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The Monster Hunter Guild -- Goblin Invaders from Araguay

Started by Dokurider, July 21, 2012, 03:08:29 pm

skiploom188

"Oh, hey there," Jim replied. "A Summoner huh? I hope you have a way of filling that mana up." He spoke with concern. Then out of the blue... He asked, "Do you know Moogle? You gotta have one! If you have it then yes! Another healing ability! Ramuh is awesome too, love his ability!" Even with all the excitement pouring out from the ninja, it all stopped when he saw something near Noremu. He grabbed his ninja knife, moved a bit backward and shouted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is that floating thing near you!?"

  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
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I evolved... into a stick figure. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-yTyoVpYIdcdIPw8SP5rw
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Pokemon Fantasy Tactics - A treat for FFT fans! http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10984.msg207542
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Durbs

"Oh, this?" Noremu asks as the bird-creature lands on his shoulder. "This is my familiar. He has no name; rather, he is more of a part of me. When I performed the summoning pact, he was the first creature that came to me. He seems to be quite fond of me, so he stays around." The falcon-like creature eyes Jim, lightly clicking its talons on the floor.

"As for other creatures I can summon..." Noremu smiles, and slowly gains an aura around him as he begins to concentrate. A steady gust of wind comes from below him, and a large glyph appears on the ground with himself at the center. Several green orbs rise from the ground and begin to swirl around him. A large, ghostly creature rises from the glyph. As it steps outside of the ring of orbs, it gradually materializes. The group takes a step back, likely due to the sheer size of the creature.

"This is Ramuh, being of Thunder and Lightning." Ramuh roars, creating concern amongst those watching (which is almost everyone at this point). "Moogle is simpler to summon, while others are harder." With a brief flick of his hand and a shower of sparkles, a moogle appears to the side.

"Like them?"
  • Modding version: PSX

skiploom188

Jim removed the grip on his weapon, returning to normal stance and said, "Wow, never seen one so up close. Truly they are awesome!" He replied with enthusiasm. After taking the time to look at the wonderful summons, he turned to Noremu's familiar, saying "Hey there little guy, sorry about the trouble. Hope you can forgive me." he spoke with embarrassment.


  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
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I evolved... into a stick figure. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-yTyoVpYIdcdIPw8SP5rw
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Pokemon Fantasy Tactics - A treat for FFT fans! http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10984.msg207542
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Dokurider

"I'm just saying maybe we should dig a trench in front of the outpost." A sergeant spoke to his CO. "Goblins are short and don't climb very well, so if we dig it deep enough, they can't get out of it and we'll be free to do whatever we want to them."

"Son, digging a trench is a waste of time." asserted the lieutenant. "I don't doubt it'll stop the buggers, but why bother? Even with all their fancy new weapons, they still can't beat us and they know it. It's going to be a lot of work for little payoff. Besides, this whole thing's gonna blow over in a couple of days after the Monster Hunters finally clear them out. We'll be filling it up just as soon as we dig it up."

"Eh, maybe you're right. Maybe I'm overreacting. I was there when the Goblins attacked and they hit us hard."

"Well, I sure hope we don't have to actually deal with them. Phoenix Downs are getting expensive these days. In any case, get back on patrol route. It's almost time to relief B team."

"Aye aye, sir."

Durbs

Noremu, listening to the commotion, gets a light smile on his face. These soldiers were all green, he realized. This was some of the first real combat many of them had ever seen. Both of the soldiers' talk proved that. The sergeant's inexperience was quite clear, but the lieutenant's blind faith in their hastily assembled monster hunter team was its own proof.

Either way, he was ready to get the operation started.
  • Modding version: PSX

Dokurider

"It appears you'll fit right in." Nicholas congratulated Jim. "Unfortunately, we won't be eating until we make camp, so you will just have to make do until then. Now, let me describe our trek into Araguay." Just before he goes into briefing mode again, one of the guards approaches the group, a Chocobo in tow, loaded with backpacks of supplies.

"Excuse me, Nicholas, Monster Hunter Guild?" the guard asked the group, seeing who would respond.

Nicholas moved forward. "That's me. Ah, finally, our Chocobo has arrived. Thank you very much, sir." The guard returns the complement and handed the Chocobo over.

"This is Antigone. He's a sturdy big boy, aren't you?." Nicholas assured the bird in a softer tone, petting and stroking it's beak. "Antigone is going to be a key member in our team here. Which I will explain in a minute, but for the moment, you will be taking and carrying your own supplies and sleeping bags, rather than leaving it on the chocobo. If you get lost, at least you'll have your own food and first aid. And in an ambush, you can drop your stuff and be ready to fight, but a chocobo can't." He hands out the backpacks as he's talking.

"Our first objective will be to attack one of the forward goblin campsites. Goblins move their camps around to throw us off, but they always make them in the same locations. So we and the other teams out here will be striking at all of them at once. We will be moving in on one of their purported sites, a forest clearing one days in to the north. There is a chance that it may not be occupied, but we can't let a site go unchecked. Once there and if in use, we'll stake out the place and determine where the hostages are being held. Once that is determined, we will stage an ambush at night, when they are particularly vulnerable, thanks to the night cold.

Our first and highest priority is extracting the hostages. That's where Antigone comes in. He, a rider, and Jim, being the fastest runner of the group, will rush in and secure the hostages before the goblins can mount a defense. Once there, Antigone will run them to safety through the path the rest of us will keep clear. I believe the rider should naturally be Quint. He's the strongest of all of us and can easily hoist anyone onto Antigone if they are otherwise incapacitated. He can carry up to two people at once. Jim will help protect the hostages and draw attention away from them. Keith will be first in line in defense of Antigone's path. I will provide cover fire. Evaline will haste Quint, Jim and Antigone beforehand and support the rest of us. Noremu will summon Shiva all over those Goblins and Earl will provide item and shot where ever it's needed, as well as add Protect to everyone. Know that the goblins are holding families, and know that civilians don't take so well to being killed, especially children, so be ready to work fast and hard. Once the hostages are out of harm's way, we wipe those Goblins out with extreme prejudice. After they're done, we break all their weapons, especially the man made ones. Any questions?"

Durbs

Noremu nods. "Must admit, I'm a little disappointed that we'll be needing to carry our own things, but I can see the value in it."

"I do have one suggestion though... I can easily use Shiva to draw the goblins away from camp. If I could do that, you would be able to easily evacuate the hostages with minimal difficulty. Once Shiva leaves us, they will come back, and you can use their own camp defenses against them."

Noremu looks up at Nicholas.
  • Modding version: PSX

Dokurider

Quote from: Durbs on August 14, 2012, 11:23:31 am
Noremu nods. "Must admit, I'm a little disappointed that we'll be needing to carry our own things, but I can see the value in it."

"I do have one suggestion though... I can easily use Shiva to draw the goblins away from camp. If I could do that, you would be able to easily evacuate the hostages with minimal difficulty. Once Shiva leaves us, they will come back, and you can use their own camp defenses against them."

Noremu looks up at Nicholas.


"Well Noremu, the thing is, they know Shiva means humans and the first thing they'll do is take the hostages under knife to stop the attack. No, it's smarter to use our moment of opportunity to secure the hostages first."

Dynablade

Hefting a suddenly heavy backpack onto his shoulders, Quint heard the plan without complaint, getting a small devilish grin at the phrase 'with extreme prejudice'. If everything wrapped up neatly, the goblins won't even know what happened before the end. Only one snag he could see, "What about intel on any alarms? If they're smart enough to force people to make these weapons, it'd only take a small wire on a string of bells to alert the entire base.."

Dokurider

Quote from: Dynablade on August 14, 2012, 02:30:55 pm
Hefting a suddenly heavy backpack onto his shoulders, Quint heard the plan without complaint, getting a small devilish grin at the phrase 'with extreme prejudice'. If everything wrapped up neatly, the goblins won't even know what happened before the end. Only one snag he could see, "What about intel on any alarms? If they're smart enough to force people to make these weapons, it'd only take a small wire on a string of bells to alert the entire base.."


"Absolutely true. When we are scouting the site out in the day, we shall be looking out for alert systems they might have in place. Keith will be primarily responsible for disabling them and any other traps they might have out. However, since their main defense is moving around, they may not have set much down, if at all. Don't let that put your guard down."

"I must also mention they would at least have a night watch going. Taking care of him would fall under my area, but unfortunately, I haven't quite got the hang of charging to full power yet, so can't take him down in one blow. Still, it will provide an excellent distraction and net you precious seconds."

skiploom188

"Boss, you mentioned something about taking out a night watch. Just a suggestion, a crossbow may be a better choice for that job, since it shoots straight. And it's as simple as pulling the trigger."
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
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I evolved... into a stick figure. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-yTyoVpYIdcdIPw8SP5rw
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Pokemon Fantasy Tactics - A treat for FFT fans! http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10984.msg207542
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Dokurider

Quote from: skiploom188 on August 15, 2012, 07:07:54 am
"Boss, you mentioned something about taking out a night watch. Just a suggestion, a crossbow may be a better choice for that job, since it shoots straight. And it's as simple as pulling the trigger."


"Simplicity is not a concern here. No archer worth his salt would have trouble making a shot just because his weapons arcs. If you're referring to charging to full power, I would have the same problem with the crossbow, or any other weapon as well. Furthermore the only advantages a crossbow has over a bow is that it's singlehanded and strong guys get more use out of it. It has shorter range, so I'd have to get closer and increase our chances for getting spotted. Or I could climb into a nearby tree and shoot him from a nice and safe distance with my Ice Bow. And because I'm somewhere high now, I can support the whole team with arrow fire. I'd be hardpressed to do the same thing with a crossbow."

Dokurider

"If there are no more questions, then let us get going then." He shouldered his backpack and started down the main road cutting into Araguay. "Now, we are heading down this road until we hit the trail for the World Oak. When we arrive there, it should be dusk and we'll make camp there. In the morning, we'll head North-Northeast to the goblin campsite."




As the team heads down the main road, an slightly tilted wagon appears in the distance. As they approach, it's condition becomes more clear. Pieces wildly strewn about, it's become evident that this once elegant and ornate wagon has been ambushed. Two bodies lay on the ground. One is face down, blood pooling around his head, then streaking across the path. The other was laying on his side, his arms were glued to his stomach. Both had been dead for some time now. Looking at the wagon itself, the front wheel seems to have been stuck in a pot hole. The wagon had been violently broken into. The door had been ripped off and the seat backs inside had been ripped out and tossed outside.

st4rw4k3r

        *Gasp*   "So much blood" I whispered to myself. I felt very uneasy about this scene, it made me imagine what really awaits us in those depths. We will get there and meet with the goblins, kill a few then... We will end up like these poor people here. Oh St. Ajora please protect us.

skiploom188

"Woah! That's not good." He glanced at the remains once more, then turned to Nicholas "Boss, do you think the goblins did this? Or is it just some other monsters who did it?"
  • Modding version: Other/Unknown
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I evolved... into a stick figure. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-yTyoVpYIdcdIPw8SP5rw
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Pokemon Fantasy Tactics - A treat for FFT fans! http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=10984.msg207542
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Dokurider

Nicholas moved to the doubled over man. Behind him was the side of the wagon, with some metal buried in the wood detailing. Nicholas pulled out a knife and dug the piece of metal out. It was a Goblin Bolt. "Yeah, Jim, this was Goblins alright."

"It seems this here fellow died from single blow to the head." Earl piped up, examining the other man's head. Laying just a few feet away, was a round, grapefruit sized stone, tinged with blood.

"Yeah, look at this, guys. This was no pothole either. Classic goblin trap." Keith observed, looking at the pothole the wagon wheel was stuck in. It had twigs and loosely woven grass sticking out from either side of the wheel coming from underneath. The hole itself was drying out. "Yeah, they'll dig a hole in the road, and cover it up so that the wagon can't go anywhere when they jump them. They like to add water to it so the wheel can't get any traction. Works especially well against these fancy flashy wheels these rich shmucks always have. It's kinda odd, though. You'd think these silver spoons would had have at least some bodyguards or an escort or something."

"Well, there's not much else we can do here. Earl, fire the flare." Nicholas instructed.

"Right. You guys might want to keep your distance." Earl rifled through his bag and pulled out a small white package on a long stick with a fuse sticking out of it. He pulled out a bottle, stuck the flare in stick first, lit the fuse and stepped back. A moment later, the package zoomed out of the bottle and into the sky, shining brightly in the sky. When it reached it peak, it gently fell out of the sky, falling downwards until it burned itself out.

"Now these flares will call the extraction team. They are always on standby, ready to pick up the hostages we save and to bring them back to civilization. Or bring their bodies back for a proper burial. It shouldn't take long for them to get here this time, but deep in the forest, we can be waiting for a while, particularly if they're busy." Nicholas explained.

Durbs

While Noremu surveys the carnage in front of him, he spies a family portrait on the ground. It shows a father and mother with their son and his wife. They seem to be some sort of nobility. Noremu realizes that the men in this portrait are the one and the same people now dead. The women are missing, however.

'More hostages?' Normeu asks himself. 'And of rich folk, too. I thought they were only interested in the smithies... after all, what did they need money for? They take whatever they want and have never suffered themselves to buy.'

After a pause, with a flick of his hand, Resmu, his familiar, lands on his arm.
"Go, Resmu... find out where they are keeping the hostages." Resmu flies off.

Noremu takes one last look before leaving the scene. "Hmm?" Noremu looks at the items left scattered around. Upon closer inspection, something about the items stands out to him: they are all fake. Knockoffs. He bends down and grabs a vase of sorts, broken and shattered from the attack. Sure enough, it was a clear knockoff.

Noremu looks up to the rest of the group, unsure what to make of this new development.
  • Modding version: PSX

Ryqoshay

   "I knew the Malium family was a bunch of incompetent idiots." Clesenine grumbled, crossing her arms indignantly. "Why did I ever marry into that family?" She sighed. "I knew I should have pursued that young Beoulve..." Her mind drifts for a moment. "And you," she turned her anger on her daughter-in-law "aren't the Hyetals supposed to be famous for producing mages? Why didn't you do something back there? Hey! Watch it with that thing!" She yelped, dodging a prodding jab of a goblin's spear.

   For her part, Halcyon remained silent and stared straight ahead as she made her way wherever her captors urged. Her eyes were as cold and hard as sapphires dredged from the bottom of a collapsed mine and her expression was as lifeless as the miner trapped under the rubble.

   "Don't you be ignoring me." Clesenine continued. "I know you can still talk even when you're in that obnoxious doll mode of yours."

   "..."

   "Look, you're not a Malium anymore. Death has done you part. You should be able to get us out of here now."

   "..."

   The older woman's temper flared and she spun around to grab the girl's hand. Without hesitation or ceremony, she yanked the rings off. "There, you're a Hyetal again! Now cast something!"

   The goblin captors did not take kindly to the sudden movements and squabbled incoherently in their own language. They hopped around madly and brandished their weapons toward the two women. A larger one, who seemed to have some semblance of control over the others stepped forward and pointed at Clesenine's hand with his weapon.

   The woman scoffed. "You want these worthless things? You can have them!" With that, she threw the rings at the beast's feet.

   The shiny objects were quickly gathered up, hastily examined, and shoved into a pocket. The leader goblin then pointed a sizable stack of raw materials, some equipment and some mostly finished weapons. "You. Make weapon." He forced the words out in such a way that made it obvious he was having language difficulties.

   "Well," Clesenine said, tapping a foot as she glared at Halcyon, "what are you waiting for? Get to work."

   "I cannot." Came a flat, emotionless response from the younger woman.

   "I said get to work!" the older woman snapped, letting loose a vicious backhand.

   Halcyon did nothing to avoid the strike, nor did she stumble after. She was accustom to this treatment so she returned to her stoic posture and endured.

   "You no make weapon?" the goblin asked, thrusting his spear under her chin.

   "I cannot make weapons. I have not been trained as a smith."

   "What you can do?"

   "I know some spells."

   "You wizard?!" the beastman recoiled visibly, but recovered quickly and shoved his spear closer. Placing the sharp edge against her cheek, he glared suspiciously at her. "Why you no fight us with men?"

   "I was not ordered to do so."

   Clesenine chortled. "Oh, is that all you needed? An order? Fine then, I order you to attack these pesky goblins."

   "You are no longer my master." If it was possible, Halcyon's voice was flatter than before.

   "What?"

   "You said so yourself. I am no longer Malium. I am Hyetal. You cannot give me orders. You are no longer my master."

   A sly, toothy grin crossed the boss goblin's face as he dug into his pocket and produced a pair of rings. "I you master now."

   "Understood." Halcyon said without hesitation.

   "You show me spells. You kill old master with spells."

   "Yes, Master."
Hurry down the chimney tonight.

Dokurider

Nicholas came over. "What am I looking at here?" Earl picks up a piece of the vase and inspects the painted etchings. He spits on it and rubs the paint and gloss off. "Well this is interesting. I'm not too keen on identification of the finer things in life, but I believe this vase is an imitation." He picks up a chipped and scuffed, yet still intact wine crystal glass. He gives it a flick and it produces a dull and short-lived ring. "This is also very fake."

"Ah, so now it makes sense. These people aren't rich at all. They were just snobs desperately wanting to be rich. How sad can you be to want to be anything like those worthless fat cats? Well I hope they can find a knockoff coffin for their knockoff funerals." Keith exclaimed. "I bet those other two are pissing and moaning about having to sleep on the dirt or something."

"Well, rich or poor, they need our help and we are obliged to rescue them." reminded Nicholas. "Don't let your opinions get in the way of doing your job. You could be doing a lot worse for less pay."

All Keith can do is roll his eyes and wave his hand in dismissal.

Dokurider

After over half an hour, the extraction team finally arrived. It was a small caravan; a roomy and reinforced wagon carted behind two chocobos, flanked by several chocobo riders carrying large shields. Riding front and center, a bespectacled and decidedly doughy man rode up to Nicholas and his group. "Sherman Cedarfalls." acknowledged Nicholas.

"Mr. Atkins, why are you calling us so soon? Don't tell me you're quitting now. You just got started." Sherman chuckled.

"Well Mr. Cederfalls, we just happened upon the remains of a coach the goblins ambushed earlier today. The goblins killed the two men and took the two women with them."

"Ah, I see. How unfortunate. If you deployed earlier, we might have been able to intervene. Well in any case, we'll have these bodies looked over and returned to their proper families. I trust you and your rabble haven't taken anything, right?"

"Everything is as we found it except for the Goblin Bolt I dug out of the side of the wagon." Nicholas hands the bolt over to Sherman.

"Well, you do know that we are the only ones authorized to handle evidence."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. However, I had to remove it to determine and assess our then current security. Identifying the attackers right then and there meant the difference between being ready for a goblin attack or an attack from bandits."

"Sigh, that's still not an excuse, but I'll let it slide this time. I'm not making the rules here, I'm just enforcing them. You may go now, Mr. Atkins."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Cedarfalls. Have a good day."

Nicholas briskly turned away from the personnel management officer and gathered his group up to finally move on. As they were leaving, the accompaniment had covered the bodies with a cloth and were sliding stretchers underneath them to take them to the cart for their final trip home.