sword he carried. Was it an odd combination of weapons? Yes. Did they get the job done? Also yes.
In the meantime, Yu began to prep the dead funguy for transport, red tendrils flowing from his hand and wrapping around the mushroom's body as Yu began to drag the body back to the camp, assuming the others had begun the trek back as well.
"I'd be worried," Yu said to Toko. "I'd wager they're scouting. Checking our defenses, numbers, etc. They're looking for weakpoints to attack is my guess." Hopefully, Yu was wrong. The idea of a Myconid assault on the barely recovering camp would spell disaster for the Travelers.
"It helps if you don't have your build scattered all over the pace," Madison said, making quite obvious "well, obviously" looks at Yugam's rifle and sword combination. "Do one thing and do it extremely well. Then, you get to dump a billion points into all the fun stuff."
Like her ability to speak with the dead. Or ram someone up the butt with their own shadow's fist if they got too close for comfort.
As the wagon trundled along the path, Madison made herself comfortable on the arcane cushions stitched together by Azykia. "That's exactly what they were doing." Scouting, that is. "We're strangers in a strange land, right now--their land. They ambushed us a week or so back, don't forget. Probably saw us as an invading force, and they just wanted to protect their shit. Thought that they could just overpower us and be done by dinner. Or, at the very least, scare us back to Astorea."
Were it her call, Madison wouldn't have sent any whistles up this way in the first place. She'd have just told everyone to go engage in some political fluff with Tertoria or something and leave the Tangleweaves well enough alone. But then again--she's just a normie player; what does she know?
The raven turned her attention to the myconid that survived their little skirmish, tightly bound and bouncing around in the back of the cart. "And I really don't think us taking back one of their own and handing it over to be poked and prodded by the MIT is going to help matters any further. How much do you want to bet that a scout or two hung back from the fight and watched us drag its brethren away?"
"That's an astute and dreadful point you've made." Azykia didn't sound happy about Madison's suggestion, but she did politely agree with it. "Perhaps we should press the myconid situation as being more urgent than the Lions first thought?"
And that was something they would surely do, as the totally padded out wagon got back to the place. The main drag. The location of this shindig.
As Azykia got out of the wagon, she conjured a mist to help her see the ground to get out at first. She then conjured her cane of arcane energy and turned to the party as they each clambered out. "As much as I would wish to accompany you, I can neither help with negotiations nor assist in carrying any of what was brought back." The girl gave a formal and graceful bow with both hands atop her cane.
"I'll stay here and continue to offer my assistance." She coughed a little bit, causing her formal visage to falter momentarily as a hand came up to cover her now lightly blushing face.
(Let's end this, Rizu. Sorry to keep you all waiting.)
T
Toko
Guest
.
.
"Eh, it'll be fiiineee..." The short ride back to camp was made immensely better by the magical conjuring of padding to the seats that Azykia had managed, the hare leaning back into a comfortable position even as she rested her rabbit feet atop the live specimen she was guarding. "Besides they were probably going to do so regardless, still they might think twice about it if we're asserting our dominance left and right."
They didn't look like the smart kind of funnyguys after all, and besides Toko was just complying with the request the nerds had asked of the party in the first place. If it turned to lead to disaster later on... well, she'd probably show up to clean up that mess too.
Before long the party had reached camp once more, the hare hoisting the bigger and heavier specimen onto her shoulders now as she allowed the gunslinger to pick up the live one. "We'll go deliver these to the nerds' nest, though heavens knows how long they're gonna be gushing about these... catch you two later?" Toko would linger just long enough to receive a confirmation from both Yugam and Azykia, before giving a light wave as she and Madison went off in the direction of the mushroom house for their special ingredient delivery...
