Life Stone

[tangletail]

Leo took his time before following the other's, his eyes instead were observing the equipment the other adventurers would be bringing into the hunt. His eyes flicking over each typical item from call whistels, to bear traps, and other forms of snares. Seems like others were possibly more prepared than the rag tag group was. And the lack of their own funds didn't seem to make their situation much better. He rubbed his chin for a moment, now looking over the most advanced group. But he couldn't see much of their equipment. They must either be professionals, or they'd rather not show their own tricks to the public's discretion.

 
With a sigh, Leo turned and began to follow after the group in a brisk pace to catch up. His thoughts continued to ring through his head, trying to find a way to prove some form of use to the group outside of combat like everyone boasts to be found of. Well I could bastardize other people's traps. The bear traps will probably be hidden and baitless. So it's a matter of finding them... but my daggers aren't going to do much for me, that means I'd have to rely on the traps.

 
It wasn't long till he caught up with the group, and he soon found the new Lynx bumping into one of the females in the party. He stopped for a moment to watch and see what he would do, however after seeing him nervously mumble an appology and even seeming to catch his eye over her form, Leo quickly began to move again. Moving an arm to catch him on the shoulder and pull him away. It was an action made in a non-aggressive way. In fact, the Serval seemed more interested in saving a fellow feline from an embarassing rebutal from a potentially aggressive woman.

“Hey guy! Helios right? If I am not mistaken that is derived from another language meaning sun or star. Never mind that.” he looked over his shoulder to see if she was following or not, “Listen man. You can't be to shy with this group. I've been traveling with them for a day and most of them just seems to be gloom and doom.”

[Suzumibachii]

Rather silently just watched the exchanges of pleasantries between the group as she looked up from under her cloak at the new comer, perhaps another set of blades would be useful. She didn't say a word though as Korius added Helios to the roster, her head tilting slightly in thought as she watched Korius place his hand on top of the new archer girls head and spoke to her. Thinking to herself, that he did have a point, isn't that why she left the academy, sure mages that graduate are free to leave but almost all of them stay to train and study more.

Seeing the group starting to move she shook her head and burst out of her own thought bubbles having to manage a quick jog to catch up, her ears listening to the rustling of the leaves in the wind, it was a calm sound, it relaxed her but she knew that this was simply the calm before the storm that this hunt would turn into. Smirking softly as the caught the tail end of Leo's statement before calming a little closer "Hey... I am not all gloom and doom ya know." A soft giggle on her voice as she turned and offered her small leather clad hand to Helios in greeting. "Welcome, I am Suzumi."
 

[Vosur Aekira]

Karina almost backed away from Korius's hand due to the treating-like-a-child manner in which he did this, but she did not move. "Then let us get moving before the registration closes. We need to go talk to the butcher first before we get going." the female red-fox Kin spoke to Korius, though directing it to the rest of the group too. "I can talk to the butcher to get us signed up quickly if this will be our motley-crew? And the name's Karina." She turned, almost running right into the one introducing himself as Helios Scopes. She paused for a few seconds as she could see embarrassment or shyness from him. "Easy there. The ends of my bow are not decorations."  she spoke before they started heading to the butcher to register for the Hunt.

Upon getting there, Karina and the butcher exchanged a nod to each other before she payed up for herself and signed on the parchment her own name. The brown bear butcher did not seem surprised any bit that she was signing up. "Trying again, Kiddo?" he spoke to her.

"At least I'm not going alone this time." she spoke in retort, taking notice that the others had already signed up on the parchment, then she made her way to the starting point in anticipation of the Hunt since there was some time left to relax.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Korius stayed with the other hunters for the event, keeping a bit of a distance from the butcher, "You go on ahead, we're already registered." It was another few minutes after Karina came back to join the group that the town's elder stood on top of a box and held what looked like a magical staff to his mouth. His voice rang quite loudly over the crowd, but not painfully, "Ahem. Thank you all for coming to our 34th cockatrice hunt. As you know, their breeding grounds are just within the Sandstone Forest a couple of kilometers from here, but their young start getting rampant and leave there to destroy what they can for food. You've all been briefed about the rules. No destroying anything within our town's limits, and no stealing a separate party's catch. Each of you party leaders should have received this special satchel with my family's crest on it. You will store all your kills in this satchel and bring it to the butcher, who will pay you according what you bring him. Good luck, and may Serenity bless your weapons." Korius smirked and looked at the others, his eyes seeming to glow a little red, "Let's catch us some money." Like the other groups, he broke into a brisk run, not exactly sprinting, heading straight north, where his nose picked up the scent of fowl.

[ShiroTenshiRyu]

He averted his eyes in shyness until she started walking again towards The sign up board.. As she did he looked at her again. She had that same spring in her step that she tried to hide, that same look of loss and hurt masked the essence of hope she had.
Helios smiled, then blushed even more seeing a fellow Lynx, who introduced himself as Leo make a witty remark about the groups morose demeanor. He looked up at the other fur that approached him holding out her hand. This one, Suzumi she named herself, was a reptile, some kind of a hybrid. He took her hand kissing it gently. His father had raised him to idolize knights so he was in all his endeavors chivalrous. “It can’t be all doom and gloom why look at Leo here, I’ve seen cripples who look better than him.” He said with a chuckle. Helios smiled sneaking another look at Karina. Snap out of it you idiot! Remember Luna.
He listened to the rules before following the group sticking close to Leo and Suzumi forming a inner group of their own for the moment. For now he’d have to play the part of the fool. He needed the Life Stone to get her back. “So tell me Leo, Suzumi, what’s this Life Stone, Korius mentioned?”

[tangletail]

Leo turned to look to the woman whom he assumed was a Kobold breed, and then smiled, “As I said just a moment ago,” He finished by leaning slightly forward, raising up his right and, and used his thumb to the rest of their adventuring party. The manner in which he did it was practically lazy, but was also intended in a humorous manner, “most.” He'd drop the posture back to his default and listen to Helios with a grin. “Oh, I look worse than a cripple you say,” Leo chuckled, and used a hand to scratch behind the other lynx's ears after he turned to look to Kariana, “Says the man of chivalry who is reduced to a nervous wreck when he spies a lovely lady. Now that's cute”

The cat then leaned a bit closer to whisper into Helios's ears in a teasing manner. His whisper came out as a smooth hiss, intentionally loud enough for Suzumi to hear, but no one else, “But be careful Casanova, she has claws sharper than that sword you carry.”

 
He'd pull away, and notice the group had already left for the hunt. He figured he'd wait for a bit and let everyone set their traps down, and continue about their strategy, thus leaving plenty of other fields untouched.

 
“Mmm... this talk of the Life Stone is better left till we leave the village, avoids attention, and scalpers who'd follow ya till you get your goals, and then shank you in the back when you aren't lookin. But long story cut short. It's said to have the power of resurrection of those long deceased.”

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Kiana was ahead of Leo and Helios but she still heard Leo's "doom and gloom" comment and then a minute later heard him repeat it in a way to emphasize "most" of the party was that way. She knew Suzumi was over near the two since she had heard her as well so it was easy to figure out who he was talking about. "Just because someone doesn't talk much doesn't mean they're 'doom and gloom'." Kiana spoke up without looking back at Leo. "So 'seem' would be the keyword there since none of us know anything about each other." There wasn't any aggression or irritation in her tone, she was just stating the fact simply. She hated people assuming things about others people without even knowing them, but she wasn't going to let that act make her not like Leo. It might just take time to get used to him and the other. Not that any of them knew how much time they would or wouldn't have with each other.
After Karina left to register herself for the Hunt and then came back, Kiana focused her attention to the elder on the box when she heard someone speaking with an amplified voice. Once he was done speaking, Korius looked back at their group and she thought she saw a glint of red in his eyes. Thinking she just imagined it, she gave a quick nod and took off at a run, being sure she was keeping up with Korius. She didn't look back to see if the others were following, she just figured they would be.

[Vosur Aekira]

Karina was surprised by the kiss on the hand by Helios, but she did not let him have a long time in doing so. "Do you mind? I'm not that type of woman." she spoke to him. "And furthermore, if you cannot keep your eyes off of me, you are a risk to yourself and to everyone around you." she added before she took off in a run after Korius and Kiana. She took off one arrow from her quiver and held her bow in her left hand while they were running to be at the ready once they were to stop. She smiled widely as Korius seemed to know where he was going, her own nose twitching at the scent she was getting. "Best places to aim on these creatures would be in the rib-cage or in the neck. You don't want them to let out their shrill call. It either alerts nearby ones to flee or calls them over to attack and we lose the element of surprise either way."

[Suzumibachii]

Suzumi went back to looking at the others and then at the mayor as he started his announcement. Listening to the rules as she looked at how he was amplifying his voice. Stepping closer to Korius once more as the wolf seemed to be rather eager to start the hunt, seeing how each muscle tensed and relaxed as he spoke. Seeing the slight tint in his eyes she knew he was serious. Nodding at him and then at the others as Kiana and Karina started the brisk jog with Korius.

Waiting just a few seconds before taking off after them she kept a relatively safe distance from Korius bringing herself closer to the two archers. Softly speaking up so that only they would hear. First addressing Kiana for her previous comment. "I think that comment was just to ease the tension, this group is a rag tag crew, and we dont know each other yet, I am sorry if something I said or did offended you."
Looking at Karina and her bladed bow once more. "The neck you say...I will remember that. How much time does one have between when they see you and make a call, and how loud is it?" The lizard seemed rather intressted in the small details as she tried to form a time line for her attack patterns.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Korius continued to lead the group forward, and a large group of cockatrice running wild was in sight. The black wolf carefully chose his course to run straight for the largest crowd of cockatrice, and slowed just a little to be running alongside Kiana, "There's a little bottle hanging on the left of my sash! Grab it! If I lose my sanity and don't revert, dip your arrows or Karina's arrows in this and shoot me with them. It's an especially powerful sedative, and I don't have much of it left, but it will bring me right back." After she took the bottle, the berserker broke into a full sprint into the fray, not wanting any other hunters to interfere, or to let any of the cockatrice fall into any traps. His eyes glowed more as he let out a maniacal grin while he brought the large sword up over his head with his one hand and swiped the heads off the first two in front of him. "DON'T LET ANY OF THEM ESCAPE, YOU ALL!" He growled as he continued to charge forward.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Kiana looked at Karina when she ran up to her and Korius' pace then turned her attention forward again as she listened to her advice on where to aim on the cockatrice. She then looked to Suzumi when she ran up beside her and spoke to her. "You haven't offended me. No one has. I was simply reminding others not to judge before knowing." She replied simply as she continued to run. Shortly after that a large group of cockatrice came into sight and as she followed Korius he slowed to be running beside her. She looked over at him when he spoke and then her eyes shifted to the bottle he mentioned hanging on his sash. Grabbing the bottle when he told her to, she put in a safe place within her clothing as she listened to the rest of what he had to say about it. She nodded in understanding before he rushed off. It was then that she pulled her off over her head and pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it. When Korius mentioned for them to not let any cockatrice get away after decapitating two of them, she stopped at a good distance and took aim at the neck of one of the cockatrice that had separated from the group. "Get it through the windpipe and it won't make a peep." She thought to herself. Letting out a breath, she loosed the arrow.

[tangletail]

Leo watched the other two run, and then checked around himself to see if there were anyone left. Seeing that everyone else had already ran off, he would take a moment to glance to Helios and pat him on the shoulder. “I am going a different route from the rest of the party. Issue is, everyone will run to the same location if the density is high. Things die faster than what you can kill, see?” He finished with a questioning note to see if the other Lynx understood his logic. His eyes scanned over him for a moment before he started to walk towards the killing grounds in a backpedal towards a more unfriendlier area of the Sandstone Forest. “They will likely run into the feeding grounds which will have a high population. But it won't matter with the sheer numbers of hunters. I plan on finding the dens or breeding grounds. It may have fewer in population. But plenty if it's just a few people... and less of a chance of death.”

 
“But if you wish to follow Korius, I'd advise you to stay back when he starts swinging. Fun thing about berserkers is the legendary Berserker's Rage. Once they start fighting, they just.... mm... how do you say... loose control.” He'd turn around and burst into a sprint, eventually disappearing into the sandstone forest.

 
He kept running till the first sight of a cockatrice. Once he found one, he slowed down and dropped down into a crouch to take a look at everything around him. “Just a handful of them here...” he thought to himself. He heard a distant squawk, which seem d to have collectively gained the attention of the other presumably males. They in turned squawked back, and slowly stalked off. “Well, easy part's done...” Leo sighed to himself, now rising back up into a normal stance. He came a bit closer to where the large birds originally were, and began to look around, “Now the hard part.”

He began to search around, looking about to see if he could catch one of them off guard, and by his own spectacle of luck he did. It was a large one, it had it's back towards the feline and it's head seemed to be busy with something on the ground. The air around it just smelled foul, and flies buzzed everywhere. “Oh... man,” he thought to himself, as he now lowered his body closer to the ground. He drew both of his daggers, and crept quietly closer. “There is no way it's eating a fresh kill.”

[Vosur Aekira]

"Less than a second, and I can usually hear them while I'm in bed." Karina spoke really quietly, stopping and notching her arrow quickly as she was readying to let one of her arrows fly if one should attempt to make the call or attempt to leave. After a couple of seconds, she sees another one trying to break from the group after Kiana took down one of them, instinctively letting her arrow go and hitting it in the diaphragm, to which it instantly dropped before she quickly re-notched another arrow. Her head and her ears were constantly pivoting to sense everything around them in attempt make sure that they weren't going to get ambushed by anything, but in the time that she was looking around, one had gotten within arm's reach of her, making her take a swipe with her bow blade due to it being too close, to which it ended up making herself fall backwards. She did manage to kill that one that had gotten close, but she scrambled back up to her feet as she was looking for another target, breathing heavily due to the surprise.

[ShiroTenshiRyu]

Helios gave his fellow Lynx a quizzical glance the words not ringing quite right in his mind. He was an odd one Leo. Something told him that Leo had secrets that none of the others figured out either. Thankfully he wasn't worried when Leo took off. He had his scent dead locked after all he was a fellow Lynx. Turning to Suzumi he smiled and even gave a small chuckle. "He's something else, no? Either way we should probably follow him. We wouldn't want him doing anything stupid after all." He stood waiting to see if she'd come along. Leo might not have thought so, but there was a safety in numbers that he would need on this hunt. Snap out of it Helios you're on a mission. Besides these furs will help you just trust them.
When he'd finally caught up to Leo, he held his breath as he saw Leo creeping up on a heavily distracted cockatrice. Helios held up his hand whether it was to silence Suzumi who may or may not have been behind him, or to steady himself he was unsure. He slowly and quietly crouched behind a bush, watching Leo with awe. Such grace as his blades inched nearer the cockatrice. Some day you'll have to teach me how to get that close to the enemy Leo. That was when Helios saw it. A second larger cockatrice had looked up from it's meal and had set it's eyes upon Leo. Nyx save me, please let this work. He only had one chance he drew his blade slowly. As soon as it charges him I charge it... Let's just hope someone's around to save me. Helios's body tensed he was ready to explode into action.

[Suzumibachii]

Nodding to Karina before watching Korius head off to the front and instantly cleaving though a few of the cockatrice without any effort. His orders were to make sure none escaped or got away. She though to herself for a moment, reflecting on Karina's words, Less than a second...that is not much time... Throwing off her cloak and closing her eyes she listened for a second to the sound of the wind around her.

If it wasn't clear that she was a mage to the others it would become evident soon, she carried no weapons. The gems on her gloves started to glow faintly as she focused a breeze swirling around her body as she focused opening her eyes she smiled softly and rushed towards a cockatrice her movement a little faster as she manipulated the air around her to push and propel her forwards.  She didnt want to look weak in front of the others but the sound of a cockatrice jumping at Karina distracted her. Forming a swirling mass of air in her palm she attempted to slam her hand and the compressed air against a cockatrice to daze it or crack part of its skull, however she lost focus and instead of landing her blow the unstable in her her palm blasted outwards knocking her backwards and causing the lizard to stumble and fall on her rear.