Mouse arrives at a somewhat familiar area, but also different. This time, she'll hopefully be arriving beside Sigmendus, but also! Looking over at a nearby stump, there are two bottles as well as two pieces of old-looking parchment. "Hm?" Stepping over, it's easy enough to grab the bottle and hang it on her hip for easy access, but the papers take a moment to look over. The first is a faded map, the second is a messily scrawled out note that reads:



"Dear adventures,

Greetings, and thank you for accepting this quest on behalf of the Magic Reasearch Association. You will find the bottle you need to harvest monster screams beside these papers. The map is an older one of this area, before the infestation- apologies, I do not have time to update my maps every time a pesky invasive species takes over an area! Please collect x10 Screams of the Dead and report to me at the end of the path. I will collect them from you and give you a stamped form to bring back to the Quest Shop to prove you did what you were supposed to.

Oh, and do mind the thorns. They do not feel great.
Also, the bridge at the end of the path is broken. Why do people keep being surprised there is no bridge at the end of the path!? IT IS ON THE MAP

-- Gideon"

After looking at both, she scratches her head. What kind of person was this working for the Magic Research Association, anyway? She'd always ever turned the items in to the lady at the quest shop, this was definitely an extra step she wasn't used to. As long as she got to kill monsters, it was whatever. Her anger gauge was the only real reason she wanted to do this quest in the first place. Meeting someone new and getting some elixirs was just an added bonus.

She sets the parchments back down so Sigmendus may have a look if he wishes. Meanwhile, she makes sure Matcha is safe on her shoulders before drawing the broadsword, Yomi, from her inventory. Taking the time to look over the area surrounding them and the Chaos Gate, it sure was a mess! Beautiful but also.. Kinda gross. There was bright ooze and mushrooms coming out in random places. As well as some painful looking vines curling around random trees and growing out of the brush in multiple places, even just here in the starting area. The path ahead, however, seemed fairly clear.

As long as they stayed on the path, they would probably be fine.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✦✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 0/10

The comment he makes about the cursive makes Mouse chuckle as she readies herself. She couldn't agree more, he had been there through the time it took her to read it and it felt so validating knowing the sentiment for cursive- especially messy cursive, is shared. Matcha yawns, her arms stretching back to the point where she almost falls from Mouse's shoulders, but she reaches out and grabs on to the girl's curls to hold herself in place. What a joy it is to not be able to feel this right now. The runechemist helps steady her, glancing over at Sigmendus' weapon as he drew it. "O-oh! An anchor turned into a weapon!? What a cool concept."

When he signifies he's ready to go, Mouse nods and begins stepping forward along the path and towards what looks to be a large root grown in a way that it's still able to be traveled as long as players duck their heads a bit and avoid the thorned vines that are now growing on it. Her fingers are practically twitching on the hilt of her sword. Glancing around at the trees and brush as they walk, it was interesting to see the stark contrast of what this area had to offer as compared to the map they were shown. It wasn't like the vines and red goop had completely taken over- In fact, the trees, grass and other such things were still living and growing. As Mouse opens her mouth to mention it, the sound of rustling brush interrupts her.



The duo do not make it far before four monsters dart out from the brush along the path. They hop with their back legs and propel themselves forward even faster with the vines growing out of their bodies rather than their shorter front legs. They almost seem to dart around Mouse, thanks to her hidden Fear Element skill, no doubt. They all aim to stand in Sigmendus' path and initiate combat immediately.

Before one can get past her, almost as if on complete instinct and no skill at all, Mouse's hands grip her weapon and her arms swing forward. The blade crashes down onto one of the smaller monsters, downing it instantly. She can't help but sigh softly with relief as she feels the aggressive pressure in her brain lighten up. Even if only a little. "A-ah! Right-!" She fumbles to grab the bottle from her waist, holding it outward. The scream from the beast as it dies flies upward from its body and straight into the bottle before the body disappears completely.

Her full attention is now on Sigmendus' situation. Mostly, to see what he could do with that anchor as a longarm, she was absolutely thrilled to see him in action. However, she was also ready to step in if need be. It was hard to be certain of strangers' playstyles and she didn't want to be too greedy with kills. Even if doing just that was what her mind was craving. He wanted to get back into how The World worked and honestly, sometimes situations like this were the best way.

Three enemies remain before the party.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 1/10

Sigmendus moved in a such a way that would limit oncoming damage his way, so that was Fortress Stance! She watches as the three bunnies charge towards him, his confidence sure is something to admire and it absolutely paid off when the three monsters did absolutely nothing to write home about in terms of damaging the longarm. For the moment, she watches him a little longer before getting involved. The way his skills work together intrigue her, it was very different from that of a wavemaster. She'd mostly seen twinblades, steamgunners, and blademasters in combat before. It was good to get an understanding of what different classes were capable of.

When his grunty ran along the the lance to contribute to the fight, amusement dances in Mouse's eyes. "That's an incredibly gutsy grunty you've got there! It's good to have a companion like that. Even if they can be stubborn at times," she says with a laugh. "I'm glad you brought him along." Meanwhile, Matcha was only just now tilting her head back to see what was going on in the battle. She happened to see what the grunty had done to contribute, and thought to herself about contributing! In the end, however, she simply lazily slumped in her spot on Mouse's shoulders and dozed off as she was carried around.

Focusing on combat again, Sigmendus' area attack struck all the enemies before him, and Mouse can't help but notice they also seem to become weaker with their attacks, as well. It wouldn't be hard to finish them off. There's not exactly a set of skills she has for her broadsword yet, certainly nothing quite like Sigmendus, but she tries all the same. Keeping Noblesse in her mind and the way he moved on the battlefield, she approached one of the creatures facing Sigmendus. With her sword held tightly in her grasp, she lunges forward into one of the enemies- It's nowhere near as graceful as her friend, but it's effective in downing yet another one. The relief of not only seeing, but feeling the Anger Gauge slowly empty would never stop being satisfying.



Mouse collects another scream, two enemies remain in combat. One of the bunnies is going to attempt a Poison Slash attack with vines on Sigmendus. This attack has a 50% chance of inflicting Poison if hit.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✧✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 2/10

Delightful claps come from the spectating Mouse as the Sigmendus manages to be unaffected by the nasty poison attack one of the bunnies tries to inflict, shortly after, he fires away with another attack and manages to defeat the remaining to bunnies without a single scratch. When he was finished, she clasps her hands together in excitement. The more her anger gauge depleted, the easier it was to be genuinely herself instead of her best interpretation and she was absolutely thrilled with what she saw.

"Well, lucky for you, we have six more monsters left for you to practice on! I can hold back on the next ones, if you like! I'd love to see what you can put together. You were awesome in that fight!!" She compliments him genuinely, her hand automatically catching Matcha as the little spirit starts to tip off her shoulder during her nap. It was never going to stop being funny, the absolute difference in personality the two of their pets had.

After a moment, Mouse starts walking forward again. "You know, earlier I was going to mention how the vines and such don't really seem to be affecting this place too much as far as flora goes, but now that I've seen the animals... Eeesh. That was pretty freaky." Because of her height, luckily she does not have to duck under the massive tree root growing on the bath, but she watches out for Sigmendus in case he misses it (and the various nasty vines hanging from it.) "Hey, do you remember any cool places during your time before your break from The World?" Not that this place was exactly 'cool,' but it sure was something!



Further ahead on the path, three monsters are running in circles chasing each other. The monsters are distracted, so the opportunity for surprise is there. However, once attacked, they will immediately aggro on the players.
------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✧✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 4/10

When Sigmendus spoke about the fungus that takes over an insect or even humans in horror movies, Mouse was noticeably grossed out. "Ewwwiiee!! You're so right! It is exactly like that!" One hand is holding the sword but the other one kind of shakes in the air with disgust, which jostles your royal highness of laziness Miss Matcha awake. The sprite gently bats at Mouse's head for disrupting her sleep. The runechemist ignores her for the most part, wincing while watching poor Sigmendus trying to get through the vines. She had a feeling it might be difficult for him, but there wasn't much she could do, unfortunately. The damage she would take to hold the vines for him was more detrimental due to her Anger Gauge. It made her feel guilty, but as the saying goes- "it is what it is."

She walks alongside him, nodding her head as she listens intently to the great boss battle he faced, but stopped just as he did. Mouse would be sure to pester him for the rest of the details later, but for now- her eyes followed where he was looking. Though, it was difficult to look away from a big ol' walrus trying to stealth. Lips pressed tightly together in what was supposed to be a neutral expression to avoid a smile giving away her amusement. "R-right.. Maybe we shoul- Oh dear!" Wide eyes watched as the little grunty went charging ahead. The three foxes immediately turned towards the little creature, the vines sprouting from their heads rearing back as if ready to take a smack at the grunty.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Mouse leapt over the root they were hiding behind, running up beside Sigmendus' little companion while Matcha clung to her hair for dear life, the lily pad on her head fluttering backwards. Mouse's blade cuts sideways along one before she ran it forward through the little beast, her free hand reaching for the bottle at her waist to absorb the scream as it died. The other two immediately yipped and snarled at her. So much for a surprise attack, but she couldn't stand the thought of the little guy getting hurt!!

The two remaining monsters are completely aggro'd on Mouse and still unaware of Sigmendus. They whip their vines out to try and grapple Mouse at the same time, but miss as she dodges.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✧✧✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 5/10

Mouse stood her ground between the monsters and Sigmendus' little grunty, her sword ready and waiting. Her attention was stolen briefly by her party mate as he steps out from hiding. Which- even just remembering makes her almost giggle and she has to try and keep her wits about her, especially in the situation of protecting a lil baby grunty! However, it seems Sigmendus has his own idea. Where the heck did he get that hook from? And what was he going to-

Her eyes follow the hook as it soars through the air, hooking onto the vine of one of the little fox monsters. "O-oh!" she exclaims with surprise. Shortly after, Sigmendus literally pulls the little monster right to him! It was almost like he was fishing! Except, the monster crashed into him like a piece of lunch meat hitting a brick wall. Ouch. That left him to deal with an extremely weakened Vine Vulpe, while Mouse had only the one remaining near her and the grunty. "Good thinking, Sigmendus!! I didn't know you could do that!" She waves over at him, wincing as the temporary distraction earns her a thorn whip form the angry fox still near her.

The Anger Gauge fills by two, and she reacts without thinking, turning to face the monster in a short bought of rage and slicing once, twice, three times, four times- Until the animation for the monster's 'death scream' rose from its body and she shakily reached for the bottle at her hip, absorbing the scream and taking a deep breath as the gauge lowered once more by one. Phew. I have to pay more attention. No matter how weak a monster is hitting me, it still has an effect.

When Sigmendus slams his anchor down on the stunned monster, it's enough to finish it off. Its last, dying scream emerges from the body, ready for the taking. Meanwhile, Matcha stares down at the grunty who had charged into battle, sticking her tongue out at the little thing. As if even wanting to put forth the effort was a teasable offense.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✧✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 6/10

Once Sigmendus returns to their side, Mouse pouts seeing the poor grunty being scolded. But, it was true, he's just a baby and there wasn't much he could do against monsters like these. It was up to the players to work together with the pets for the most successful outcome, not the other way around. Even so, Gae Bolg's spirit is inspiring. Noticing Matcha is being quite a bit of a stinker, Mouse gently flicks her lily pad, causing the pet to blow angry bubbles at her before getting cozy in her hair again.

Laughing softly at the two of the little critters, Mouse turns her head to listen to Sigmendus. "You're probably right! We've only got three more left, hmm? We are really making quick work of this quest!" She nods, smiling up at him before advancing forward. Walking on, things seem quiet. There's light rustling within the trees, but nothing too notable. That is, until a haunting sound rips through the area, nearly causing Lily to pull her headphones off her head. It sounds something similar to an elk's call, but gravelly and harsh. The sound of hooves can be heard hitting the earth on the side of the river they are on. Two monsters emerge from the forest, their heads bowed and legs kicking up the earth as their eyes zero in on Sigmendus.



Though their antlers have long since fallen, these creatures seem to have a thickened skull capable of doing decent damage with a charge attack. Their necks extend and withdraw as the vines see fit, with one additional vine growing from the side capable of doing poison damage. They are quick on a charge, but slow to recover after they've charged. Both will attempt to charge Sigmendus.

As Mouse moves to react, there's yet another loud sound that interrupts their situation. This time, it comes from across the river. It's a curdled bear roar that ends with a low, menacing rumble. Emerging from the brush on the other side is a large creature. He stomps and makes his way towards the poison river and just when Mouse thinks that will stop him- Water splashes and beats against the bear's massive form to no avail. The bear moves easily through its waters towards the players on the other side.



The bear is advancing through the water to join combat with the players. He has his vision set on Sigmendus as well, due to Mouse's Fear Element, but she quickly looks around and grabs a rock to chuck at his head, changing his course to aggro on her. The bear will reach her and attempt a Poison Slam attack with his massive thorned paw.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✧✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1 | Screams Collected: 7/10