[EVENT] Pumpkin Pie (Party 1)

[Chamomile]

Darkness has fallen over the first floor of the Mythril Garden. Despite the lack of sunlight, the Labyrinth is dimly lit by luminescent blue flora growing in the brush. The light reflects off the trees, filling the entire wood with an ethereal blueish glow.

As usual, the path into the thick of the Labyrinth is quiet and bare of any sharp thickets or overgrowth. The grass looks as though it has been trampled over enough times that it forms a perfect path between the trees. Along this path a silence washes over the forest, which is strange for the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Perhaps, at least in this part of the wood, the usual creatures are resting, tired from a long day of chasing the heels of other Explorers. Maybe the night dwelling monsters scared them off? Either way, the entering the Labyrinth should be no trouble for the party tonight.

[Saya]

It was strange, this mission she was to go on. It wasn't really specific as to WHAT they would be retrieving, just what they should do to get these special objects. Something about searching for them in the night, and bringing oil with them. The girl frowned, looking down at her katana and adjusting it a little bit. Oil...as in the elemental oils? Because she certainly did not have any of those. Would this mission really be all that difficult without them, however? She honestly did not think so. It was just the first floor at night, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, aside from the fact that this time she was the first to arrive on the first floor, no one else was around. And she was definitely not late this time, she had made sure of that. With a frown, the young girl peered around, wondering where her companions for this quest might be. The ycould be anywhere, though. Heck, they might not even have arrived yet. "I guess I...wait?" she questioned idly to herself, not really used to having free time when a quest was technically supposed to be underway.

Oh well. With a yawn she leaned against a nearby wall and waited.

[Nanashi]

Once again, Nanashi found himself hiding outside of the Labyrinth's main entrance...how many times was he going to end up in this position? There was a slight difference this time, however. Instead of hiding in the bushes with all of the disease-ridden vermin, he was currently laying on a tree branch overlooking the Labyrinth. A wise choice...especially as there was a place to set the gear he brought for these outings, although today it was limited to only one extra piece of equipment- an unlit oil lamp, which hung from a small branch a few feet over his head. Stol-borrowed from once of those fancy restaurants in town.

The lamp wasn't to help Nanashi- he felt very much at home in the dark. It was for a small prank that he wanted to play on the little Shogun girl. Through means that were better left unmentioned, he knew that she'd accepted a contract for tonight...and so had he, for that very reason. So, her arrival brought a smirk to his face. Just as planned~ The prank would work better if she didn't know of his presence here, but then, it wouldn't be very fair either. He pulled a kunai from his jacket before flinging it down near the Shogun with a soft thunk. The Ninja made sure to move into a position where he couldn't be seen even if the girl bothered looking up...even though he wanted her to know that he was around, he didn't want her to know that he was there. That would ruin half the fun...

[Elias]

It would be a lie to say that Elias wasn’t terribly excited. He was, really. Even if this quest wasn’t the most… auspicious start to a career, he was terribly excited to enter the Labyrinth and get…well whatever it was they were supposed to retrieve. He hadn’t paid too much attention to the specifics, actually. He’d signed up as a meat shield Protector, not the party brains. But no, the quest itself was not what was bothering Elias. If he were totally honest with himself—a rare thing—he was more nervous about his party mates than any monsters in the Labyrinth. Not the wisest thing in the world, but true all the same.

When he arrived at the appointed meeting spot, he saw only one of his new teammates. He narrowed his eyes. She seemed too young to be venturing out into the Labyrinth. Then again, they were just gathering ingredients for pies. How much trouble could that be? Besides if everything went according to plan, he’d be the one taking the brunt of the attacks.

Elias tried not to think about what would happen if everything did not go according to plan.

He stood up straight, and tried to look confident as he walked over to the young girl. “Evening. Elias Dunmarre. Nice to meet you.” He stuck a hand out for her to shake. “You’re here for the mission, right?” Elias grinned to himself. That was great; cool, confident, self-possessed. The kind of introduction you’d want to receive from the guy who was going to defend you from attacks.

He didn’t notice, of course, Nanashi hiding up in the trees, or the kunai he had thrown at Saya’s feet—which is not exactly what you’d want from the aforementioned guy who was going to defend you from attacks.

[MERCY]

[atrb=valign, top][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 11px; line-height: 85%; text-align: center; color: #666;]❝ KNOW THAT I CAN CUT YOU DOWN ❞[/style][STYLE= width: 250px; border-right: #373737 dashed 01px; border-left: #373737 dashed 01px; border-top: #373737 solid 10px; border-bottom: #373737 solid 10px; padding: 10px; background: #fafafa; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #6f6f6f; font-family: tahoma;]Mercy's lips pressed in a flat, grim line, her heavy boots stamping her path into the soil. She raised a hand to ruffle her curls a bit, scratching her head, gaze narrow. Chances were she was taking the whole "pie mission" a bit more seriously than she needed to, but honestly she'd rather overestimate a mission than underestimate it. Better safe than sorry. There was always the chance something could go wrong, though she never dwelled on the thought. Hardly helped a thing to worry. She spotted Saya and Elias standing out as dark against the azure glow. Though her guard was most certainly up, it hadn't exactly crossed her mind to scan the area for any possible ninjas in hiding. Her gaze fell to Elias as she heard him speak, though she couldn't quite make out the words. What she was able to make out however was the blue light glinting off the kunai sent sailing through the air to the young girl's feet. As she continued to step toward them she casually reached for her axe, shifting it to rest over her shoulder in her grip. If the ninja had intended to hit her they would have, it wasn't as if she were a moving target at the moment. "Anyone after your throat, Girl?" Though the question was meant to be a joke, it hardly sounded like one. With her presence announced she stopped not far behind the pair, staring down the entrance.[/style][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; color: #373737;]MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖[/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px; margin-top: 09px;]❝ EVENT ❞[/style][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; margin-top: 05px; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px;]❝ 245 words ❞[/style][STYLE= margin-top: 05px; height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border: #373737 solid 10px; background: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h113/planarpotence/Icons/Nia%20Teppelin/034.png);][/style][STYLE= color: #373737; font-size: 80px; margin-top: -43px; margin-left: -09px;]◤[/style]

[Kai]

[atrb=valign, top][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 11px; line-height: 85%; text-align: center; color: #666;]❝ The endless possibilities controlling every fight ❞[/style][STYLE= width: 250px; border-right: #373737 dashed 01px; border-left: #373737 dashed 01px; border-top: #373737 solid 10px; border-bottom: #373737 solid 10px; padding: 10px; background: #fafafa; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #6f6f6f; font-family: tahoma;]Kai never means to be late, for anything but sometimes fate has other things in mind. His own schedule is executed with precision, everything done on time. It's the things that aren't on his schedule or otherwise against his daily ordeals. Those things tend to fall off the map and he forgets about them entirely. Well, to the point that he doesn't remember unless he sees something that pertains to such a thing. Like today..or is it tonight? He saw a pie at a street vendor while going on an evening walk. Young Kai stared at it for a few seconds before it clicked in his mind. He had to be somewhere. From there, he turned and hauled ass towards his destination. With his speed and fairly high stamina, it didn't take him long to reach the designated location. He may well have run halfway across Mythraegal to get there but he was hardly sweating, probably a few drops coming off his forehead. With him though, he'd say it was divine luck or something, too modest to accept his own abilities. Once again, he found himself looking upon three others as he slowed to a stop near the group. It was odd though, this kind of things were meant for a five-person team...where was the fifth? If Kai was only fashionably late, this last guy had to be dragging ass. Slowly shaking his head, Kai pushed such thought deeper into his mind. As he spoke to the people, he inclined his head. "Greetings all, I am Kai." He said in a light but firm voice. Upon raising his head, he gazed at each of them in turn. He only recognized the younger, smaller girl, Saya. He had nothing else to say, so he clasped his hands behind back and took a relaxed stance. He wore his favorite white tunic that went down to his knees with a blue sash wrapped around his waist as well as a scarf of the same color around his neck. As always, the silver-haired youth had on his gray sandal-boots, quite unique and customly made to fit his feet&legs like a second skin. He looked much the same as always only this time, there was a mysterious gleam in his azure eyes.[/style][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; color: #373737;]MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖[/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px; margin-top: 09px;]❝ Saya, Nanashi, Elias & Mercy ❞[/style][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; margin-top: 05px; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px;]❝ 380 words ❞[/style][STYLE= margin-top: 05px; height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border: #373737 solid 10px; background: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/2rcpgu0.png);][/style][STYLE= color: #373737; font-size: 80px; margin-top: -43px; margin-left: -09px;]◤[/style]

[Saya]

A man called Elias was the first to arrive, other than herself, of course. He sure seemed confident enough. It was during his arrival that the kunai was thrown, and due to his sudden presence, Saya missed it, not noticing it was even there. She just offered a smile to the man called Elias and shook his hand a little. "I'm Saya. It's great to meet you," the young girl said, though she certainly didn't have a lot of the energy one might expect from a little girl.

Saya dropped her hand to the side and glanced around, before looking back to him with a small sigh. "And yeah, I am, but...wonder where all the others are at," she commented. At least she wasn't the one that was a little late this time, right? Saya wondered, if the other members of the party didn't show up, would it still be intelligent to go on this mission? She wasn't sure about that, though she hoped that the others would show up.

It'd be downright crazy to try and go down there with only two people. Right at that time, though, a woman's voice was heard, and Saya frowned as she looked towards the other female. "After my throat...?" Saya asked curiously, before following the woman's gaze. A kunai was right by her feet. "Uh...I don't think so. If they were, surely they would have better aim. Unless they're terrible at what they do," she stated, not perturbed by the kunai that much.

After all, if the person was just throwing it to creep her out, that couldn't harm her. And if he or she was throwing it to kill her...well clearly they sucked with aiming and needed to work on their skills. "Ah, hello again Kai!" Saya greeted the last of their merry little group. Wait...no, not last. There were supposed to be 5 people on this mission, that much she was sure about. Saya frowned as she glanced every which way. "There's supposed to be five of us, but...hm. Do you all suppose it would be intelligent to just go in anyway?"

[Nanashi]

Well. Nanashi was honestly a bit upset that nobody really seemed to notice his 'gift', especially not the Shogun girl. They should be thanking him...but, it seems as though they would need a demonstration to really appreciate this. The Ninja pulled a second kunai from his seemingly endless supply before sitting up and dipping it's tip in the small pool of oil contained within the lamp, rolling the blade around in the thick fluid to make sure that the weapon had a fine coat of the stuff. He'd done the same with a few of the kunai that he was currently carrying as a precaution in the event that anything happened to the lamp itself. With that accomplished, he turned back towards the ground and flicked his wrist, throwing the second kunai at the first. A spark formed when metal met metal...igniting the oil that coated the blades of both.

As the grass was still green and healthy, the fire didn't burn very hot or spread very quickly- but it produce an excess of smoke. The two kunai themselves were engulfed because of the oil, but that was of small importance to the Ninja- he could get replacements for the weapons lost. But the true purpose of this action was to serve as a distraction, so that Nanashi may proceed deeper into the Labyrinth ahead of the party by traveling through the trees. He snatched the oil lamp off the branch beside him and set off, chuckling darkly to himself.

[Elias]

Elias smiled at the small girl. “Nice to meet you, too, Saya. Wish I could say where the others were though.” He laughed, more than a little nervous.

He turned when he heard another woman speak. “What’s going—“ He glanced down and caught sight of the kunai, “Son of a—“ Elias jumped backwards away from the knife. “Where did?” He glanced around, but saw no one other than the two women. They didn’t seem to be too concerned though, and very quickly the fourth member of their party arrived.

He shook his head; just getting a little paranoid. No need to worry.
Elias raised a hand, “Hello, hello, hello.” He tried to sound cheerful, but it ended up coming out a little forced. “Elias Dunmarre, pleasure to meet you both.” He looked back at Saya when she spoke. “We still have a little time, I think. Might as well wait a bit, eh?”

He was cut off, by smoke. “Shit!” Elias jumped for the second time that night. “Are you sure you don’t have someone gunning for you?” He grumbled. Reluctantly, he began stamping out the small fire. Though he’d never admit it, the fire had set him on edge. It seemed like an ominous beginning to the night. Elias shrugged it off though, he was just being paranoid.

[MERCY]

[atrb=valign, top][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 11px; line-height: 85%; text-align: center; color: #666;]❝ KNOW THAT I CAN CUT YOU DOWN ❞[/style][STYLE= width: 250px; border-right: #373737 dashed 01px; border-left: #373737 dashed 01px; border-top: #373737 solid 10px; border-bottom: #373737 solid 10px; padding: 10px; background: #fafafa; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #6f6f6f; font-family: tahoma;]The way Elias tripped over his words, unable to even spit out a finished sentence, read as one thing to her. Unreliable. From the corner of her eyes she could see a skittish Elias jump and flitter away from the kunai with an amazingly delayed response time. Her gaze slowly drifted over to settle on him. Her brows lowered and furrowed as a disappointed frown tugged lightly at the corners of her lips. A lazy wave was given as she heard a voice, Kai's, greeting her, her eyes still fixed on Elias. The boy's forced "hello"s did nothing to make up for his squirrely reaction. If anything it encouraged her to think he wouldn't be much help in the dungeon. She watched him quietly, sternly glaring in his direction to try and get him to understand he just needed to settle down. As the second kunai came shooting down to hit the other, her eyes instantly flitted over to watch before glancing up toward where it had come from, though she looked a bit too late to see the ninja run off. Elias' reaction to the flame had her sighing. Looking back to him she shook her head, stepping forward to brush past him. Hopefully bumping him in the shoulder would distract him from freaking out. "Someone's trying to be funny. Just focus on what we're doing and you'll be fine." That said, she stamped her foot down harshly to put out the small fire and ventured on into the labyrinth. It was either chicken out and go home, stay and play with the prankster ninja, or follow her in and get their damn work done. Whatever they chose to do, she wasn't going to wait around for them to figure out what they wanted.[/style][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; color: #373737;]MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖[/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px; margin-top: 09px;]❝ EVENT ❞[/style][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; margin-top: 05px; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px;]❝ 296 words ❞[/style][STYLE= margin-top: 05px; height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border: #373737 solid 10px; background: url(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h113/planarpotence/Icons/Nia%20Teppelin/034.png);][/style][STYLE= color: #373737; font-size: 80px; margin-top: -43px; margin-left: -09px;]◤[/style]

[Kai]

[atrb=valign, top][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 11px; line-height: 85%; text-align: center; color: #666;]❝ The endless possibilities controlling every fight ❞[/style][STYLE= width: 250px; border-right: #373737 dashed 01px; border-left: #373737 dashed 01px; border-top: #373737 solid 10px; border-bottom: #373737 solid 10px; padding: 10px; background: #fafafa; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; color: #6f6f6f; font-family: tahoma;]From Kai's perspective, someone was toying with him. Silly things like knives didn't do much to shake him, not his iron will. With it being dark out and little light to be had, someone could easily hide among the flora. The young monk let his ears pay attention to the group while his eyes scanned the surroundings. Without sufficient light, he wouldn't see anything clearly but when his eyes adjusted, he'd be able to spot difference in the scenery if/when something or someone moved. His gaze must of passed over the ninja many times but without knowing the tree shouldn't look like that, he wouldn't know. The fire and smoke appeared as if from nowhere, rising up before spreading out. Knives were one thing but a smokescreen was something else entirely. The group would be blinded and possibly disoriented from that, leaving them wide open for an attack. Kai spread his legs, knee bent with his arms out, waiting for an attack. Nothing came but that only further boosted his suspicions. A trap without an ambush? That reeked of deception. There was only one person Kai knew who would do something like that...The Deceiver. Maybe he was just being biased, he didn't like the guy after all. So the deceiver was here and he created the smokescreen, at least that's what Kai's predicting. What would be his motive? A smokescreen could be used to hide an attack or an...escape! Sighing, Kai followed the girl that moved on ahead, also using many mental methods to calm himself. That wicked man somehow knew how to get under Kai's skin. Now that it was clear, or so he believed, that he would be here with him..he didn't know how he'd survive tonight. Maybe he'd be lucky and all this was just paranoia. Running into some other troublemaker would be much better than the deceiver. So he'd just stick with the group, provide support and asswhoopin's when needed and everything should be copacetic. Should be. Ugh.[/style][STYLE= font-family: franklin gothic medium; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; color: #373737;]MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖[/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px; margin-top: 09px;]❝ Saya, Nanashi, Elias & Mercy ❞[/style][STYLE= color: #d5d5d5; font-family: franklin gothic medium, arial narrow; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; margin-top: 05px; text-transform: uppercase; background: #373737; padding: 05px;]❝ 336 words ❞[/style][STYLE= margin-top: 05px; height: 100px; width: 100px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border: #373737 solid 10px; background: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/2rcpgu0.png);][/style][STYLE= color: #373737; font-size: 80px; margin-top: -43px; margin-left: -09px;]◤[/style]

[Saya]

"Okay really? Whoever's doing this, aren't you afraid you might just burn the whole forest down!?" she shouted out at the trees, glaring at them. She wasn't a nature lover, not by any stretch of the imagination, but...yeah, the forest getting burned down? There was no telling if other adventurers were in there right then, and besides that, having the whole thing burn down WOULD kind of get in the way of the job they were about to embark on.

Saya was really tempted to just ignore the quest and seek out the one doing this stupid, irresponsible stuff, but no. She tried her best to remain calm, at least as much as she possibly could. Of course, she got no answer from the perpetrator of all this, and looked back to the other group members. "It's not funny if it ends up burning things to a crisp. Or if it interferes with us finding these pumpkins," Saya let out a sigh as the woman marched off.

Well, at least the young girl could admire the stoicism the other female possessed, that would be a good trait in the events ahead. Fighting was, after all, inevitable. "Well everyone, follow me! And her, too." she grinned a little before turning and following after the green-haired woman. They were down one person, yes, but it wasn't as if a five person party was necessary. It wasn't THEIR fault if the guy was late or didn't show up, and Saya felt confident that they'd be able to handle it with four of them, though five would be easier.

[Chamomile]

When Saya called out to the one who threw the burning kunai, the forest answered back before the perpetrator could. Rising up like the cry of a cicada, screeches and howls echoed back to the party from the depths of the forest all around them. There was rustling in the underbrush, and the sounds of twigs breaking as whatever was lurking in the wood got closer and closer to the party. There was no telling what it could be, but it sounded like more than just a few rats or butterflies. If the party didn't move from their location soon, they might be in for a bit of trouble. Sure, they could handle a fight, but it would certainly whittle down their resources early on.

If the party continues down the main path, they will come to a large clearing with three paths branching off to the west, north, and the east. From the east path, there is the sound of running water, if that can even be heard over the monsters' cries. From the west, the party can smell a strong floral scent, like a large field of flowers. The north has no significant signs as to what might be beyond that path, except the obvious promise of moving deeper into the heart of the first floor. There is no telling where these pumpkins may be, so the choice is up to the group.

[Nanashi]

The raven-haired man had just made it to the intersection when he heard the result of the monster's rage. He snickered to himself, wondering if the party would stay and fight, or try to escape deeper into the Labyrinth. The Monk and the Shogun were almost certain to stay if no outside force interfered with them, but he had yet to meet the other two. It was entirely possible that they were more sensible than the pair from before and would see the benefit in a strategic retreat. Well, the best course of action would be to try and gauge the personalities of the two newcomers without actually interacting with them directly. It only took him a few moments to come up with a plan...

Nanashi hopped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground before fishing a third kunai from his clothes. The Ninja placed the side of the knife's blade against the cool metal of the oil lamp and quickly snapped his hand to the side quickly enough to cause metal to spark off metal. The sparks were just barely enough to light the lamp, but it served his cause well enough. He placed the kunai back into it's hidden pouch before slowly walking down the path to the East.

It was a bit hard to hear with all of the shrieks and howls filling the air, but he was sure that he'd heard the sound of flowing water coming from that direction before the monsters had been riled up...which most likely meant there was a river or stream. He kept the lamp held at his hip, not using it to light his path but instead planning on luring at least some of the more curious members of the party in this direction. With any luck, the party would find themselves trapped between a horde of monsters and a river...and the resulting battle would likely attract even more monsters. Which meant that he would likely be free to explore the rest of this floor without interruption!

Since his plan didn't include being torn to shreds, Nanashi licked the fingertips on his free hand before pinching the lamp's wick, putting the flame out once he believed himself to be out of sight. With that taken care of, the Ninja would quickly scurry up a nearby tree and sit on one of the higher branches, waiting. If the party passed underneath him, he would use the treetops to circle back and head back on the path that led to the North. If they went in a different direction, then he'd continue towards the East. It was a win for him either way.

[Elias]

Elias shot a glare at Mercy. Well, fine. They could go if she-and the rest of the party-wanted. Less people for him to take shots for anyway.

As if on command the forest errupted into a chorus of screeches. Elias hefted his shield and followed after his companions. He took a deep breathe; just barely catching the scent of flowers. Moreso if he cocked his head at the right angle he could just barely hear running water.

He gestured with his sword hand east. "I think there might be a stream that a ways. Smells like flowers over there," he jerked his head left, "I'm no farmer, but these pumpkins gotta be close to water. Might be best to check there first." He shot a glance at Mercy, "Do you agree, eh?"