World Tree MUSH

    The town of Wheldrake is a small hamlet in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by dense forest on three sides, with a single road leading through the village and into the woods.
    Well, Wheldrake has been having a problem. Apparently people have been hearing strange whispers and chants coming from the local ruins, late at night for the past few weeks, and it has been putting the townsfolks on edge. 
    So they put in word with the world's Adventurer's Guild and that word spread fast, that they were in need of brave adventurers to find the source of the eerie chanting and maybe put a stop to it, if possible.
    That is why Princess Anna Primrose of Rosalia is here... Because where there's creepy chanting late at night, demons are likely to follow. The girl arrives in town and makes her way to the local tavern, axe slung over her shoulders and hood worn up to cover her face. The tavern, after all, seems like the best place to find like-minded adventurers out in search of the same goal as she is, after all, so she settles into a seat and waits after ordering a mug of steaming tea to quench her thirst from the long ride down the road.

    Claire's spent a long day on the road. The farmer takes off her hat when she enters the tavern. "Is this the town of Wheldrake that has a nighttime chanting problem?" Her voice isn't loud, but it carries, and she waves a piece of paper around. Soon as she gets confirmation, she goes further in and offers a cup of coffee and a heart stew, finding a seat and setting her backpack down.

    Anna's hood turns when the tavern door opens and Claire enters, asking the pertinent question that would, of course, get the attention of everyone in the room. The locals are a little wary of outsiders, but warm up quickly when they see that the farmer is likely here to help, if their Adventurer's Guild got in touch with hers.
    Once she's settled in with her drink and stew, Anna rises from her own seat, tea in hand, and settles into the seat across from Claire.
    "If you're looking to explore the ruins, take me with you."

    "Can you handle yourself?" Claire asks. She takes a good look at the girl. "Guild said not to underestimate kids, so if you say yes I'll believe you and you're free to come. If you say no, this ain't no sightseeing tour." She begins to eat her stew and examines Anna. "Name's Claire, I'm a farmer and I moonlight as an adventurer."

    "Yes." The girl's reply is simple as she tugs her hood back to unhide her face and motions towards the axe on her back. A keen eye might recognize the glint of pure silver that's been worked into the blade.
    A slow sip on her tea and she sets the mug down before continuing.
    "I believe demons might be involved. I came as soon as I heard. I can handle myself in a fight. And I fully expect a fight." She says before introducing herself: "Anna."

    "Then I'll be glad for the company." Claire finishes her meal, downs her coffee. "Got experience with demons, Anna? Don't think I've fought any before. Might be wrong. Any I ought to know?" She gets up and puts her backpack back on, reaching in one of the side pockets to get out four red orbs she snaps onto her belt, next to a slingshot. "Usually I soften up the monsters with these before I close in. Will make sure not to aim them too near to you."

    Anna waits for Claire to polish off her meal and drink before wrapping up drinking her own tea, rising as the farmer dons her backpack. Does she have experience with demons that's... That's certainly a question to ask, although a reasonable one as well.
    "... Plenty." The girl says with a bit of a heavy sigh. "And there are many kinds. I'm sure I can identify them on sight."
    As for battle tactics: "I tend to get in close as soon as possible. But I'll do my best to stay out of your fire."
    It's getting dark now, which means it's as perfect a time as any to leave the tavern and start heading for those ruins.

    "Let's get going. When we figure out what's going on, please tell me anything I need to know." Claire pays the bill for her food, and for Anna's tea if she gets the opportunity. She puts on a ring that glows with a gentle light. "Please let me know if I say anything stupid, this is the first time I've taken a job away from home."

    Time to get going, and with the meal and tea paid for it's time to go, and the pair step out of the tavern into the night a thig mist has rolled across the town. 
    "It should be fine. I'm not worried about anything you could say." Anna notes mildly as she starts heading down the road.
    It's not long or deep into the forest before the whispers of a dark mantra can be heard from beyond the trees, and following the sound of the creepy chanting the pair soon make their way to a set of old ruins in the woods. Anna ducks behind a tree and motions for Claire to follow her to scope the place out a bit before advancing.
    What used to be a small chapel or church in the woods is now little more than a roofless set of crumbling walls. And it looks like someone's been this way already, tonight.

    Claire ducks down and takes off the light ring when time comes to scope out the place. One hand rests on one of the orbs, and she inhales deeply with her nose, trying to detect any unusual smells. "Someone else has been here." She whispers, and she grabs her slingshot. She hasn't nocked an orb yet.

    The smell of brimstone and sulfur lingers in the air, and for a moment Anna traces her fingers over a set of footprints on the ground.
    "It looks like someone came from the village, yes." She agrees with Claire's assessment before quietly creeping toward the ruins.
    INSIDE the ruins is a figure in a dark robe, chanting over a spell circle. The inscription is glowing a sickly blood red color and it looks like whatever they're doing is almost complete as they chant in Abyssal.
    With a flare of that ruddy red light something starts to claw its way from the spellcircle, climbing out of it like a portal.
    "... Tch. Looks like we're just in time."

    "I'd rather got here before that summoning finished." Claire finally nocks the orb and aims for the demon as it claws its way out. Her aim is good, and as soon as the orb hits something, it detonates in a fiery explosion. "What are the odds that circle's inscribed with human blood?"

    Claire fires her slingshot-- it's a good shot, the explosive orb hitting the shadowy figure clawing out from the spell sigil, earning a screeching cry of pain from the emerging monster, and a curse from the robed figure.
    The figure breaks into a run trying to flee the site, only to earn a clothesline punch from Anna that sends them sprawling, knocked out.
    But that leaves the demon; which is rapidly pulling itself from the blood circle.
    "Very highly likely." Anna replies as it spreads its wings.
    The creature appears to be an amalgamation of a human and a vulture, its razor beak spreading to let out a piercing screech so loud that it's almost mind-numbingly stunning.

    Claire shoots once again, "Let's get rid of this creature." She then puts the slingshot away and draws her purple blade. It's clearly unlike a typical sword, and she carefully approaches the Vrock, stopping in her tracks when the screech stuns her for a short period.

    Another explosive hits the Vrock, making the demon flinch and snarl. But as its screech stuns the farmer...
    Anna lunges in.
    Eyes blooshot red, axe in hand, the small slip of a girl snarls, heaving her blade with an immense amount of force. The axe's head embeds in the Vrock's side, silver blade cutting through its skin easily and sending black blood and ichor everwhere.
    "Wake up!" She shouts to Claire to try and help her shake the stunning effect. "It's a Vrock, cover your ears if it screeches again." Given in warning.
    As she says this the demon flickers, suddenly there's two of them, one soild the other a reflected, fake, image.

    Claire blinks. "Got it." She gathers her senses and closes in, the Galaxy sword in her hand and the practiced moves of someone who fights monsters. If there's two, she just has to hit both.

    Between Claire and Anna, the Vrock, even while casting Mirror Image is harried. Anna's silver axe and the almost magical nature of the Galaxy sword mean that its natural defenses and regeneration are moot in the face of the pair's weapons as they lay into it.
    The raging princess snarls and hacks away almost wildly, while Claire's practiced swordsmanship draws cuts and slashes of her own. The beast tries to fend them off with its claws but tires rapidy as they lay into it.
    With one last dying squawk of disbelief, the Vrock goes down, toppling in a bloody heap before it catches flames and starts to disintegrate rapidly, returning to the Abyss from whence it came now that it has been slain on the mortal plane.
    Anna spends a beat huffing and panting to catch her breath as she stomps on its skull as it fades.
    "Gh..."
    That is ... Mostly handled then. All that's left is to deal with the robed figure laying unconscious by the exit.

    Claire sucks in a long breath when they're done. She digs into her backpack, and gets out a plastic container full of fish, she fishes out two pieces with a fork, and places them on two dishwasher save plastic plates. She offers one plate to Anna. "It's a bit spicy, but it's good to eat something after exercise." She then pulls out a thermos and pours milk into two mugs, pouring milk into one. "Want some?" After she finisher her food and drink, she digs around her backpack for some rope.

    'It's good to eat something after exercise'.
    Claire may have no idea how right she is as Anna embeds the head of her axe in the ground so she can gratefully accept the offered fish.
    Raging always takes a lot out of her.
    So the girl hungrily devours the eel and drinks her milk with a heavy sigh.
    That's better.
    While Claire digs for her rope, Anna scruffs the hooded summoner and drags them over so the pair can tie them up and bring them back to town, victorious.

    "Never fought anything like that before, but there's lots of places I've never been with monsters all of their own." Claire comments, making sure the knots are nice and tight. She slips the glowring back on, "If you like, you should visit my farm sometime. Getaway Farm in Stardew Valley, Ferngill Republic. The nearest vine is at the bus stop in between Pelican Town and the farm. Barely a walk from there."

    "I fight them all the time." Anna mutters somewhat glumly. But once the summoner is tied up, the small slip of a girl... Casually hefts them over her shoulder like nothing, and gears up to leave the ruins.
    "... Getaway Farm... It sounds. Relaxing. I'll remember that."

"Sounds rough." Claire picked up on the glumness. Doesn't mention more. "It's only relaxing for visitors. Lots of work to be done. Cows need milking, sheep need shearing, eggs need gathering, crops need watering and harvesting. Lot of it's automated these days but you still need to put in plenty work." Claire sounds happy, "Traded my desk job for it, haven't once regretted it."

    "I think I'd take milking cows over fighting demons for a living." Anna muses. "But I don't have much of a choice in the matter." She muses, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "You had a desk job? I never would have imagined, from the way you fight."
    That said, she starts leading the way back to town with the summoner slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.