Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Once Mei-Lien had followed Erica out of the room, the elder succubus turned to her and said "this time is going to be a little different. This outpost is the major one, and there'll be about 20 of the enemy there. They'll all be quite good, as well. You'll need to take more slimes, and the shifter may well have to help you in combat this time" as they walked. It wasn't too long before they were in the armory, where all of Mei-Lien's things were laid out for her. "It's also at the edge of the island, so you'll probably need to either walk through the night or spend some the night outside, so you had better plan accordingly."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

As they went, there was a slew of new instructions to the new mission, which looked like it was going to be a much more larger thing than the previous two, replete with a larger contingent of skilled soldiers. "Hmm, right. It does require a smarter way of approach, I'll keep that in mind." Mei answered, getting herself ready with all the usual stuff that she carried. Eventually she had everything, and the mission was about to begin. Looked like this might take a while.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

"Smarter is normally better, yes" Erica replied, grinning as Mei-Lien dressed herself and got her equipment in order. It wasn't long before they were walking towards the castle gate side by side. "I won't lie, this is going to be tough most likely. But if you can handle this, you'll be ready for the main event" the elder succubus said between episodes of whistling. "And even if you can't, help is always right behind you." By then they had gotten to the gate, and Rosa stood behind a group of about 25 slimes at first glance, wearing a long, pale yellow sundress, a rather large sword sheathed at her side. "Whenever you're ready, I'm ready" she said, and then she yawned a bit after her greeting, seemingly tired.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

After finishing up on both listening to the remaining advice and getting equipped, Mei followed Erica to the front gate. There, a much larger squad of slimes waited, along with a surprisingly humanoid-shaped Rosa. They seemed ready to go, despite the shifter's apparent sleepiness. Double-checking her gear, the redhead confirmed that she was ready. "Right, let's go."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

"Have fun, and kick ass" Erica called out, waving and then turning back into the castle. Soon after Rosa began to walk quietly towards their destination. It was more directly westerly than the others had been, into the rolling plains rather than towards any forested section. "The area we're going through is going to be pretty well populated, so we'll have to take roundabout ways there. Can't have too many people see us walking around with a group of slimes" she said, yawning again. "It'll probably take us the better part of the day to get there, depending on how many people we have to go around, since it's at the very edge of the island." The sun was just rising, and the group traveled along in silence for some time. Finally Rosa broke the silence again, saying "the reason I'm a little more human than normal is that I wanted to bring a sword from home. At the very least I'm going to be covering your rear, in case some of them try to circle around."

The sun was already at its zenith when they encountered the first grouping of farms they had to skirt around. Even from a distance, Mei-Lien could tell that it was quite the poor community, despite the apparent fertility of the soil. There were several more such little farming villages around, and avoiding being seen by them took up a fair amount of time. They were aided eventually by the appearance of the occasional outcropping of forest, which allowed them to pass by with fewer detours and thus in a shorter time. The trip was turning out to be just as long as the shifter had said it would be, and it was already afternoon by the time they were starting to see bigger towns that weren't just farmers, though all of them looked like they had seen better days. From a distance many of the buildings looked run-down, and most of these little towns had the ruins of walls all around them.

Just as the sun was beginning to set, the group crested a hill, and Mei-Lien got a view of what had once been a beautiful and marvelous sight. What had once been the chief city of the island before the first invasion, huge and built up on a seaside cliff, much like the newer city. The great walls were all razed, however, much of the city in disrepair even centuries after it had been conquered and burned. The broken monuments to the past still stood, a sad reminder to those who still lived there of a past both better than the present, and seemingly irretrievable. "This is a little bit out of our way, but I wanted you to see it" Rosa said quietly. "Our destination is close to here. If you want we can keep going and get there in the night, or spend the nigh in a nearby forest and move on at dawn. Either way is fine, though each has its drawbacks."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Once the group had bid their farewells to the mistress of the house, it was time to move on. They had to cross some varied landscapes, most of the daytime being spent on travelling and avoiding settlements around the countryside. There was explanations of things as well, why Rosa had her humanoid form among other things. Mei herself was mostly focusing on taking in the nature and scenery, which she had an eye for despite her personality. All this time, the gaggle of slime soldiers followed them about as instructed, keeping pace with varied levels of success.

After seeing a once-mighty city, it was apparently time for the group to make a decision about the time of their raid. The drawbacks and advantages of both were clear, but the redhead demoness had her mind set on a way. "We'll sleep. Better be prepared ourselves, and not tired. If we can sleep, that won't be a problem."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

"Mmm, probably the decision I would have made" Rosa replied, walking off in a slightly different direction, beckoning Mei-Lien to follow. It wasn't too awful long to their new destination, though the sun continued to set swiftly, and by the time they had reached the edge of this outcropping of forest it was just starting to dip below the horizon. "Let's get towards the middle of this area" the shifter said quietly, though why she was suddenly quiet now that they were in the trees wouldn't be readily apparent. Finally they got to their destination, which was a strangely convenient little clearing, and the slimes began to ooze up the trees at a command from Rosa, except for two. One of them somewhat flattened beneath the shifter, and she laid down on it to be slowly absorbed into the slime. "You should try it, it'll keep you nice and warm for the night and your back won't feel like you've slept on the ground all night" she said before being completely engulfed in the aqua slime. The last remaining one was flattened under Mei-Lien, waiting for her to use it as a strange sort of bed.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Rosa seemed to agree with Mei's suggestion, so she went after the shifter once guided into the location that she had in mind. The specific area was a strangely convenient clearing, a suitable spot for a camp really. While the slime squad clambered up into the tree branches above, a rather funky kind of bed was being offered to the redhead. After seeing her companion go into sleep mode inside the jelly creature, the demoness shrugged. "I don't see a good reason not to. Waking up sore is one of the worst things someone has to go through." she answered the suggestion before following after Rosa's example and resting herself down on the slime that had the kindness to offer itself in such a way.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

As Mei-Lien laid down on the slime it slowly began to advance up her body, engulfing her bit by bit. Oddly the slime didn't seem to be sticking to her body. After a time she was completely inside the aqua sphere, the slime staying separate from her, and yet pressing gently against her entire body. A pleasant warmth surrounded her, the slime acting as both bed and blanket for its demonic general. It was actually quite comfortable, and Mei-Lien soon fell asleep.

She was awakened by a few gentle pokes to the stomach from the slime, allowed her to adjust slowly to wakefulness before it receded, continuing to support her until she got up. She would note that there wasn't any residue from the slime on her body, either. The sun has just risen, judging from the angle of the light filtering through the leaves of the trees. "Mmm, good morning. Still fairly early, from the look of things. We're only a couple of miles away from the barracks, here, so it'll only be a short walk. Shall we get started?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

The slime bed was pretty much as comfy as it looked, and Mei was asleep shortly after being encased in her slime partner.

In the morning, the demoness was woken up by the bed itself, which was something of a surprise to her. After a totally stainless exit, she was prodded towards action once more by Rosa. "Sure, let's go."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

"Alright" Rosa replied, and the slimes crept down the trees again to follow their leaders towards the barracks. "This one will probably have advance guards along the way to warn them of our approach. I'm sure they're suspicious, since they've had time to discover that their comrades have been killed. It's not likely they know what's happening, which will make them all the more cautious" the shifter said as they walked. Here the rolling plains became more flat, with taller wild grasses abounding due to the fact that this area hadn't been used for farmland in a long time, with little outcroppings of forest here and there. As they approached a particular grouping of trees Rosa pulled Mei-Lien aside and dropped down to the ground. "I think there's a few of them in those woods there. Not really sure what to do about it, though, unless you want to go a really circuitous route."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

With the slimes down from their hiding spots in the treeline, the group advanced further into the enemy territory. Rosa was giving out further instructions along the way, telling about the upcoming barracks and the more than likely advance guards. The landscape started to get more flat as they went, maybe something to be expected from something that might have been farmland once upon a time.

Then, near a certain forest patch, the group went to earth in an effort to keep hidden. The shifter had gotten wind of a group of scouts. "Hmm, maybe we should circle past them then."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Spoiler

You and your natural 20s...

Mei-Lien and company shifted around, staying low to the ground until they got behind cover of a hill. "I'm fairly certain they haven't seen us, which is good. Hopefully they'll have more such parties, and we can avoid all of them and face a depleted force at the barracks" Rosa said, as they continued to move on, towards the barracks by a more circular route. Eventually they passed close to another stand of trees, and the shifter once again stopped the group. "Hmm... I think there's only one of them in this one. He hasn't seen us yet, though. We could try to go around again, or we could try to rush him and hope he isn't stalling for a friend to run back and inform the others. Your call."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

There was success in their initial sneakery, and soon the first batch of trees was safely behind them. But soon, there was another one, only with a single person this time. "Let's try and take him by surprise." was Mei's suggestion to the situation they were facing.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Mei-Lien and Rosa crept towards the stand of trees, trying to catch the man off guard, but once they were halfway there the shifter said "it looks like he's spotted us, let's run" and picked up her pace, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Mei-Lien quickly followed after her, matching the racing shapeshifter's stride, but they had a long way to go. They barreled through the woods, coming out on the other side to see the soldier with a strong head start on them. "He's not that fast, we should be able to catch him if we can keep up this pace" Rosa called back, speeding up even more. And she was right, there was a high probability they would be able to catch him.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

After a brief foray into the realm of stealth tactics, the group saw that they had failed in their sneaking attempt. Making their way into the forest patch, the soldier was nowhere to be found. But he was still within reachable distance, given their increased speeds. "Alright, let's catch him then." Mei agreed, pushing herself onwards so they could reach him before any alarms could be made.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

The two ran after their prey for some time, the man finding a burst of speed somewhere within him for a while, but eventually the two caught up, Rosa drawing her large sword. It was definitely a two-hander, but she was wielding it effortlessly with one. The soldier looked over his shoulder, seeing that he wasn't going to be getting away, and turned to face them, drawing his own sword and lashing out at the shifter, who had gotten there first. Unfortunately for him, Rosa wasn't playing around, and her heavy sword cut through his like it wasn't even there, cleaving him in two in an instant. "Sorry for not letting you have a crack at him, I didn't feel like messing around after that chase" she said, finally stopping. They would have to wait a little bit for the slimes to catch up with them now, and Mei-Lien was a tiny bit out of breath from the long sprint. "They probably have one more hurdle to jump before we get to the barracks, but I think we can handle it. Even if they're alerted, some of the more outlying scouts won't be able to get back in time, so we'll have the advantage there."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

The two females zoomed onwards, far outrunning the slimes as they chased the fleeing soldier. After a brief run, the man decided he wasn't going to lose them with his average speed and turned to face them. But his defiant stand was for nothing as Rosa charged, swinging her sizey blade and splitting the man in the blink of an eye. "Whoo, efficient." Mei thought as she witnessed the slaying. Despite the shifter's apology, the redhead held no grudge, thinking it best like this. "Naw, it's nothing. My sense of fun can take that in the face of giving us an easier time later. Let's carry onwards." the demoness replied in the brief pause that it took them for the slimes to catch up.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

Spoiler

You literally don't cease to roll nat 20s

Rosa nodded, peering down at her sword while the slimes caught up. As she waited she brought the blade up towards her face and licked the soldier's blood off of it before sheathing it. "There's one thing I've admired about you, you're quite the pragmatist" she said finally, allowing the last few slimes to catch up before walking along towards the barracks. It wasn't too much farther before Rosa stopped Mei-Lien again before another stand of trees, saying "hm, he almost got within earshot" idly as she ducked to the ground. "This is the last one, we probably can't go around it, it's too close. There's three of them, though, and I think they'll probably be able to alert the rest of them, if they sacrifice two. I think we may be at a disadvantage, though, I think we underestimated their numbers a bit. It shouldn't be a big deal if I'm covering your back, though."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Mei-Lien (Guan Yu)

I'd rather go down the easy paths in such big operations, less chance of failure if you do so. Think of it as common sense" Mei replied as they went. Eventually, there was yet another patch of scout-infested forest. Rosa was on the situation pretty fast, and had a suggestion already thought out. The deal was sound enough in the redhead demoness' mind. "Right, let's see if we can get there without being spotted, will increase the chances even further."