Assisting the Miners, Pt II [Job/Solo]

Job Overview: The Overseer explained there were numerous enemies coming out of the rocks that had never been seen before. Exterminate these creatures so you can investigate further.

Enemy Name: Magma Frog x5
Rank: C
Needed damage to take down: C
Description: Magma Frog moves at 3 m/s and deals C-tier damage by spitting lava up to 5 meters from itself. Magma Frog is immune to lava and heat damage.
Abilities:
Lava Pool – Magma Frog spits a 5m wide pool of lava at 15 m/s within 20 meters of itself, dealing C-tier damage to anything that touches it.

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Kioshi rose the next morning before the sun had even kissed the horizon with its warming rays. Running through a short kata to bring himself into a centered and calm state of mind, he blanked out stray thoughts and focused strictly on the movement of his body and blade. The familiar motions brought him into a meditative state but he could soon hear sounds of others waking to greet the day. He drew his kata to a close before getting dressed and making his way out to meet the Overseer. The older man was waiting for him at the front of the inn and Kioshi greeted him with a small bow. The Overseer returned the bow before leading Kioshi out of the small village and up a well-traveled path that wound through the trees until they reached the entrance to a mineshaft.

“This is one of our newer mining areas, but when we first started here, there wasn’t hide nor hair of any creatures. Since the eruption, though, things either moved in or were released from deeper into the cave. We can’t be sure because these creatures aren’t very friendly. My miners are strong, but they aren’t fighters.”

Kioshi listened intently, wanting to gather as much information as he could. The Overseer explained that they had begun to get overrun by large creatures that looked something like toads, only they held a distinct glow of molten rock, which they also used as a defense against anything coming near them. Apparently, the toads did not move too swiftly, but they were well defended in the cave, able to spew lava at the miners from a short distance. Kioshi rested his hand on the hilt of Hana, absorbing the information quietly as the Overseer explained which path he would need to take.

He gave the Overseer, Shobi, a small bow before proceeding confidently into the mine entrance. His nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of the mine, dank earth mixed with stone powder and an acrid stench of sulfur. It was not the most pleasant of odors, but his nose adjusted quickly as he moved with careful steps deeper into the mine. The shaft was lit with torches every few yards, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Kioshi did not rely on is sight alone to detect any movement, also listening intently. As the light from the opening of the mine dimmed and was replaced purely with the light of the torch, his steps became slower. A croak could be heard echoing down the carved path of the mine and Kioshi swiftly moved to free his blade of its sheath. The torchlight danced off the perfectly honed blade as Kioshi searched for his first opponent.

A few meters further into the shaft, Kioshi barely caught a small glow before the toad hopped forward with a lurch. Kioshi watched as it began to spew onto the ground, Lava Pool covering almost all of the shaft. Kioshi responded by using Swift Step, carefully avoiding the pool of lava to bring him within striking range of the toad. With a single Swift Strike, Kioshi slashed diagonally at the toad, its inner organs spilling out onto the ground. A croak to the left revealed that the toad had not been alone and Kioshi spun quickly, his blade coming out in a slash to deal fatal damage to the second toad.

The sound of a splat came from further back and Kioshi held his blade horizontally, ready to attack or defend. The third toad gave an angry croak at the thing that would dare to invade its home and spit lava towards the swordsman. Kioshi grit his teeth as the molten vomit spilled across his feet, burning through the material and scorching his leg. He channeled his anger at not moving quickly enough to run towards the toad, jabbing his blade into one of the toad’s eyes. With a gurgle, the third toad collapsed in on itself. Kioshi barely had time to scan his surroundings before another toad came hopping towards him. Kioshi refused to give it the chance to attack him and twisted to the side to avoid the creature. With another quick twist, his blade buried into the creature’s side. Kioshi panted as he looked down at his marred foot, wincing at the sight of blisters.

Even while examining his injury, his senses were sharp and detected the movement of another toad. With a burst of Stunning Speed, Kioshi sped in the direction of the sound, using Wicked Blow to eviscerate the last toad. Kioshi’s breaths came in harsh pants, it had been a great deal of time since he had been forced to keep moving. His time being a guard had dulled his stamina, it seemed. No matter, he would simply work harder to make sure he got back into peak condition. He had not been raised or trained to let his body to fall into disrepair and misuse. He gave another grimace as he looked down at his foot. He would need to wrap that before he ventured too much further into the mine shaft.

Before he turned back for the entrance, he gave his surroundings a closer look, making sure this area was secure, at the very least. In the stillness of the mine, Kioshi forced himself to focus on any other sounds. While he did not hear anything of note nearby, aside from the crackling of the torches, he did feel a slight draft, indicating there was a connecting tunnel that led off of this one at some point. He would have assumed it was from the entrance, but the draft was coming from the wrong direction to have that be the source. Deciding he should report to the Overseer, he turned to make his way back to the entrance. Shobi arched a brow as Kioshi limped back out of the mine entrance.

“I believe I have eliminated at least part of your problem. However, there is a draft back there, indicating another opening. Once I wrap my foot, I would like to investigate further, if that would be okay.”

Shobi simply nodded and waved Kioshi over, digging through a small pack he carried and handing him a roll of cloth used for bandaging wounds. It was not unusual for miners to obtain scrapes and cuts in their line of work, but it was not practical to try and find a healer for every little thing. Covering the wounds to keep the rock dust out of it was often all that was needed, aside from a couple of days.

“We will rest here for the evening. Tomorrow, you can venture further and I will have some miners accompany you, at least to the area you have cleared so far. Perhaps they can resume mining, at least in that area.”

Kioshi nodded in agreement, there had been no signs that there would be more creatures to endanger miners. Shobi shared some broth and bread with Kioshi before the men set up camp for the evening. Tomorrow, Kioshi would delve deeper into the mysterious mine.

[1000+/1000]
[Stamina 120/200]

Abilities Used: