Chapter 7: Doin' The Adventurin' Thing

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I shouted out as I whacked a Quadav foolish enough to be milling about in my line of sight upside the head with an Enthunderized Dagger.. We had decided that along with helping to clear out South Gustaberg we would also kill everything along the way so we could get experienced working together as a team and collect a kings ransom in odd-junk to sell off at the auction house when we got back to Bastok. Well, thus far, we'd managed to get some decent headway in ONE of those goals...

"KYAAAAAA CARRRRLIN ARRRE YOU INSANE!" That is... getting odd-junk.

"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't know those other Qudav would get pissed too!" I shouted as the two of us ran as fast as we could, Murris trailing behind us but managing to stay at least a few feet ahead of the Quadav."

"D-Damn you Red-Boy! Why did you have to go and create a Quadav-train? You Just HAD to get ONE MORE QUADAV didn't you?" Murris shouted in that whiney-pissy tone of his. I couldn't help wondering how it was that a Galka could manage such a voice, but Murris did it. Anyway, as we ran Lauria desperatly cast Thunder Spells on the pursuing Quadav. Deciding I was tired of being yelled at, I stopped and let the others run ahead of me. I turned back to the Quadav and started slashing away with my dagger, dancing around the Quadav and just barely managing to dodge the brunt of their attacks against me.

Silvie and Murris were well enough away by the time they realized that I was no longer running with them. They both turned back to me and shouted. "WHAT THE H ARE YOU DOIN ARE YOU INSANE?" I suppose I was, but that didn't explain the Quadav dropping before me like flies now did it? Finally, the combination of Lauria's Thunder spells and my own attacks, which I supplemented with a technique or two, finished off the Quadav train. Of course, if not for the "softening up" they'd gone through earlier before I accidental up-sided a particularly aggressive Quadav, I probably WOULD'NT have had as easy a time against them. Well, actually in truth, it hadn't been all that easy to begin with. It seemed we were a bit light in the offensive department, I had thought that my own skills would be more then sufficient but I was drastically mistaken.

Even with Lauria casting with me, it had drained us just to soften up the mob of Quadav's we'd gotten on our tails. Murris and Silvie, to their credit, held out for as long as possible against them, but when the magic began to tap out we had decided it was time to run like hell, so we did, I think I read somewhere that Paladin's and Warriros are meant to die for the good of a team... But I wasn't quite keen on making such a drastic choice, I mean really, this isn't a game for Altana's sake, sure we could find someone with a good Raise skill but honestly... I dunno it doesn't feel right consigning one of us to death just because of one little screw up. In all likelihood I wasn't cut-out for this whole leadership thing.

But then, I couldn't exactly complain, all we needed was a bit more of an offensive edge. But for now, a little bit of rest. I collapsed to the ground, scooting away from the Quadav as their stench when electrified to a crisp was something less then appetizing. Murris and Silvie fell to the ground as well, all three of us we're breathing heavily, Luaria was the only one who wasn't in a state of utter exhaustion but that was because she didn't have to run, she'd stayed at a distance. Each of us healed ourselves with what magic we could when we recovered enough of our spirit. Come to think of it, that's probably one of the reasons we weren't the best with offensive, our party seemed a bit too tilted toward white magic, not a class known for raw offensive power.

But at this point there was naught to be done about it, I wasn't keen on heading back to Bastok in order to regroup into a more formidable force. We'd have to make up for our weakness with superior strategy, not one of my strong points to any great extent, but again, I wasn't goin' back to Bastok when the rewards lay ahead.

When we were rested to full I ordered the group up and we continued on our way to South Gustaberg. The barren landscape wasn't what one could call a cheery background to our small group. The sandy brown visage didn't do well to help calm one after a tense fight. Therefore, it wasn't exactly the best time to have something come out and surprise us.

"HORYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Which was exactly what happened; As a Thief who apparently had considerable warrior training came down on us from a Cliffside wielding a Centurion's Axe. I leapt back just as the axe would have cleaved me in two…. What, you thought I would try to block that thing with my dagger? Yeah right… like you'd react any differently.

The thief wielding the great axe rose to his feet and brought his great axe back into position for another strike. I could see at this point that he was a typical Elvaan; Tall but lean and muscular. His hair was short, and red hanging off his head to about an inch below his eyes, clearly a poorly done hack job of a hair cut. His eyes were a strange sort of blue. They looked rather… disturbed… soulless.

Speaking of… his great axe was emitting some kind of slight black energy, not an overload, more of a tint then anything, but a highly noticeable one. "Who the hell are you?" I demanded as I pulled out my dagger and assumed a fighting stance. My fellow Red Wings pulled their own weapons out and did the same.

"Hmph, sorry, I didn't look before I leapt, I thought, from the sound of your walking, that you might be Quadav." He didn't sound the least bit sorry; in fact, the only thing I could detect was disappointment. "As an apology let me offer you some advice," a cold grin spread across his face. "Stay out of my way, the Quadav here are mine and mine alone."

Who the hell did this guy think he was? "Like hell you Grade-A, Hole! We're gunna stake our share of the reward and there's nuthin yer gunna do 'bout it, got it?" I found myself entering another of those rare moments of pure emotion. And strangely, I was liking it. I felt more leadery when I was like this.

"Huh-ha! Oh THAT? I have no interest in that nonsense, if I need money, I can always just steal it. I'm out here for a far… greater… reward…" The Thief spun his axe around and clasped it back to the holster on his back. "Anyway, since you idiots amused me I'll let you go without robbing you blind, but remember what I said, stay outta my way, or you'll regret it." And with one well timed leap he disappeared to Cliffside from whence he came.

"Ooooooooookayyyyyy, anyone wanna hazard a guess what that was about?" asked Lauria with a mixture of sarcasm and WTFedness.

"If I had to I'd say we were threatened by a scrawny runt who didn't know his place." Said Murris haughtily, I guess he didn't like the idea of someone smaller then him not being intimidated by his presense.

"Awww, is poorrrrr Murrrrrrry's ego balloon go pop?" Silvie teased. Murris didn't look pleased.

"Hmph." Was his only response. A weak one at that.

"Right right let's just keep going forward shall we? South Gustaberg aint gunna be a gold mine forever ya know." I said with authority, I was still on an adrenaline high from the encounter with the thief.

"Rrrrrr, people got alotta nerrrve arrround herrre." Grumbled Silvie irritably.

With that we made our through the barren valley and at last we arrived at our destination. South Gustaberg was little more then two footsteps before us.

"Heh, the Red Wings have descended. Let's find our prey." I charged into the valley with dagger in hand, as did my comrades. It was time to get busy.