70 AC, a mission ft. Natalie

Children were the hardest people to deal with in some regards. Nat was a rather selfish person, but she wasn’t some kind of monster. She really did not want to work pro bono, but just ignoring an injured (?) child? That was also not good. Fortunately, an excuse was given by the big Bandit, who just decided there would be a reward. That meant integrity maintained, even if there was nothing. And she could get angry for a reason then, too.

Natalie briefly gave the boy a brief, court bow before catching up to her partner. “I guess we are having a detour” she stated the obvious, curiously eyeing the cavern entrance. It was an odd arrangement. The boy had managed to lose his leg in there somehow, but gotten outside? That did not seem too likely. The appendages he had seemed artificial. But how did one flat out lose a leg, regardless? That was not the kind of thing that could just slip one’s mind.
“What do you think are the chances of meeting some kind of beast in there? He can’t have lost that voluntarily, so please be careful.” Her voice remained calm and gentle, indicating that she truly meant it. In a way, she even did. Having to heal truly dire wounds would be quite bothersome and painful. Not for her, but still.

Notorious B.I.G.

She ducked behind him, just in case. The bats were not threatening and did not try to attack. But she had not waited to confirm that. It did not take a lot of effort to hide behind that animalistic frame. If those things were dangerous, she could avoid them so. If not, she had not wasted much. A healer’s duty was to stay out of danger as much as possible while also being in range of those that needed her help. This was how she went about that.

“Good thing they did not want to bite us.” Natalie certainly meant that. Bats were horrible to fight, both in small and in large numbers. They could not be the culprits behind the disappeared leg, however. Too small and too many. The boy would have been bitten in other places if they had somehow taken off his leg. Among other things, actually.
Following him still, the healer rubbed her chin. “I have seen a good number of injured people. But that boy had been in pristine condition. Well, as far as pristine goes these days. But if he had lost this in some sort of fight, wouldn’t he have had more injuries? There were those marks, hm…” She thought about it some more. Those markings had looked deliberate at first glance, but she could still be wrong in that regard.

No use, she could not say anything definitive. Hence, she rather said nothing. Instead, she focused on their immediate surroundings, wary of potential dangers. It got harder, however, due to the light diminishing the further they got inside. If she’d known they would go spelunking, she would have brought something herself. “Do you happen to have a light, or can you just see better in here?”


Notorious B.I.G.

He could see in here? Good. She could make out a few things as well, but her eyes were a bit inadequate for any thorough investigations. The meagre amounts of light coming in were useful to some extent, but not good enough to instil much confidence. Him being able to see well was good enough. He was the one who dealt with potential threats, she would deal with the fallout.
The first of them was not very dangerous. At least not this time around. She had encountered clearly moving skeletons in the past, which had tried to kill her. Fortunately, without success.

“There is magic that can animate these. I faced it before.” She disclosed that immediately. It was not exactly a secret, just a little investigation she had done with another member not too long ago. This incident did not feel that way, though. This skeleton was less humanoid, and it did not appear ready to move. “I know a thing or two about anatomy. Not much about artificial limbs. But they are usually connected pretty tightly. If they are easy to take off, they are also easy to fall off. If someone took it in his sleep, it must have been something intelligent, not a beast. Though, it does not have to be the one that is now dead. Could be thing that made it dead, too.”


Notorious B.I.G.

Odd. It wasn’t just that in the sense that she was a bit befuddled from the state they’d found the leg in, at least not completely. It was also odd in the sense that this was not even. Two arms, two legs, the human body was even in a lot of things. Most people also used their limbs in even proportions. Everyone had a favourable leg or hand they tended to use, but it was less so the case when walking. That almost always necessitated moving both in roughly equal measures.

Thus, she mulled that over, as they turned towards the exit again. Aside from this all being a bit too easy, there was something else weird about it. “He probably cannot use that anymore. I am not sure why and how he lost it. If one of his legs is in such a terrible shape to just fall off, then the other must be as well. Unless something happened to him that hastened the decay.” She was thinking out loud, really. Having witnessed ghosts and other such developments however, there could be magic at work here as well. Something that had caused the deterioration, both of the leg and the carcass they had found. Maybe.

Notorious B.I.G.

“Uh-”

Bandit did not like the sound of a 'stress test' nor the oddities with the voice that wove the alien words. Time did not allot him to even bear his fangs. All he managed was a meager shift of weight, a slight turn to the side and a brandishing of one, elevated, bracing arm.

The fist collided with a sickening crack. The impact tore Bandit from his feet. Both him and the projected fist were airborne and as it finally retracted, Bandit was left to sail another handful of feet before crashing into the ground in a nigh ceaseless tumble.

In a tragically comedic fashion, the only aid lent to him by his partner was an ill-timed, far-too-late, “look out!”

“...Thanks...” The utterance was made in a pained hush, plump with sarcasm and dismissal. His thoughts were far removed from her and re-routed completely towards the animatronic youth.

'Can't find an opportunity to strike against something like that...' he thought with an ire-filled glower. Despite his inability to react to what it considered a 'stress test,' his hunched posture shifted until some semblance of a readied stance took shape.

“Alright, try that shit again...”

HP: 111/200 | MP: 116/120

SPOILER: Click to show

ATK: 00
DEF: 31 --> 47 (1/3)
AC: 10
HEAL: 00
STAM: 10
Level: 04

MAGIC.

Defense
Attack 1. Hit
Attack 2.
Damage received: 89
Conditions:

Offense
Standard Action. (bonused) Power Up (DEF)
— Attack Roll:
— Condition Roll:
Bonus Action. Block
— Effect: -24 dmg
Potential damage:

MP used: 10
MP regenerated: 6

6

But suddenly, Natalie Chevalier was staring at Bandit's back.

When did that happen?

There was a burst of light, a searing heat that approached seemingly between the very ticks of the sweep-second; but then there Bandit was, standing there. Somehow, he even found the time to turn to her and take hold of her. Each hand grasp around the bicep area and suddenly, the two of them were gone.

A burst of speed bridging upon insanity, Bandit set the girl down after the whole of the environment was but a blur to her and now their surroundings were very different than they were prior.

“Yeah... no, enough of whatever that was, huh?” He actually chuckled – likely the first time she witnessed such a thing, albeit done through a wince.

((Sorry for the double post. Forgot for this tactic, posting order has to change))
HP: 111/200 | MP: 102/120

SPOILER: Click to show

ATK: 00
DEF: 31 --> 47 (2/3)
AC: 10
HEAL: 00
STAM: 10
Level: 04

MAGIC.

Defense
Attack 1. Hit
Attack 2.
Damage received: 89
Conditions:

Offense
Standard Action. Absolute Shield (Absolute Speed!)
— Attack Roll:
— Condition Roll:
Bonus Action. Intervene
— Effect: Null damage
Potential damage: None

MP used: 20
MP regenerated: 6

7