Dawn broke and as the birds began their birdsong to welcome the morning sun, Yemhelch groaned and drearily opened his eyes - only to find himself hanging from one of his legs, his cloak draped over his face like an execution hood. Ripping it off, he found that he leg was stuck onto a branch, and that he was hanging precariously from a large tree, with the ground a ways below.

If he had fallen in his sleep and had shaken himself loose, least he could expect was a broken neck the way he was positioned...

Stifling a yelp, he quickly levered up and wrestled his foot free from the branch and quickly climbed down, picking up his discarded cloak and hood from the grassland almost as an afterthought. It had happened again, he realized. He had gone to sleep in his tent, and the next thing he knew, he had woken up a ways from the camp. Just like last time in the inn...

Shaking off these uncomfortable thoughts, he lowered his hood against the first rays of the sunlight as he entered the clearing where they had pitched camp for the night.

"Hey, where did you go off to?" the younger ranger, who - along with her companions, had set up camp together with the adventuring group.

"Ah, well... we all have to go sometime..." Yemhelch let a slight edge of nervousness creep into his voice as he lowered his gaze. "Just don't go there for a while and you'll be fine."

The ranger's eyes twinkled mischievously as she grinned back, understanding what happened. "Don't ya worry about it. It's nature's way, after all..." she nodded. "Thanks for the tip, by the way!"

"You're welcome."

As he returned, he saw his traveling companions all up - except for Philena; whom Mikkael was making a herculean effort to stir awake.

He smiled.

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((Did an update. Download here.))

"Come on, there's traveling to be done." Mikkael remarked, lightly patting Philena's cheek. Though he himself felt quite unenthusiastic about travel that day, he wanted to get the next part of their trek over with, especially considering he'd normally be able to swim a major portion of the journey.

The Meridian girl rose from her bedroll and wiped her eyes from the drowsiness. She grabbed a change of clothing and changed into them before cheerily joining up with the rest of the group. Mikkael himself noted some details regarding the northern woods and pointed out that they could probably cut their way through the Bandit Isles for a quicker route.

"... That way we'll be at Selk by night."

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The trek began as the dawn faded to the day. As the path ahead continued north, the party began to walk astride it at first, and then eventually turning westwards as they cleared the forested region.

It was then that Mikkael explained their new route. After some do-overs in the dirt (drawn with a convenient twig), they had set out on the new route completely abandoning the marked trail.

"Bandit Isles, huh?" Yemhelch nodded. "The way you're planning the route, I have a feeling you've been there before. So, what's it like?"

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Mikkael smiled at the question asked by Yemhelch, trying to think of something not so obvious about the collective islands.

"Well," he began, "there's lots of bandits. It's a kind of rugged trail and goes straight through a major bandit camp protected by a forest. Call themselves the Black Falcons." His voice trailed off for a moment, but he continued as he adjusted his backpack, "Perfect for ambushes, but thankfully there's no bandit that knows how to climb trees. At least none that I've ever seen. Most of them like to attack head on and in groups, like we've already seen. Actually, with all the trees, it's not a bad place to gather wood, and there's a nice bit of mining to be done there as well."

He then noted a key bit of info, the main reason why this path would be quicker, "If you get through at least the first gate, you can actually follow a path, bypassing the main camp and make it all the way to Selk without issue. The same would apply coming from Selk."

Philena hastened up to Mikkael, "So you went through before? I bet you cut through them like they were nothing!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Not exactly... See, I made it through the first gate. Got a glimpse of the main encampment. Proclaimed, 'Screw that!' Then promptly jumped into the ocean to swim outta there and back to the closest point to Cyndar." Mikkael paused, "Not my bravest moment, but I figured it would be nice to fight another day."

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Bandit Isles?

Natsuki didn't like this one bit. But what could she do? Call off the mission and lose to a rival house? No! Never! Best scenario, she'd basically shift to the back of a fight and completely avoid attention. Her cloak would provide some level of camouflage once they had proper cover in the forest.

The medical herb compress had turned her cut into a soft scar overnight, and she added some strips of toughened leather to her tunic and slipped the hooded robe over. This would provide some defense against untrained blades and clubs.

Worse, even if she turned back now, she could still fall victim to bandits. She would have to depend on those two mercenaries for self-defense for now. She made a mental note to study offensive spells when she got back.

As they walked westwards, the road became familiar - and finally, a Patrol Squad of Cyndar knights declared themselves.

"Hail, travelers!" the captain, a giant of a man clad in steel armor from head to toe and carrying a massive double-edged sword on his back. "Frenga Farms is currently under quarantine, by recommendation of the Magus Guild. If you'll be wanting to buy supplies, I recommend you visit the security outpost just over there."

A little to the distance, they saw the hastily built wall, and what appeared to be a small fort right next to it. That must be the security outpost.

Perhaps a little resupply wasn't a bad idea. She was clean out of antiseptic herbs.

A short break to buy some supplies from the Knights Outpost, and they were off. Yemhelch had learned much from the Cyndar Knights, regarding the quarantine. He noted that they had more notices for sellswords to join in as volunteer patrols into the quarantine zone.

"No, it's not a disease or anything. Just strange critters we've never seen before." a scout had explained. "And believe me, I've been all over the place and saw nothing like it anywhere else."

Asked when the quarantine would be lifted, they didn't get much in the way of answers. Only an unsure "perhaps someday" was the best they could get.

Leaving behind the outpost, they began the trek to Bandit Isles.

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Eiryk awakens to the feeling of fresh snow over his body. Kept somewhat warm by the dragon's hide, he decides to keep it on for the trek to the city. Getting on top of a the small cliff he had slept under, he notices the city in the distance. He could barely remember mathematics from his time in Cyndar's school, but he had made some rough measurements between reference points and utilized trigonometry to figure out how far away Vex Vinas was.

He used his staff to write into the snow a model of what he was measuring. Drawing a triangle, he labeled the distance as D, and set the distance between the cliff face and his bag which he had placed roughly 20 meters away as just that, 20 meters. With the position of his bag, a right triangle was formed, and he knew that this angle would need to be 90 degrees. With a glass protractor, he determined that the angle of the hypotenuse and the adjacent line was 1.5 degrees. Thus he set up the equation...

Tan(1.5) = 20m / D

He rewrote it to solve for D...

20m / Tan(1.5) = D

He recalls the rough graph of angles and determines that Tan(1.5) can be represented as roughly 26/1000, simplifying to 13/500, which gives him his answer, roughly 750 meters away. By definition, the opposite over adjacent would be 20/750, and he found this answer to be fairly accurate. There would be a margin of error of roughly 20 meters, but he figured it wasn't too far. Thus, he began his trek to the city.

After a ten minute walk, he finally made it to the city gates. Vex Vinas was more vibrant than Eiryk had imagined. Perhaps he should have just walked the night prior, but he didn't mind, as he was just glad he could use the remaining parts of the dragon to build a raft to cross the icy river. What he sought was a guard's office, yet all he could see were mages and others of similar classes to his own. He inquired with one wizard who was standing at the western gate, to which the mage simply laughed.

"You don't know? Vex Vinas is the mage capital, we guard this city in order to keep the wealth of knowledge safe, and allow for a secure place for our students to train. If you have any concerns, your best bet is to inquire at the front desk at the Tower of Will, or if you would like directions, feel free to ask away."

With a nod, Eiryk made his way to the Tower of Will. He spoke of the issue he had when he was trying to enter the city with the girl filing papers.

"So this isn't the first report?" Eiryk asked, slightly surprised.

"Actually, no, you're the fourth report of this happening. Seems a lot of acolytes and scholars are being shot down. We're thinking it's the work of necromancers, trying to further some twisted goal. However, we can't do much about it since we can't find any suspect. Still, your report has been noted and will go to the correct people."

"Thanks. Also, I heard there's a blacksmith in this town now?"

"Oh! That would be Mikkael. He's a student here, but he went out on an expedition of some sort a few days ago. If all goes well, he should return shortly. He lives just outside the tower. In fact, you probably saw his house on the way here."

"I see... Would anyone like me benefit from training here for the time being? I want to become an acolyte of Lumbra." Eiryk explained.

"Well, we normally only accept those seeking to become summoners, mages, and spellswords, and scholars would have better luck with the minor places such as the Magus Guild in Cyndar. Not to say they aren't qualified, but we are the main college for magic, and we only accept those who seek to master the fundamental magic of our world on a deeper level."

"Damn, there's gotta be something I can do here though, I came all the way from Cyndar for the blacksmith, and since he's not here..."

The desk girl sighed, "Sorry, there's really not much I can do for you. I feel bad, really, especially considering your dragon was shot down. Yet there's just very little we can do for beginners..." The girl hesitated for a moment, "Well, there is ONE possibility, but I don't guarantee anything."

Eiryk listened in closer.

"See, there's a sorceress girl, her name's Aya, and she has been looking for a research partner. You could try checking in with her. Since you're looking to become an acolyte, this would be beneficial as sorcerers and sages learn of all elements." The girl points to the stairway behind her, "You can find her on the third floor. She's probably attempting her new theory, just try not to be too loud as you approach her, as it is a delicate experiment."

"Alright. Thank you miss."

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Natsuki pored over the contents of the missive that a discreet courier had given her while the rest of the party was off buying supplies. More of a letter, than a full field report from the Magus Guild.

In particular, she read about the shadowy behemoths who seemed to particularly delight in the hunt for magically adept people, often going out of their way to bite and scratch at Seers charged with magical sensing. She continued reading about the disappearance of several magic-users in the general area, noting that the creatures - from the smallest rabbit-like creature to the largest, shadowy behemoths were reported to outright ignore those with no magical talents.

She recalled how those peasants had easily hunted and killed the small creatures - some they claimed would ignore them despite the peasants simply walking up to them and impaling their spears on the creature.

Thanks to these new discoveries, local peasantry were being drafted to serve as scouts in lieu of seers; this way, the behemoths would not be provoked so easily.

The peasants had, of course, grumbled - but many a legen was distributed to ease these worries. Regardless, due to the situation, there would be a general rise of prices, and a shortage of foodstuffs across the region.

Continuing on, she read about the hunt for the shadow-man in Cyndar. No trace had been found, and even the anomalous spoor the Seers had spotted were fading away. Perhaps the creature had retreated to the sewers? Or left town completely?

She folded the report and slipped it in her bag as the trek started again. Now, well-fed and ready to travel, they set out north by northwest, escorted by a Knights Patrol for the first mile or so.

They would arrive in a day, she figured.

The trek to bandit isles proper was uneventful, except for the time when Philena had her coat stuck on some branches while gathering some odd herbs. As the day turned to the afternoon, they came across the bridge that marked the boundary between the plains and the wild western land where Bandit Isles belonged.

Passing through a security checkpoint manned by some archers and knights from Cyndar, they traveled across the bridge, and stepped down on the shores of the Bandit Isles.

*BGM*

The forest here was silent. Deadly so - no birds, no wind, and not even the trace of any wild creatures were heard.

Yemhelch closed his eyes and remembered his mentor's words. "When forest critters aren't there at all, you might be looking at an ambush... so keep sharp."

"Mikkael" he finally spoke. "The cover's good here, so I'll start sneaking. That good with you?"

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Mikkael nodded and then began to speak in a hushed voice, "They usually keep the weaker bandits out front. Sort of silly if you ask me. Just be sure to secure any trinkets. If they steal something off of you, don't worry, you can reclaim it after battle."

The meridian scanned over the landscape. He noted the position of the main camp, "We're avoiding that area and following the steeper path to the north-west. If we can survive about ten bandits, we'll do just fine."

The path began winding down to the coastal portion of the isles. Philena stuck to the back with Natsuki and Yemhelch occupied the middle position. Mikkael took a stop and noted the trees up ahead. Three regular bandits, consisting of a Reptal, Titan, and a Meridian were keeping guard in the trees above. He motioned to Natsuki and Philena to prepare some magic, and Yemhelch to prepare a ranged attack. Mikkael charged magic in his left hand and took aim at the foes awaiting them in the canopy above.

Stat Modifiers:
Bandit 1 (Back Row, Reptal, Protected by Bandit 2): Atk +25 (80), MAtk +25 (55), Earth Resist +1
Bandit 2 (Front Row, Titan, Protecting Bandit 1): Def +15 (45), MDef +15 (45)
Bandit 3 (Back Row, Meridian): Atk +35 (90), MAtk +35 (65)

PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ROLL
Need: 41 or Higher (Chance = 20% From Sneaking, 10 * 2% From Two First Class Characters in Party, 20% From Peasant Class in Party)
Rolled: 52
Success!

With a barrage of weaved spells, the trees were set ablaze through use of fire magic and each bandit was damaged by this and the arrows! Each bandit took 100 raw damage! The bandits scramble to get into formation, and prepare for the fight ahead of them!

BATTLE START!

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"Darnit, I had a good chance of sniping them when they had the higher ground." Yemhelch mumbled as he adjusted his aim to avoid directly looking at the magical flames. Down here in the gloom of the forest, the glare positively hurt his eyes.

They had gotten into formation behind their shields, ending his chance to snipe the idiot who had been sticking his head out. Now, he had to get up close and personal.

Using his position, hidden in the glare of the flames, he began to creep up from the side of the attack, letting Mikkael's frontal attack serve as a fog of war until he was right upon the three bandits. Wrenching free a heavy, brown-green oval fruit that might've looked like a bowling ball from a nearby tree and after a couple of experimental swings to get used to its weight, he threw it!

STRIKE ROLL.
Untrained Throw: Need 70
Roll 1d100
(bonus+10 for sneak attack)

106!
A Critical Hit!

The heavy fruit hit the Titan flush in the lower back of the head, a muffled, wet crack issuing from the impact as the Titan's arms went limp and he fell like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
The spinning Large Coconut hits the Titan in the back of the Neck! The spinal cord has been severed! Two vertebrae in the neck have been crushed! The windpipe has been bruised! The jugular vein has been bruised!
The titan is having trouble breathing!

Gain 4XP Throwing skill! (20 to go until level up of skill.)
Yemhelch loses the Sneaking status as the other two turn around, and spot him right as he's running off.

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((I accidentally forgot to put down attack order, but it's the same as the other.
Attack Order:
1. Yemhelch
2. Natsuki
3. Bandit 1
4. Bandit 2
5. Bandit 3
6. Mikkael

That said, new update should be in by Sunday at the earliest.))

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She had learned from their previous battle that bandits would charge at anyone they perceived weakness in. So this time, choosing discretion over valor - she stayed back, providing Mikkael and Philena with good cover from the rear. She focused on the surroundings as she figured that they could be trying the same trick she and her mercenaries had just pulled on them.

She focused on her Airshot now, her constant focus now giving the spell enough oomph to knock down an enemy if used at point-blank range.

"What happened to sneaking?" she mumbled to herself.

Each bandit makes an attack!

Mikkael takes the brunt of the attacks! Each uses their bash skill!
Bandit 1: 2(80 * 2) - 97 = 320 - 97 = 223 Damage!
Bandit 2: 2(55 * 2) - 97 = 220 - 97 = 123 Damage!
Bandit 3: 2(90 * 2) - 97 = 360 - 97 = 263 Damage!
Total Damage: 223 + 123 + 263 = 609 Damage!
4500 - 609 = 3891

Bleed Rolls! (96-100 Needed)
Bandit 1: 37
Bandit 2: 22
Bandit 3: 38
No bleeding!

Mikkael Life: 3891

Bandit 1 Life: 750
Bandit 1 Will: 30

Bandit 2 Life: 750
Bandit 2 Will: 30

Bandit 3 Life: 750
Bandit 3 Will: 30

Mikkael relents against the assault and while delivering a warcry, rushes for the Meridian Bandit.
"Aw, come now, you wouldn't harm a fello- AUGH!!!"
The bandit suffers a severely strong attack! His blood begins gushing all over the ground as one half of his body slides cleanly off the other. Mikkael laughs at the bandit's arrogant plea and shifts his gaze to the Titan who cowers in fear.
Damage: 2(367 * 2) - 30 = 1448 - 30 = 1418 Damage!

Mikkael Life: 3891
Mikkael Will: 1035

Bandit 1 Life: 750
Bandit 1 Will: 30

Bandit 2 Life: 750
Bandit 2 Will: 30

Bandit 3 Life: 0
Bandit 3 Will: 30


((I love the new stat system. :>))

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How on or off earth was that titan able to move around with a broken spinal cord? Or did he just roll his head and bump him?

Making a U-turn as Mikkael's damage-sponge attack turned the attention of his pursuers, he narrowly avoided a cleanly bisected corpse flying inches from his head as he returned to the battle. It baptized him in a splatter of fresh blood as he ducked under it.

Now spattered in blood and gore, he looked a fell sight when he emerged from the underbrush, delivering a heavy attack against the Reptal bandit who was inching away from Mikkael's advance.

STRIKE ROLL.
Dabbling Strike: Need 65
Roll 1d100

GOOD HIT!
The blow lands just below the reptal's chestplate, knocking the air out of him as he falls backward. The bandit's weapon clattered away harmlessly as he staggered from the heavy attack.

Bandit 1 is stunned! (Roll 1d100. If below 50, cannot act for the next turn.)
Bandit 1 is having trouble breathing! (accuracy, spellcasting and strength reduced by 50%)
Bandit 1 is disarmed! (no weapon in hand)

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