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May 26, 2017 2:29:14 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 26, 2017 2:29:14 GMT -5
Akeno. Rex. Drakka. Rex. Drakka. Akeno. Rex. Akeno. Drakka.[break] Not that Raynauld was really complaining about a tight-knit group like the Devils and the members thereof, but it was starting to get stale constantly working with the three of them. Besides, he was rapidly beginning to grow tired of playing human shield for a group of attackers that ranged from mildly dysfunctional at the best of times to extremely dysfunctional all of the time. No, today he wanted to play human shield for someone that might not have been three levels of crazy and proved capable of basic human decency.[break] Word had it that in the canyons of Dione a great centaur king was up to the usual tricks of their race, pillaging and slaying without remorse or feeling. It was the perfect type of adventure for the Crusader, and upon reaching the Badlands he sent out a party invite into the wild blue. Let fate pair him with someone, just for this moment - heretical as that may have been.[break] At least he'd finally settled on a weapon type to use.[break] Bounty - 1/8; who dares arrive...?
ulla
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May 26, 2017 12:45:28 GMT -5
Post by index on May 26, 2017 12:45:28 GMT -5
He had not been tackling these hunts for mini bosses as he would have preferred. They were supposed to give loot unobtainable nowhere else and usually less threatening than raid bosses - perfect for adding meaningless things to his collection. He would've been ready to fight one alone, still armed with nothing but beginner gear, pure stats and protective skills to get him through. It wouldn't be a smart idea, yes, but he was sure he could simply run away from the encounter if he could see it turning out to be a disaster. Index should be finding friends instead of trying out things like this.
A party invite suddenly appeared in front of him. The event had him stopping on his tracks, looking left and right for a soul, and ending in disappointment. It would be a distraction from his plan's for today, though he assumed it wouldn't hurt to take the bait. He decided to accept the invitation regardless before sending a message back: 'Hello! Who's this?' It already said Raynauld on the party interface, to which Index felt stupid. He just hoped that the person who sent it wasn't going to take the message too literally.
raynauld
//invading this thread 
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May 26, 2017 15:53:29 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 26, 2017 15:53:29 GMT -5
Oh, an ally had accepted his invite! Nice.[break] "Ho, friend," Raynauld said, once Index finally approached his location. "You stand before Raynauld, knight in service to She of Fated Love, Lasivia. And I see you're a fellow knight yourself!" It was honestly refreshing; between the soldier, the werewolf and the madman, Ryan had started to believe he was the only person in this game who thought to go medieval fantasy as most games do.[break] His armament looked rather shabby, though. Maybe he was one of those knights who took a vow of poverty or somesuch? Didn't make much sense to him, personally, but he could hardly flaunt a man for taking such a vow.[break] Little time came to dwell on much else related to one-another; throughout them the sound of hooves echoed on the dusty ground. The Warlord of the man-beasts had caught them on the wind, and rode with purpose towards them. It would behoove them to show the same purpose. Raynauld drew his flail and shield, stealing a glance to Index.[break] "Well, then. Let us be the shield of faith, then. Amen." 2/8 - index
ulla
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May 26, 2017 21:09:38 GMT -5
Post by index on May 26, 2017 21:09:38 GMT -5
The person who sent the invite appeared. He always assumed that the guys who played the role of tanks were less flashy than those who chose an attacker, or well, at least that's how he initially thought it would be before Raynauld went on and proclaimed things he couldn't wrap his head around. Lasivia? He wasn't even aware that religion was in the game. "Er, y-yes. I'm of the paladin class, thanks." Index wasn't sure what to say after hearing his introduction, though he knew he couldn't possibly match it with his own words if he even wanted to.
Before long, the centaur showed itself to them and without wasting a moment, charged straight towards them. Its arms carried its axe overhead as it trampled the ground. "I should get an axe," he muttered to himself. As soon as it came near, the centaur would drop his axe onto them. Index did not move out of the way though, and simply materialized a barrier in front of him, stopping the attack momentarily before it would crack under its weight. Though it probably was too much for Cover to handle, the paladin found this much better than the attacks from the last raid boss.
"I, uh, hope you have the damage. Cause I don't." The paladin cancelled the skill and dematerialized the barrier, moving out of the way as the centaur staggered forwards.
raynauld
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May 26, 2017 21:56:39 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 26, 2017 21:56:39 GMT -5
"I'll manage." It wasn't a complete lie - working with the Devils meant that Raynauld often ended up in a duel with some awful creature or duelist that generally pushed him to his limits. This wouldn't be much different. "Ave Maria!"[break] When the centaur met Index's shield and broke through, it was met by Raynauld's flail as he charged forward, cracking the beast directly in its gut with a swing of his flail. A roar of pain met him, and he immediately moved back, raising his shield to meet the swing of its axe-[break] It never came. The centaur whipped itself around and struck out with its hind legs as if a rampaging horse or a rodeo bull, meeting Raynauld's shield head-on with its hooves and shoving him back, earning the centaur space to break away and ride, circling the two defenders and swinging its axe, a preparation for when it would next strike. As long as it had that kind of advantage...[break] Of course, a rampaging horse could be entangled. Raynauld hunkered down under his shield, trying his best to keep the metal pointed at the centaur. It was merely time until its next charge...[break] 3/8 - index
ulla
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May 27, 2017 11:13:17 GMT -5
Post by index on May 27, 2017 11:13:17 GMT -5
The paladin heard the cry of pain from the centaur, turning just in time to see Raynauld swing his weapon at their target. The smile on his face from the satisfaction brought by the hit quickly contorted into a face of worry within moments. His eyes followed the crusader get knocked back, holding his hand out almost instinctively towards the fallen comrade and cast a heal. "Oi, you alright?" On hindsight, it would be better to save the heals for when they really needed it.
Index got to Raynauld's side. It was only then that he realized that the centaur had been circling them, threatening an attack anytime soon. As the crusader got into a defensive stance, Index did the same. With their backs against each other's, Index put up another barrier. "I got you." As he hid behind his shield, Index started casting Sanctify. Either the centaur warlord comes to them first and its damage gets healed afterwards, or the stun range reaches it before it could even attack, the situation would still be advantageous for them..
raynauld
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May 27, 2017 19:53:48 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 27, 2017 19:53:48 GMT -5
Oh, this knight had healing power? What kind of deity had the health of men under their purview? Raynauld was unsure, honestly - in fact, he wasn't certain deities existed outside of his own.[break] Finally, the line broke and the warlord charged, axe prepared. Merely half a meter from them, however, the light shone as if possessed and the Centaur became awed by the heavenly light from Index's sanctification, pausing and slowing its movement.[break] "There!"[break] That was the first tipping point of many, as Raynauld went low and swung his flail straight into the centaur's forelegs. A crack rang out, echoing in the canyon, and the sound of the centaur's pained roar made Raynauld smirk, up until he barely avoided being decapitated by the greataxe with his shield. The centaur kept moving, but it was slower now, loping at an odd pace. They'd gained their first advantage - all they had to do was keep it, now.[/break] 4/8 - index
ulla
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May 27, 2017 22:53:34 GMT -5
Post by index on May 27, 2017 22:53:34 GMT -5
As soon as the light touched the centaur, the crusader was the first to charge. Index followed shortly, not willing to get behind in the dust. After getting its attack blocked, it decided to continue circling them again. Whatever the beastman had in its AI, it definitely was worse than the unpredictable raid bosses. Before it could launch its next attack, Index sprinted to its side and stabbed one of its front legs with his short sword.
He should get that replaced soon.
In retaliation, the centaur tried to cleave the paladin. Without wasting a moment, he erected another barrier in between his face and the axe. Cracks started propagating against the point of contact, prompting the paladin to ready his weapon. As it reached the maximum damage it could take, the cover shattered into shards and Index was forced to parry the strike with his bash skill. It was only for a moment that the centaur was unable to threaten him with another strike, and Index took the opportunity to regroup.
raynauld
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May 28, 2017 2:59:25 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 28, 2017 2:59:25 GMT -5
The centaur was quickly slowing down, recognizing the current disadvantage if it kept its current stride. After moving back from the Paladin's shield bash (maybe he should learn that one...) it dug in, moving slower but steadying its own shattered foreleg.[break] With Index regrouping, that left Raynauld to pick up the slack. Now that he tried to approach, however, the centaur kept him at bay with his sheer reach; the greataxe was far longer than his flail, and swinging it was enough to give him pause. Once, twice, three times... It was rapidly becoming time to change the plan. Raynauld moved left, met the swing of the axe-[break] And broke right in a feint.[break] "Ave Maria!" And Raynauld slammed himself upon the centaur, bearing down upon the torso as he did before. A large weapon's problems were in its reach - good at keeping enemies at a distance, significantly worse when the enemy had a way to swiftly close in. Raynauld pressed his advantage, repeatedly whipping the flail as fast as the autoattack settings would let him. All he had to do was hold until Index has recovered, which surely could not take so long.[break] 5/8 - index
ulla
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May 28, 2017 12:02:16 GMT -5
Post by index on May 28, 2017 12:02:16 GMT -5
The axe was heavy; his sword had questionable durability. It felt as if the last blow did more to his weapon than the centaur's. Still, that wasn't going to let Index get distracted from the problem at hand. Raynauld already started bashing at its torso, with his flail clearly bringing in more pain than his sword. Holding his hand outward, the paladin would cast a minor speed buff at the crusader in an effort to improve his DPS. It wasn't like the paladin's contributions to the damage dealt would be significant, but Index still ran towards the centaur with his weapon on hand.
The centaur warlord, unable to hit the crusader with the edge of its axe, was about to strike the crusader with the butt of its handle. The lack of taunt skills limited his options, and though both of them were clearly tanks, Index still decided to chuck his weapon at the axe's hilt, changing its trajectory and hitting the ground beside the crusader instead. It had been on the spur of the moment, but he wasn't doing much with his weapon anyways.
Now weaponless, the warlord started to mark him as the most vulnerable target. It was the more favorable outcome regardless, compared to outright trampling over Raynauld. The axe started going his way, only to be blocked by another barrier. It broke almost immediately, though the momentum weakened just enough for Index to easily move out of the way. From the axe's edge, the paladin quickly went towards his sword, grabbing it and getting on the offensive with Raynauld.
raynauld
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May 29, 2017 0:17:31 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 29, 2017 0:17:31 GMT -5
Raynauld gave Index that look - the kind of look that asks a man "Did... did you just toss your weapon?" directly to his face.[break] Regardless, they were clearly putting him upon the ropes now. One particularly good push was all it would take in this moment to topple the centaur for good. And that would be easy to reach, given their current position...[break] Raynauld hit the centaur with his shield and then pulled back, merely to buy time for Index to grab his own blade. Once he had, Raynauld began to shout out orders once more, the better to end this wretched beast where it stood.[break] "Flank it! Crush the heathenous horseman between our faiths!"[break] Raynauld kept his stance as he moved to the Centaur's left flank, slamming his flail into the centaur's horse body as best he could. The centaur would turn and strike him every so often, and while he would parry it every so often he merely chose to eat an attack, as if he believed his faith alone could protect him from harm.[break] 6/8 - index
ulla
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May 29, 2017 8:20:53 GMT -5
Post by index on May 29, 2017 8:20:53 GMT -5
"I'm crushing this heathenous horseman, alright."
The vocabulary of the crusader was deeper than he realized. The choice of words was not something he'd expect to hear in the heat of a scuffle even. Regardless, crushing the centaur with his faith was what he'd do for now. Gripping the short sword firmly with his right hand, he approached the centaur by its left flank as Raynauld took the other side. The sword plunged through the warlord's right hind leg once, before Index retrieved it and dodging the hooves which threatened to stomp at him.
The paladin went back as soon as the opportunity allowed it. Its attention was still at the crusader, and Index was free to do his own thing for the most part. He brought his sword to the same spot he pierced his sword into and started to give the centaur's leg a few cuts before following up with a bash, swinging his sword at the knee cap with its flat side. It wasn't enough to completely incapacitate the centaur, but at least it brought the beastman down to its three workable legs.
Amidst the fight, he threw a few heals at the crusader to keep him topped off. "Here." Holy light shone above his head like the holy man he proclaims to be.
raynauld
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May 29, 2017 10:51:35 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 29, 2017 10:51:35 GMT -5
"Hah! Yes! PERFECT!" Index had taken out one leg; remove another, and the beast would fall. That paladin... he was a multi-tasker like none other, having healing power in his faith and able to utilise it whilst in the heat of battle. He would've been envious had that not been sinful. No, Raynauld's talents laid elsewhere, as Rex and others had told him time and again.[break] Renewed, he pulled back and aimed for the leg he had so wounded earlier - the left foreleg. If he could cripple that one, the centaur's weight couldn't support him; he would topple as a house of cards blown by the breeze. So Raynauld went low, swinging wildly. The centaur met him with his axe as best he could, but no beastman could stop the oncoming storm.[break] "Ave Maria!"[break] He shouted, and rammed straight through the oncoming strike, barreling into the Centaur's legs with a nauseating cracking sound. His momentum carried through and toppled the centaur as he moved over it, the beast now struggling in vain merely to get up. Raynauld turned, panting heavily, then looked over to Index with a nod.[break] "I give you this one. Finish it."[break] 7/8 - index
ulla
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May 29, 2017 11:24:11 GMT -5
Post by index on May 29, 2017 11:24:11 GMT -5
As he took out a leg from his side, Raynauld did so too. The centaur collapsed on the ground as the crusader's flail made contact, bringing the beast down and their bounty at an end. Well, almost. The only thing left was to end the centaur's life and turn it into an explosion of pixels. His gaze was at the fallen beastman, half-expecting for the crusader to be the one to deal the finishing blow. After all, he had been the one who did most of the damage. When Raynauld prompted him to do it instead, Index quickly pointed a finger at himself before cracking a smile with a shrug.
"Well, if you insist."
He aimed at the centaur's head, his sword plunging straight to its skull. It gave out a loud cry, though it had not died yet. Index wasn't surprised considering the quality of his weapon. The paladin twisted the blade, still deep into its head, before placing a foot beside his sword and using it to help take his sword out. As he took it out, the centaur's health bar eventually reached zero. Index watched as its body evaporated into pixels. Perhaps it had been because of the recent raid that he found himself staring at it longer than he usually did.
raynauld
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May 29, 2017 19:15:33 GMT -5
Post by raynauld on May 29, 2017 19:15:33 GMT -5
Raynauld pantomimed checking a watch as Index's first strike failed to slay the centaur where it stood, but otherwise said nothing. It would be rude, after all, to dump on a man whose vow was likely that of poverty.[break] Like before, it burst into pixels and left two chests, one for the Paladin and one for the Crusader. Raynauld kicked his open and claimed his blood money from it, as well as... the hide of the beast they'd just slain. Tough and leathery - and there was a lot of it, too. Distasteful as it was, he imagined SOMETHING could be made from it...[break] "Ugh... Maybe something Mongolian in style...? That seems too on the nose, though..."[break] For a moment, he was lost in his own world, working out the possibilities. After that, however, he quickly folded the reward up and placed it in his inventory, almost too quickly, as if embarrassed to be caught.[break] "Right! Well. That was good work. You and your God of Worship do good work, just like I do for Lasivia. I'm sure we'll meet again, good fellow of the faith!"[break] 8/8 - index
ulla
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