Welcome to Galdin, travelers!

After the party had filed into a round room, a door slammed shut behind them. They had been locked in this strange empty space... Fountains lined the walls of the room and poured into a small waterway that circled the room. In the center was the same large flower symbol that had been on the door outside.

The party slowly stepped further into the room, when it suddenly began to shake. Everything became still once more... Just in time for the floor to break apart. Large plant life began to shoot out from the newly formed hole, and it seemed to be alive. It latched on to the ceiling and pulled the rest of it's body up. A giant flower bud hung in front of the party, but it soon blossomed. In the middle of the giant scarlet flower was the upper half of a woman's body. Her body was green, and she appeared to be made of plantlife herself. She giggled and beckoned the party over to her. Spores shot all around the room gently falling down around her. Her vines spread and reached into the small waterway, turning the water a dark shade of purple. The water began to bubble as if it was boiling.

Poison Flower Queen

"Hmhmhm~" Her inhuman voice taunted them. She pointed towards them and vines shot directly at them. What would they do?

Being a veteran in battles, to Cecilia, the room--pretty as it was--had felt quite ominous. As soon as she motioned for them to regroup, the feeling confirms itself when the door slams shut, and it got prettier. A flower woman slowly emerges from the giant flower bud, and Cecilia takes her stance.

The first big fight of their adventure. Cecilia couldn't help but smile lightly, recalling a familiar feeling as she raises her shield. "I hope you have that guild crest."

She signals for them to back away slowly and position themselves. "Fire and ice attacks, if any," Cecilia mutters to the mages. "I think antidotes would help too," she tells Alisa upon seeing the spores and the change in the water, unsure which of which is poisonous.

"Get ready!"

Vines shot at each of them in high speed. Stepping to her side, Cecilia dodges and brings down her blade, chopping of the vine directed at her--but she continues, immediately rolling and dashing away towards Adelo's direction to slice the vine heading towards him. The silver blade doesn't stop in its motion slicing through another vine as the knight draws closer to her other allies.

She could slowly make her way closer to the flower woman as she chops and dances through the vines, but the focus in Cecilia's mind is on the more efficient strategy to protect her allies, with a special focus on Adelo who required a longer cast time for more destructive spells. Naturally, she can't protect everyone simultaneously, but she tries her best.

Unable to catch a vine heading toward Sveta with her sword, Cecilia opts instead to catch it with her shield. Unproperly blocked, the vine doesn't deflect off the shield but instead wraps around it and the fighter's arm. Cecilia chops it off, but couldn't catch the next vine headed towards the half-elf.

Adelo blinked. It was all he could manage. He had never seen a monster so... magnificent in his life. Though, his awe was cut to an abrupt end as the monster quickly attacked the party. He stepped back away from Cecil's blade as she defended him. "Oh, close one... Thank you." He smiled at her, although the vines were still racing quickly towards the others. He nodded at Cecilia's commands, and began to play Crimson Ballad once more. Bursts of fire exploded in front of his friends defending them from the vines. He took a deep breath, and released... Well that managed to work better than he had expected.

The creature's burnt appendages slithered back to it's body and it screamed. The pieces of it's body in the boiling purple brew began to glow. The vines grew once more, and it was as if Adelo hadn't done any damage at all. He looked at the monster, shocked. He looked to the others and suddenly spoke in an almost commanding voice.

"She can heal herself! We need to do something about those limbs!"

He ran to the back of the group quickly and began to play a new song. It was upbeat, and powerful. It spread a feeling of strength and hope in the others. "Victory blesses all that hear this... Bravura!" The defense of his party mates suddenly rose significantly. He laughed to himself while continuing to play the uplifting tune.

"I'll do my best to support you from back here! Sveta, mind helping me with the casting? I believe if we hit those roots simultaneously... We may be able to break off her connection. What do you say, hm?"

The appearance of the flower woman changed the entire landscape of the room. Mori could only observe with gritted teeth as their newest opponent challenged them. A quick scan of the new room revealed the purple waters and the deadly vines. Mori's own attacks couldn't do much against plant life, but that didn't mean he had no plan. Already, he was figuring the best way to reach victory, and as of right now, that meant playing the rear guard.

Vines shot towards the party, and Mori dodged all of the ones that headed his way. The rest of the group fought off their individual assailants. He quickly snatched his dagger from its sheath and held it in his left hand, doing his best to slice at the closest targets. Before any of them could do damage to him, the air around him exploded. The vines burned and shriveled, and Mori turned his head to the source of a shrill scream.

"...Regeneration? Just great."

The sudden surge of strength from Adelo's song stacked nicely with the assassin's own confidence. He planted his feet and yanked his sleeve up, not caring anymore of his arm's secrecy. They were going to find out eventually. Better to be useful now and reveal it sooner. His hand went through the motions, fingers spinning and flattening before returning into his forearm. When at last his crossbow was reformed and his arm was locked into place, Mori set his stance. He put his left leg behind him, bending it slightly, to turn his body sideways, and grasped his right shoulder with his free hand. With his left eye closed, he gazed over his weapon and shouted out to everyone.

"Call out targets! I'll make sure to hit 'em hard."

...Huh. Mori support. Wonder how viable that is.

The pint-sized elf blinked backwards, reappearing as she slid back on her heels, stopping right next to Adelo.

"Nice! Let's do this! Mori, keep the vines under control!" She didn't really need to tell Cecil to do the same, as her flora kill count was steadily increasing as they spoke.

"If her vines are just gonna regenerate, we need find where we can do some real damage. Let's aim for her chest and see how she responds." Sveta spoke confidently to her comrade, a smug grin on her face. The girl held out her wand alongside Adelo's lute and charged it until he was ready.

"The final curtain draws near!! Heavenly Fire!!"
(d100: 92) jesus christ She watched the chaos as their spells almost seemed to combine together in a beautiful bright light.

Unbeknownst to the girl, a thin, sharp vine slithered out from the small waterway. Covered in bubbling purple ooze, it stretched up, taller than her and aimed directly between her eyes.

"N-No!!" Sveta couldn't react in time to blink away from her attacker. Her knees gave in, even if she managed to stay on her feet. Huddling defensively, she braced herself for the attack.

Repulsion

Zed jumped into action, taking the girls control for a moment. In Sveta's eyes, the creature stood protectively in front of her as a transparent purple dome appeared upon the enemies contact. With every hit the barrier took, golden sparks flew from the point of contact. Each time, Sveta felt just a bit weaker, even more so when she brought Adelo into the shield for protection.

"Someone, help!! I-I can't!"

Sveta's condition: Weak

As soon as the pool of water turned that dangerous purple Alisa took one of the cloudy white potions from her left hand, pulled out the cork, and downed it in one gulp before backing away from the huge monster.  It might not help her if she got hit hard, but that potion would prevent her from being poisoned, at least for a while.  With the everyone's attacks, Adelo's song firing her up, and her ability to move freely without worrying about the poisonous spores, the huge vines were usually taken care of before they got anywhere near Alisa. Evading was great and all, but she still needed to work out a plan of action... 

She didn't have to think about it too hard -- Sveta's cry for help demanded immediate attention, and before she realized what she was doing Alisa was running towards the magicians and their shield, the rest of the battle registering only as a blur.  Without breaking stride she yanked a bottle off her belt and hurled it towards their attacker as it came down for another hit.  The glass shattered on contact and acid inside splashed onto the vine; with a high pitched screech the appendage reeled back and began retreating towards the Flower Queen's body, rapidly disintegrating along the way. Alisa skidded to a stop in front of her friends and let out a small laugh, half in relief and half in amazement that her attack had been that effective.  

"Are you okay??" Alisa looked behind her at Adelo and Sveta, who was still huddled on the ground.  It looked like they'd managed to escape injury, but Sveta was clearly not in good shape. Alisa huffed at the small elf, not sure what to do; she'd just have to stay close until Sveta got some strength back.  She remained standing in front of Adelo and Sveta, re-arming herself with a fire potion this time and watching carefully for more threats.  "I can help handle the vines!" she called out confidently, making sure Cecilia and Mori could hear her as well.  "Someone needs to start dealing with the source though, quick!"

The Flower Queen screeches and retracts all her vines. She glares down at the adventurers before absorbing more of the poisoned water to heal herself further. She throws her hands into the air and more spores rain down, this time there are far more and they are larger.

She launches her vines once again, but they fly past people. She has a target. The vines slap Adelo and Alisa out of the way and wrap around the defenseless half-elf, Sveta. It pulls her across the ground and lifts her into the air, hanging her upside down. The Flower Queen caresses the girl's face and giggles. Flowers bloom on two of the vines and begin feeding Sveta the poisonous spores.

As this happens, however, the water that was once boiling and bubbling with poison seems to return to normal. Does this mean her healing is off...? It's time for an attack!

Cecilia hadn't expected such a focused attack on the half-elf, and now Sveta is in danger. There's barely time for regret-- there never is in battle. So the fighter goes through all her possible options as she runs to help the ones who fell.

The flower seemed to have abandoned its source of healing, and it would be a good time for an all-out attack. However, Sveta is also in grave danger. There isn't really much other choice to make for Cecilia. The half-elf's also high up and out of reach of her blade. Cecilia could throw the weapon, but that's too risky a move.

The knight wasn't about to waste any more time thinking. "Get a powerful antidote ready immediately," she tells Alisa as she pulls her up. Turning to Adelo, "Freeze all the vines as soon as we get Sveta down." Not bothering to wait for an answer, Cecilia rushes towards where the half-elf girl is hanging.

"Mori!" she calls. She lowers herself and puts her shield up above herself, creating a platform from which the much more agile assassin can leap from to rescue the mage.

Adelo leaned up in a daze after being knocked aside. He looked to where Sveta had been standing to now find that place empty and the girl no where close... He looked to the monster and it all became clear. This battle just got 100% more difficult. Adelo scratched his head and sighed before standing back up. Surely they would win... No need to worry!

"Freeze all the vines as soon as we get Sveta down."

Adelo looked around to see who exactly Cecil was talking to when it became clear. "M-Me? You want me? Ahh... W-Well... ah, wait!!" Before he could finish the tank took a leap back into battle. He reached out and called out to her. "But I don't know any freezing spells! Cecil!!" Oh no. This wasn't good. He quickly reached for his spell book and began to flip through it frantically. "Uhh... Freezy... Ice... Coldy coldy coldy... Ah!" He slammed his hand down onto the page and looked up excited, but still a bit panicked. "Ah, I've got one here! Give me one moment!"

Adelo took out a piece of paper and snapped. The paper began to float in front of him and he stared down at the book. He rose his index finger and began waving it around as if he were writing something. An icey blue musical notes began to appear on the paper and a feint blue light emanated.  from it. He looked back quickly to the battlefield and sighed heavily. "This will have to do then... Let's give it a try!"

He began to play his mandolin once more, his new score floating in front of him. It was an intense and dramatic song, reflecting the mood rather well. He played the song with complete focus, causing him to gain far more power than before. "It's ready, I believe... Just get her down quickly!"

Picking off vines from his spot at the back lines was a trivial feat. Whenever one would inch towards the party, Mori would sink a bolt into the floral tendril. For a while, everyone was safe from the Queen's embrace. Somehow, though, a vine managed to slip past his view and strike the mystical elf between the eyes. As the clamor rose higher, and as more vines struck at the elf's shining new barrier, Mori stepped back, firing as much as he could at the imminent threat.

"Is this even working?!"

By the time the assassin had repositioned himself, Alisa had run back to do her own assistance. That was when the Flower Queen struck, sending the alchemist and the bard flying away. Mori fired bolts in vain as the Queen's vines pulled Sveta away from the group. He cursed under his breath. How was he to deal damage against an enemy that seemed unaffected by his shots?

"Really?!"

After Cecilia had helped the fallen, she ran back into battle. Frustrated at her impromptu assault, the assassin followed behind her. He fired a few shots at the Flower Queen while in pursuit of the knight. Only when she lowered herself and presented her shield as a platform did he understand what she wanted. Within a few steps, Mori's crossbow had become a hand again, and the assassin pulled his own blade from its sheath.

"You'd better have thought this through, Cecil!"

He took a leap up to Cecilia's shield and bounded off it with a little push from the knight, setting his sights on the vines that bound the elf. In a flash of steel, Mori severed Sveta's bindings, slicing at every vine he could. When she was freed, the assassin pulled her close to him, cradling her for their inevitable fall. Mori braced for impact and landed on the ground, the elf girl in his arms. Not wanting to stick around so close to the Flower Queen, the assassin made a mad dash back to the party.

"If anyone wants to help me, now's the fucking time!"

Sveta struggled to get to her feet, her barrier still taking hit after hit from the relentless flower queen. She kept Adelo close, defending him from the oncoming vines. Thinking it was over as the vines disappeared, Sveta let the barrier down. Any more hits, and she wouldn’t have been able to stand. Steadying herself with her hands on Alisa’s shoulders as she came close, her guard was completely down.
And absolutely unprepared for the vines that would separate her from her team. As the vines tightened around her ankles and dragged her, the girl clawed at the ground with her gloved hands, desperately trying to find something to hold onto.

Soon, the girl was hung high over the ground, flailing weakly and crying out for help. Her helpless shrieks echoed through the circular room.
Sveta held her breath as the poisonous spores started to fall from the flowers, but the thorns stabbing into her ankles from the tightening vines forced a pained gasp out of her. The girl’s throat burned with poison and her world became dark…
Willpower:
(d100: 50 +3)
Constitution and Wisdom temporarily lowered.
Status Effect: Hallucination
--
[Fall Like Snow]

As Sveta was freed from the vines, she could only enjoy the feeling of falling for a few seconds. Someone grabbed her out of the air, and she couldn’t exactly see who it was. Her vision was white and fuzzy. Like snow. She thought it was snowing.

Opalescent colors warped over her vision continuously as she struggled to make out the face of the one carrying her. For a moment, she could see something, but it faded as soon as it appeared. She could also tell people were talking, but she couldn’t hear a word of it. Everything was muted and distorted.

Her large purple eyes continued staring at him for a while in wonder, before she noticed how faint she was feeling. Her body shivered as she fought to stay awake, but she didn’t last too long before her vision went dark once again.

“Z-…Ze-…d…?"

"Thanks," Alisa coughed as Cecil pulled her to her feet, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her.  So much for protecting the others; that vine had flicked her aside like she was nothing, and the fire potion she wanted at the ready was now lying useless in the grass a few feet away.  Despite her frustration with herself she listened carefully to Cecilia's instructions and nodded, looking up at Sveta's swaying form above them.  This was a crucial moment, and attacking wasn't really her strong suit anyway.

As Cecil ran off to put the plan into action, Alisa decided to stay back with Adelo, watching the others until Mori came crashing into the ground with Sveta.  Alisa ran to meet him once he had run far enough away from the Flower Queen, potions already in hand.  "Don't yell at me, I got it!!" she snapped when she reached him, motioning for Mori to put the elf down before kneeling next to her and pulling the cork out of one of the vials.  "Cover me while I give her the antidote -- are you hurt?" she squinted up at him, her gaze lingering momentarily on his weird arm -- well, that wasn't all that important right now.  If Mori was injured she'd fix him up once Sveta was okay.  He was standing at least, and that was good enough for now.

"Sveta??" Alisa looked back down and shook the small girl by the shoulder firmly.  She didn't really look like she was conscious, but she seemed to be stirring. Alisa   "Sveta! Wake up!! Drink this!" she insisted, putting the small bottle to Sveta's lips insistently. Thankfully she started drinking and Alisa sighed in relief.  "Okay! She should be cured, this works pretty fast." Satisfied, the alchemist stood back up and helped Sveta to her feet, glaring up at their adversary with renewed purpose.

Cecilia was a bit concerned that Mori might not follow through, but it all went on without a hitch. Knowing Adelo had his spell ready, the knight doesn't waste any time. She draws her arm back, and thros her weapon, the sword flying like a spear towards the flower creature's chest.

Without a second thought, Cecilia runs after her weapon and follows with a powerful leap that finds herself in level with the main body as the blade pierces its chest. She grabs onto its shoulders, following with her left elbow and shield to its face, stunning her opponent and silencing its shrieks of pain.

"You will not--" The knight grabs her weapon, and pulls it out of the flower's chest. "--do that again!" She leaps back and off the monster, whirling and slicing at its chest even as she retreats. Cecilia lands with her back to the flower queen, but she lifts herself up, spins, and raises her shield. The flower queen makes a sound that the knight assumed to be an angry sound. She smiles, unfazed and determined to buy time until the others recovered. "You will not take anyone."

Adelo watched in awe as Cecil struck a devastating blow to the Flower Queen. He almost lost track of his song, but as soon as he saw the the Flower Queen attempting to move her vines back into the water, he released his spell that had been charging for so long... and the results were more than he ever could have expected.

"Only death awaits you... Frost take thee! Celeste Fermata!"

There was silence as snow slowly began to drift down from the ceiling over the Flower Queen. A single flake touched her and suddenly ice shot from the flake and began to freeze her all over. With each flake more ice exploded into existence until the monster was a giant ice crystal. Adelo spun his mandolin and flicked the switch that allowed an axe blade to flip out from the back. He leisurely walked over to the giant crystal, grabbed his mandolin like a baseball bat, and slammed it into the crystal forcing it to explode into small pieces and dust. He retracted the blade and slung his mandolin around his body again. He clapped his hands together and smiled at his worn down friends.

Victory

"Well... That wasn't so bad, right? ...Riiiiight? Hehe, I feel like I leveled up!" He chuckled to himself before looking back behind him. Where the monster once stood was now a single treasure chest. He cautiously approached it and observed it from every angle before finally taking a peak inside. "Oho, lucky us! Looks like..." Adelo reached inside and pulled out the Guild Crest. "...we won after all. Who woulda thought?"

Adelo was beaming now that they had finished their task. He returned to his new friends and showed of their fabulous new loot! "We did this together! I guess we were a good team after all, huh? Hehe... Now... How do we get outta here?"

Adelo scratched his head and looked around them. Well. This was unfortunate.

The final moments of battle went by quickly.

Mori had set the elf down next to Alisa and ignored her concerns for his safety. He turned around to charge back into battle, only to find that Cecil had beaten him to the punch. The warrior's attacks seemed to do a great deal of damage to the Flower Queen. Her intensity surprised the assassin. It was an almost respectable confidence, and one that he was all too familiar with. Soon, the bard joined the fray, crystallizing the vicious queen with a frost spell. With his instrument of melodies becoming an instrument of violence, Adelo shattered the queen to pieces.

And that was the end of the Flower Queen. Ragged huffs escaped from the assassin with every breath as the adrenaline in his body faded away. Once Adelo pulled the Guild Crest from the treasure chest, a smile of victory crossed Mori's face. After being forced to trust this ragtag group with his life, it appeared that his frustrations were ill-founded. It was one of the few times the assassin was glad he'd been proven wrong. And somehow, he could relate to Adelo's amusing comment. Mori did feel a bit more experienced after that fight.

< Bird of Paradise - Mori's attacks against non-humanoid enemies now deal increased damage. >

"...Good job staying alive, everyone. Someone will have to carry Sveta out of here."

The assassin surveyed the area quickly, remembering the way back as best as he could.

"We should go through the flowery doors and go past the ratmen corpses, unless anyone knows another way out. Whatever we do, be on guard for other teams. I will not allow another group to take advantage of us."

Alisa watched in awe as Cecilia and Adelo finished off the Flower Queen, shattering their enemy into nothing.  It almost didn't seem real, and the alchemist stared open-mouthed until Adelo returned with the spoils of their battle. "We did it? We really did it?" She broke into a smile as it dawned on her, looking around at each of her teammates excitedly.  "We did it! We're in!" Too relieved to be embarrassed, Alisa felt a surge of pride; maybe that was a 'level-up'?

She beamed down at Sveta, nudging her lightly. "Sveta, we got the--ah.." Her friend still seemed pretty wobbly, and Alisa supported her as best she could, even though she definitely couldn't carry the elf out of there. She looked back to the others a little sheepishly, hoping someone would offer assistance before she had to ask for it.  

They weren't exactly out of the woods -- sewers -- yet, but despite Mori's worries Alisa was confident that they could handle any trouble they ran into.  "I'm glad someone remembers the way out of here.  Let's make it quick!"

Ceclia stretches. "Great job, everyone!" she exclaims, raising a fist. This has been quite a trouble for a guild crest. It was a bit messy, but she's glad that it's over. In fact, she feels a lot better, as if the feeling of victory was getting to her.

It's a familiar feeling, and Cecilia welcomes it.

She almost forgot what they were doing going through all this trouble for. They should be part of the guild by now. Hopefully, they'll be able to somehow help her with her problem.

"I don't think there are any threats left, so let's leave quickly," the knight states as she nears Sveta to carry the half-elf on her back. "Lead the way," she smiles, "I could do for a good inn and some great food." A bath sounds nice, too.

The heroes had left the boss chamber and strolled through the dungeon towards the entrance. Any other teams they ran into along the way could only stare in awe and defeat as the team showed off their trophy. The doors to the sewers open, and the sunlight hit the adventurer's faces. A horn went off signaling the ending of the challenge, and the team was suddenly whisked away by a group of Guild officials.

The whole city was waiting outside the guildhall celebrating full force as the heroes arrived. They showered them with confetti and sang songs of their bravery... Word spread fast here, supposedly. They entered the guild hall, and all of the members saluted them. A tall woman stood at the center of the staircase in front of them. She had long blonde hair that was tied into a braid that rested over her shoulder and down her chest. She wore a very regal azure dress the sparkled in the magic fire light that lit the guild hall. Around her neck, she wore the skin of a snow leopard around her shoulders. The guild members all turned their attention to her and nodded their heads in respect... She seemed to be a very powerful person. She looked amused as she directed her icy blue eyes to the adventurer's below.

"Ah, welcome back. So, you have retrieved my guild seal, hm? Well, let's see it."

The woman went down the steps and took the seal from the heroes. She flipped it around and looked very closely at every detail. "It's the real deal... Interesting. Well, I suppose you're welcome here, heroes. You will each be provided a room, and you may use the guild hall however you wish. Just... don't cause any problems, hm? Ahaha... Ah, quests will be posted upon the quest board... Use your time wisely and complete as many as you can. You are all representatives of our guild now and... Well, I don't appreciate slackers."

The woman covered her mouth with her hand and laughed once more. She began to leave when it appeared she remembered something suddenly. She turned back to the heroes and said with a cool attitude, "Ah, yes. Welcome to the Galdin Adventurer's Guild, brothers and sisters. I suppose I am your guild leader... The man you spoke with before was but an assistant of mine. You may address me as Lady Nia... I'm sure we will be seeing much more of each other." She waved and gave them a sly wink. She returned up the stairs and disappeared into one of the many rooms. The room burst into applause and guild members swarmed their new comrades with introductions, greetings, and congratulations.

They had officially taken their first steps towards their goals, but their adventure was just beginning. What would lie in store for our new band of heroes?