Diego's Kios Adventures: An Icy Woman and the Undead [Job/Solo]

Job Name: Visiting Kios
Job Rank: B-Tier
Job Location: Reim
Job Rewards: 200 xp, 15k Huang
Job Prerequisites: Diego
Job Overview: After being given directions to the small farming community of Kios, Diego heads there in search of rumors of Jagang and to protect the villagers. Upon arrival, he finds that trouble is brewing on the outskirts of town.

Enemy Name: Zombies (x4)
Rank: C-Tier
Needed damage to take down: C-Tier
Description: Move at 5 m/s; looks like the decomposing remains of a corpse.
Abilities:
Natural Weapons: Bites, strikes and kicks deal C-Tier damage.
Brains: The user attacks a target's skull at 15 m/s, dealing C-Tier damage, to get at the delicious bits.
Corpse Breath: The user burps up a five meter diameter cloud of noxious fumes that induce nausea in a target for one post.

The sun was to their backs as they walked down a long stretch of dirt road that led into Kios. Diego hummed a tune, watching butterflies twist and frolic in the air over a meadow to their left. A smile drifted across his face and he exhaled a content breath, enjoying the scenery. Far from the city and deep in the heart of nature was where Diego felt most comfortable.

His stunning Tiger, Madam Trixie, prodded along at his right side while she sniffed the wind. She caught the scent of a small rodent hidden somewhere in the field and she let out a whine. She wanted to hunt, but was restricted by the young girl sitting on her back, cuddling with Zanzibar.

Diego cast a side-long glance at Trixe, "What's up girl?" His stomach answered him instead, with a prompt growl of hunger. After checking the position of the sun, Diego decided it probably was time to take a rest and eat. "Ella, how about we stop and have a picnic in the field?"

Ella bobbed her head eagerly and slid off Trixie's back, running off towards the field. Diego chuckled at the young girl's enthusiasm and signaled to his tiger that it was ok to hunt. Madam Trixie gave an appreciative purr before bounding off into the taller grasses in search of her meal. Meanwhile, Diego caught up with Ella to find a good spot where they could sit.

After spreading a blanket across the grass on a hilly spot that overlooked the flowers and tall grass around them, Diego pulled out an assortment of dried fruits and meats.  He shared the food with Ella while they spoke of fond memories they had of Heliohapt. They continued talking as the sun set beneath the tall trees and darkness settled in. Thankfully, the night sky was clear and they could still see by starlight.

Trixie came back shortly after nightfall and wiggled her way between the two children to lay down. Not long after that, Diego and Ella positioned themselves to cuddle up against the tiger. Between the warm fur and the vibrations of Trixie's throaty purring, the two fell asleep. While they slept, Trixie kept an eye open to watch over her friends. At some point, Zanzibar tangled his limbs around Ella and buried his face in her hair.

They rose bright and early, just as the sun began peeking up over the horizon. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Diego gathered his belongings and set a groggy Ella on Trixie's back. Picking up where they left off from the day before, they followed the dirt road to the east. After a few hours of walking, they came to a section where the woods stretched to the road on the left-hand side.

Sitting with her back against a tree, a blonde-haired woman looked up as the group approached. Diego noticed the woman's blue eyes were as sharp as a hawk and they searched the group with a cautious gaze. When she saw Diego's weapons coupled with the beasts, she stood up. A short sword was sheathed on one hip, while a small circular shield attached to her belt on the other. She walked forward to meet the group halfway and came to a halt when they were ten meters apart.



The woman's eyes hardened, mostly in surprise at the children's age. 'What are two kids doing off by themselves? They are barely look older than most of the Grumptoes' She took a deep breath and set that aside, she had sworn to Xenos that she would protect Kios. Just because they were kids, didn't mean that they were innocent. She had seen child slaves trained to be cold-blooded killers. "Who are you and what business do you have here?"

Diego came to a stop at the same time as the blonde-haired woman and held up a hand to tell Trixie to stay. The Fanalis boy flashed a smile at the woman, "My name is Diego. This here is Ella, Trixie, and Zanzibar. We are traveling to Kios." Diego brought his finger to his lip. How much could he tell this woman? Ariella had been very hesitant to tell him where this place was, he couldn't betray the magician's trust. Instead of explaining more, he tried to avoid it. "What's your name?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, Diego was outwardly very friendly, but he seemed to be considering his words. Still, she answered his question, though her tone was colder. "My name is Janus. I was hired by the townspeople to guard them. Are you a hunter?" She gestured to his bow, a subtle hint that she was cautious because he was armed.

When Janus explained that she was from Kios, Diego relaxed. They must have been closer to the town than he thought. That meant Diego could trust the woman after all. "I'm a ranger, but that's not why I'm here. I was instructed by Ariella Negri to give a letter to a Miss...Miss..." Diego's face scrunched up as he tried to think of the woman's name. "Petri? No, it was Pipi! No..."

Janus raised an eyebrow, she knew the woman Diego spoke of. Ariella and Xeno's budding romance were always being talked about by the townspeople. 'Yet, why would she send this child instead of coming herself?' Watching the Fanalis' expression as he tried to remember the name was amusing, but she didn't leave him to struggle for long. "Miss Viri? If that is who you are talking about, I can take you to her."

Diego smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead, "Yes! Viri! I would appreciate if you would take me to her." He laughed off his forgetfulness and rubbed the back of his head.

Janus sighed and nodded, gesturing for them to follow. Before they had gotten very far, she stopped and looked at Diego over her shoulder. "But, if you betray my trust in the slightest, I won't hesitate to kill you." A massive killing presence filled the air as she glared at the Fanalis boy. A tense second passed before her face softened and she giggled. She faced the road and continued walking as if nothing had happened just seconds before.

Diego gulped, "Yes, Ma'am." This woman sure was scary. He heard Ella give a scared squeak next to him and he gave her a reassuring look. She calmed down a little bit, but still was nervous about Janus.

[1080/1500]

As they followed Janus along the dirt road, it curved to the left through the woods. As they rounded the bend, Diego swore he heard something groaning. Even Trixie seemed tenser, her nose sniffed the air urgently, searching for a scent. When they rounded the corner, she caught the whiff of something dead and expelled a loud hiss in warning. Diego snatched the bow off his shoulder and grabbed an arrow. At his side, Janus had unsheathed her blade and already had the shield around her other wrist.

A disturbing scene was laid before them and the sucking, wet noises they heard didn't help it. The mangled bodies of two horses were on either side of the road with four people gathered around each body. The people were digging into the corpses and feeding hungrily on the remains. They were covered in blood and made inhuman noises as they ate.

Diego turned to Ella, "Stand behind me and close your eyes." He didn't want her to have nightmares about this too. The young girl's wide eyes turned to Diego and she gave a vacant nod. She slid off Trixie and ran behind Diego, clinging to his leg. The Fanalis looked at Janus, "Why are they eating horses?"

Janus shrugged, her focus was on the sickening sight before them. "I don't know. I don't recognize these people either."

At the sound of Diego and Janus' voices, the people craned their heads to look at the intruders. The bloody people wore empty expressions as their eyes rolled around at odd angles in their head. As if smelling fresh blood, the Zombies stood up and started to rush towards a new meal.

'Tsk...' Diego recognized the predatory approach of the Zombies and he shouted to Janus, "You take the right, I'll take the left." Without waiting for a response, the boy strung an arrow and pulled back the string. Taking aim, he let it loose at the center of the right group and it exploded in a Mini-Boom. The arrow sent body parts scattering around, the flesh still boiling. As it rained down gore, Janus quickly dispatched the other Zombies with her blade, leaving their heads to roll on the ground.

She sheathed her blade and glanced at Diego, impressed by the power of his arrow. "Good work." She leaned down and examined one of the bodies. "It looks...it looks like they were dead. Their bodies have started to decompose..."

Diego raised an eyebrow at Janus, before turning around and placing his hands on Ella's shoulders. "I want you to keep your eyes closed and follow me. I'll tell you when to open them again. Ok?" He waited for the young girl to nod before guiding her through the gore towards Kios. Janus took the hint and walked alongside Diego with his pets between them.

Once they got out of the woods, the land opened up into rolling meadows and farms. Janus took the lead and Diego followed her down a side street. It led to a large farmhouse, complete with stables and other buildings for the farming equipment. Out in the fields, Diego could see people tending to the crops. Further out, Diego could hear the sounds of children laughing as they played a game.

Janus led them to the front door and an older woman met them at the porch. The woman smiled at Janus, "How are you today, Janus?" She noticed the others behind Janus and gave them a kind smile as well.

"I'm worried, Viri. Can we talk inside?" Janus asked the woman, with a concerned look on her face, not returning the smile.

Viri sensed that matters were grave and nodded, gesturing them inside. She guided them to a dining room where they could rest while she went into the kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later with tea for everyone and sat down. She listened to Janus explain what they had come across in the woods with her lips pursed. When Janus was finished she shook her head, "That doesn't sound like good news. What about these children here?"

Diego gave Viri a warm smile, "My name is Diego. These here are my friends, Ella, Trixie, and Zanzibar. Here, this letter should explain." He pulled out the letter Ariella had given him and handed it to Viri. He sat quietly while she read the letter and sipped his tea.

When she was finished, Viri set the letter down and looked at Diego. "Nice to meet you, folks. I am Viriana, but you can call me Viri. I see Miss Negri asked that we help you out while you are here. It's a little crowded but I'm sure we can find some room. Let's get you comfortable and then we can discuss these matters later."

[1500+/1500]