Pigs, Dancing Blades; Amazon and Magician Unite!

"Right, calm no matter how dire! I'll be more mindful of that!" She said with mirth and watched as Alethea gave her a thumbs up as well. The action made her smile that much more and she felt the friendship between the two of them developing. That was when Erika watched as Alethea went over to one of the mantis corps and started to tear off the bladed limbs one by one. The girl gave a blank expression to this, but was curious nonetheless. She went over to the kneeling woman and wondered what she was doing with the blades.

"Collecting the parts or something?" She asked, given that was one of the only logical thoughts she could come to. Also, the fact that those mantis blades were strong and easily able to cut through something as tough as Erika's rock dome, it made a bit more sense that this strong woman could need those blades to fashion something for herself.

"Yes, they'll be useful for later."

Alethea replied as she pried apart the tough limbs from its dead body. Being rather sharp, these would come in handy when the time came. Alethea was the type that kept what she killed and, seeing as how she didn't have a particular taste for insects, she would satisfy the feeling by taking its built in weaponry. Next she would move on to the other Mantis taking only two of its limbs considering she had crushed two of them to kill it and the last would be useless to her in such a damaged state. Six bladed limbs plus information for future hunts wasn't that bad of a profit in the end.

"Alright, that should do it..." She went on, looking over at the charred corpse of the Mantis Erika had killed. It was at that time that she had come up with an interesting idea of her own before speaking again. "How about you go see what you can scavenge from your kill. Don't want anything to go to waste now, right?"

Erika continued to watch as her partner pulled apart the beast's and decided to keep their bladed parts for later. The magician didn't know what to think of it, but that the scene of it was a little grizzly. Erika walked around the scene and observed how Alethea knew what to scavenge and what to leave behind. Though she was in fact interested, she herself couldn't use anything off of the Bladed Mantis, when Alethea prompted her to get some stuff.

"Um... I'm a magician so I have to stick to my wands and light cloth material, if I want to stay effective in combat. Those hides look like they'd make a heavy armor and I don't think I could use the scythes for anything. This hunt looks more like your spoils than mine." She said honestly and laughed nervously, scratching her cheek a bit.

After that, she took a look around and figured that now was a more than ready time, to start heading out and looking for the Wartusks. She wondered just what exactly the porkers had in store for them. She dreaded that they would be on the same level as the Bladed Mantis, but since it was a D-Rank mission anyways, with careful planning, she and Alethea would be able to knock it out easy.

"You think we should start heading out now, Alethea?" She asked softly, with a warm smile on her face.

Alethea laughed upon hearing the magician's words, taking note of her rather obvious reply. She didn't expect someone with such a small physique to lug around the carcass of the Mantis, but just look and see if she found anything useful out of it. In the end however it would matter little seeing as how there wasn't much to get from the scorched corpse.

"I suppose you're right!" She spoke with glee while gathering her newly acquired items and walking up next to Erika. Her petite size was certainly something to marvel at. How could such a species relating so closely to herself be so small? More so, how could they have survived long enough to prosper? Such question seemed to unreal for answer at the moment and would be touched on at a time of more relevance to the subject. For now though, they needed to be on the hunt once more. "I'll let you lead the way."

When the Amazon woman walked up next to Erika, the young magician found herself continuing to stare up at her in awe. She was at least 8 feet tall, if not taller and she was beautifully sculpted. There had to be some secret. Some form of food or exercise that the woman ate or performed, that allowed her to attain such a strong, yet elegant body. Erika wanted to ask so badly, but it was the time and her mind told her so. Alethea was fine with going on the hunt again and she even told Erika to lead.

"R-Right! Well the mission details for the Wartusks say they are on the outskirts of Esperanza. That must mean we'll have to search near the entrance to find them. So let's head back the way we came!" Her voice was filled with pep. She was overall, extremely happy that she took these missions and that she met someone like Alethea. Erika had hoped she'd meet the woman again after their mission was finished. Either way, she didn't let her mind wander too much, so she focused and continued on the path back to the forest entrance.

Alethea shook her head in compliance with the rather happy Erika and began to follow behind. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but this girl was beginning to grow on her somehow. Her easily excited and curious personality was certainly a fact though that was not all. It was that she reminded her of the young ones back home. Oh, those were the days... But enough about that! Their diligent search for the Wartusks took priority. Besides, Alethea wanted to see exactly how Erika would handle their new targets.

"Hold it!" A voice called from the trees above Alethea and Erika. Two people wearing Red Cloaks would drop down several paces in front of them, between them and Esperanza. Both figures stood at sizable 6 feet tall and held the air of skilled shinobi and magician.

"You there, child. You are a very powerful magician. With the right training, you could become an extremely skilled sorceress! And the large woman with you. You seem to be in touch with the hunter within. I am sure beastial magic would come easy to you."

Both people were masked and their cloaks covered their entire bodies. The mask they wore covered their entire face and was a deep crimson with white lines trailing from the two small eye slits in the mask. Black scarves were tied around the bottom half of the mask, preventing anyone from seeing if the mask actually had mouths or not.  

The second Red Cloak would speak, revealing their self to be a woman. "The potential in you both is quite high. Would you both like to join us? We are the Red Cloaks and our ambition is to seek a better world for Magician and those of Chi based natures!"

Erika was surely surprised when the two tall figures jumped from wherever they were perched, to standing several feet in front of them. Everybody seemed to be so much taller than the petite girl and that made her cry on the inside, though her face remained a bit cautious and wary on the outside. To the magician, it was a bit offputting that a couple of masked and cloaked figures, would approach two young women inside of a forest... But then again, this world itself was pretty damn weird, which is another reason why Erika remained at a distance from the two.

"Um, thank you? I'm flattered that you think of me as powerful, yet I'm a bit skeptical that this is all a bit of advertised flattery to get me to join your group." She spoke honestly and looked up at the two (seeing as she had no choice). "What can you tell me of these 'Red Cloaks'? I don't think I've heard of them nor of their goal to make a better world for magicians and those like us." Erika said, as she crossed her arms under her chest, wand still in the grip of her hand.

Quite an unexpected surprise to see such mysterious figures appear before her as Alethea, much like Erika, became a bit suspicious of the situation. She didn't take kindly to being watched unknowingly and to people she didn't even know at that. Being new to this land, she hadn't expected to know much about it or its factions such as these Red Cloaks other than the very little information she was given when she left her homeland. Alethea would stay close behind Erika while being sure to keep an eye on the two. Going on to ask questions with the intention of receiving straightforward answers.

"Yeah, and what's with those masks of yours?"

"Young lady, we don't flatter people just to get them to join us. If we see potential, then it must be truly something special. As well, the reason you probably haven't heard of us is because we are a fairly new group based out of Vale. We've only recently come to Mylania and several of us were on our way to speak with the Queen and King of Esperanza." The woman pulled down her scarf and removed her mask and hood, revealing a woman with piercing green eyes and short pink hair. She had a lip stud at the right corner of her mouth. A small green gem sat in her forehead, obviously a religious chakra.

The male that stood with her also removed his mask and hood, revealing his straight black hair and matching eyes. His skin was extremely pale. "These masks are cool, which is the main reason I wear it. However, they also have several magic arrays that act as communicators, sight enhancers, voice changers, etc." He turned the mask around and showed them the inside. The mask seemed slightly mechanical, however, the magic he spoke of made the inside glow several different shades.

"My name is Sakura and this man is Sai. We joined the Red Cloaks about two months ago. So far all we've done is recruit people in Vale. What we want to do is give Magician and Chi users a place where they can practice and learn safely, without being bothered by ninja and ki users destructive ways."

Erika felt a little bit more inclined to be more comfortable with the two people, who removed their masks and showed their faces to them. They even went as far as to introduce themselves to she and Alethea. Their offer for them to join sounded like a good idea, it sounded almost perfect to an extent. Erika was one who wanted to tap into every single aspect of magic, through invocation and other methods of developing her skills. She gave an honest thought about it, but something about Sakura's last sentence sort of stuck on Erika.

The two would be able to see that Erika started to analyze their words a bit. They claimed to want to give magician and chi users a place where they can practice and learn their things in safety, without the meddling of ninja and ki users. However, their was a hint of anger that Erika detected when Sakura used the word "destructive" to describe the ways ninja and ki users manifest their power. Erika knew there was a form of mistrust and animosity between the magicians and ninja, due to the fact that most of the magician that came here, migrated from Vale and started filling in roles that ninja sometimes refused to do. Because of this, it had caused a bit of tension between the two groups, but as far as Erika could remember, she didn't hear anything of magicians or chi users being attacked. To her, she was able to always coexist with ninja and ki users alike, so it was a bit off-putting to hear Sakura bash on the ways of a ninja or ki user.

"How do you suppose to do that then? I mean, the deal sounds perfect and I'm interested, but if I'm joining, than what is it you'll be expecting out of me and what is it what the group will do as a whole, to attain that perfect place for magician and chi users?" She asked with a puzzled tone. This where Erika's true personality kicked in. The girl was a curious person, who'd go far for information and when information that dealt specifically with magic, then she was even more fired up to know the mechanics behind it. The sudden appearance and attempted recruitment of her and her partner Alethea, into this group called the Red Cloaks, seemed like a really awesome deal, but it wasn't without its flaws. Erika definitely wanted to know the drawbacks of joining this group.

Alethea said nothing, but only looked on as the two revealed themselves and the mystery behind the functions of their masks. The intricate pieces held within them puzzled her though she could tell they were exceptionally advanced. She could only assume they were the reason the two could tell herself apart from those known to use ki considering she chose to rely solely on her physical might to overcome the bladed beasts and not her magic. Regardless, she would watch on as the three discussed their dealings in the matter of joining such a group. In truth, Alethea cared little for their reasons of contempt, if any, towards ki users nor did she take much interest their goals for chi users. In fact, her mind had still been somewhat focused on what they had come here to do in the first place. If it weren't for Erika's rather peculiar interest in what the two had to offer she would have been away and back on the hunt again. It was something that seemed important to the girl and thus Alethea would not dare to stand in the way of her possible growth. Instead she simply sat back and watched, resting her collected goods on the ground in wait.

The two magician wouldn't be lost on Alethea's boredom. They could even feel her forced patience of the situation. They sweatdropped at the slightly larger woman and frowned. "Uh, if we interrupted you guys, we're sorry. If you want to talk again, we'll probably be at the Tavern of Hope in Epseranza after 7 o'clock tonight. We've got some vacation time to use." Sakura smiled a bit more happily at the thought of a vacation. "If you want, we can exchange chakra for a communication spell. I can call you later and let you know if we're going to be there or not. Or you can call me and I can answer any questions you may have still."

The taller woman removed her glove, holding her hand out for Erika to shake. The skin contact would initiate a small synching for the communication spell to go into effect. Erika being an adept magician herself most probably knew the spell already to begin with. Whether Erika exchanged chakra with Sakura or not, the two would start placing their masks and scarves back on afterward.

"It was a pleasure meeting you two." Sai smiled, forgetting that the two wouldn't be able to see him do it behind his mask. The two would take to the treetops again, heading back towards Esperanza at a faster rate than Erika and Alethea would be going.

With the short meeting over, Alethea and Erika would be free to continue their mission.

They weren't far from the walls of Esperanza anyway. Since they had taken the Forest Path exit from the city, they would find it best to also leap into the trees to get a better vantage point of the surrounding areas. Small supply camps and outpost were set along the wall and clearings of Esperanza. They were the most likely places to have been getting hit by the Wartusk.

"Hm, tell you what, we'll play it by air. I am interested, so I'll more than likely be in that area one way or the other." Erika said with a smile and she went to shake Sakura's hand. However, she didn't initiate any chakra exchange, rather it was just her being even more polite after she declined the exchange. She even nodded towards Sai, keeping her genuine smile. The two of them had jumped back into the trees and traveled back to Esperanza after that. Erika would sigh and turned her attention towards Alethea.

"Sorry about that, Alethea. I usually get excited over things that could help me and my magical abilities, but I couldn't take up anymore of your time. Plus, not only that, but I couldn't help but feel like I was being rushed to join the group. I don't do well under that sort of sudden pressure, you know?" Erika explained, before she turned her attention to the treetops. "Let's not repeat our mantis mistake. I'll want to get the jump on our enemies this time around, so I'm heading up top." Erika said and she spotted several trees that rested side-by-side with one another. The girl would take a deep breath, before she jumped onto the bark of one tree, kicked off of it onto another tree, and repeating this several times, until she was at the top of the tree.

"Hmm...?"

Alethea mumbled, looking on as the three wrapped up their introductions. She hoped it wasn't because of herself that things were cut so short. Unfortunately it was though. No matter however, as that is what she ultimately wanted to happen, yet not in such a rude way.

"Oh, no need to apologize. I understand the urge to grow all too well and should apologize myself for interfering."

She spoke taking note of Erika's observation the recruiters' methods when trying to get them to join. Those two seemed like they had valid reasons for their cause, but something just didn't sit right with Alethea. Hm, maybe it was nothing... Regardless, the two were back on the hunt and ready as ever to face off against the Wartusks they searched for. With Erika taking the high road in an attempts to not be spotted, Alethea would choose a more straight forward approach and search on the ground. That way she could become the distraction while Erika had a chance to survey the situation while hidden if anything were to show up.

If Alethea were to keep track of Erika within the trees, she would eventually enter into the deep brush of the outlaying forestland around them. In short time, they would come upon a clearing that sat directly on the outer wall of Esperanza. There was a large tent set directly against the wall with two smaller tents on the left and right sides of the clearing from the wall.

There were two people, both male, working around the small campsite. Scattered about were barrels and crates, two large wooden wagons, and a motorcycle that looked out of place compared to the rest of the campsite. The most noticeable thing about the site, however, were the dozens of large hoof prints everywhere. As well, the scene itself showed that the two men were actually stacking things up rather haphazardly. Some of the crates were broken, and there was a whole line of barrels destroyed with their contents having been hastily pushed away from the campsite. Most likely as to not attract anymore unwanted visitors that had so obviously appeared.

"Hey, what are you two doing out here? Are you here for the request in the Guild Hall?"

One of the men stopped working and wiped his sweat. He was dark skinned with dreadlocks down his back. He wore a tan tank top with matching cargo pants. The other person was an albino man, though seeming to tan just a bit in the sunlight wearing the same thing, but with a red and black bandana tied around his head, preventing one from seeing his hair color.

"Great, more talking? What are people doing out here anyways...?" Erika said to herself and decided to stay in the trees. Should there be a Wartusk attack, she wouldn't dare want to be caught out in the open like her partner, or the two men who started to question them. Whatever was going on in the campsite, it looked like a tornado blew through and scattered everything. The motorcycle caught Erika's eyes and the first thing that came into her mind was that she wanted it. However, before any more thought could be put into that, Erika had to address one of the men who questioned them.

"Yeah, out on a mission. What are you two doing out here?" Straight to the point and wanting to find out the info as soon as possible.

Alethea would manage to keep track of Erika's position quite well as she moved considerably quickly above only stopping after arriving on the scene of the two men. It was a sight of mayhem, the likes of which having been caused rather recently by the look of things. Still, she was not interested in the damage caused nor the questioning of this man and chose to opt for a more efficient approach in dealing with this incident.

"I trust you'll handle this appropriately, Erika."

Alethea spoke while looking towards her partner with a smile before turning her attention back to the area itself. The large Amazon seemed to be more interested in examining the tracks left behind by what had caused this destruction, hoping that Erika was fit to acquire necessary information to aid them in their hunt. As she did so, it would start to become apparent to what these tracks belonged to considering the description of their target, though she still was not entirely sure. This land and its inhabitants were still quite foreign to her after all. Regardless, she would remain diligent in finding where these tracks ultimately led off to after the rampage of the beast(s) had ended.

The men sighed in relief that the two were there in regards to their request.

"This is our work site. One of dozens of supply camps all around Esperanza's outer walls." The albino man spoke with his arms crossed. "We're the ones who sent word to Sir Relius about the constant Wartusk attacks. He told us he posted a request for help in the Guild Hall."

The dark skinned man leaned against a large pile of crates. "We're not the only camp to have this problem. Recently, there have been large groups of Wartusk attacking the camps. The Wartusk are usually docile and only attack when we encroach upon their territory. The latest attack happened last night. Their were about thirty of them, meaning it was more than just one family of Wartusk. Something's not right here."

"We can't leave this site unattended. If you girls have any questions that we can answer, go ahead. Other than that, I don't know what you plan on doing about this."

As the conversation happened, Alethea would notice the tracks came into the camp from almost every direction away from the main path of the Forest Path. However, upon her observations, she would see that the dozens of tracks all exited in the same direction, heading SouthEast from the Camp and Esperanza, towards the Ravenous Jungle.

"Ah, so you're our clients pretty much. My name is Erika and that over there, is my partner Alethea. I do have a few questions, now that I've heard your bit of story." She said and smiled towards both men. Erika didn't want to leave her perch yet, just in case she could still gain an upper-hand on any of the Wartusks, if they decided to come back. Once she checked and cleared the coast on her end, she returned her attention back to the two men. "How long have the attacks been going on and how many attacks have occurred so far?" She asked both questions at once and would use this to buy a small bit of time to come up with a follow-up question.

With Erika doing the talking, Alethea had all the time she needed to properly analyze the area. It was an interesting sight to see the manner in which these beasts struck with their tracks coming in from all directions. How odd that they had escaped they same way instead of dispersing just as they entered. Did the activities of these men somehow set them off in an enraged mob somehow, or was this attack coordinated for reasons unknown? Questions in which only further observation could give answers. That being said, Alethea would continue looking about the area, focusing more so on the scene of the crime this time.