Deann
The Norscar Steppes is a massive expanse west of Etalu. Despite its name, it actually contain multiple belt of arable land. The place is littered with abandoned ruins and once fallow farmland, increasing in frequency as one leave the vicinity of the capital.

This plantation is fifty miles west of the capital, and getting there would probably warrant passing a ruined village or two. As one approach the plantation, one could see slaves and freemen working the fields diligently. Most of them are insect-like, Qua for the most part, as they make excellent slaves, thanks to their greater strength and low need for food. This plantation seems to be a mixed estate, with wheat grown in most of its land. It seems this plantation in particular grow asparagus, mushrooms and other labour intensive plants, and utilize magical technique to ensure they are harvestable year-round, as evidenced by the intermix of planting and harvesting activities in here.

An imposing, three-storey manor house stand in middle of the pllantation, and a dark-skinned high elf is sitting on a bench shaded by an umbrella, fanning himself as he supervised the workers around.
Silvana
*Quiss would have taken the quest from the board at the very same tavern he worked at, taking an extended lunch break to do so. He'd be wearing his usual outfit, a leather sleeveless tunic and a pair of light harem pants, likely not protected enough for the mission at hand. His weapons of choice were as usual magic and a dagger.*

*As he passed by the destroyed villages, perhaps he felt some sympathy for the villagers, since he didn't know what he would do if his mother's village were to be destroyed, let alone if the villagers were all massacred. He'd keep going to his objective though, eventually approaching the plantation.*

*He'd pass by some of the Qua workers, them being here clearly meant that he hasn't reached the point of the golem infestation yet. Pulling out the map he'd use to go further across the plantation.*
Deann
*The villages doesn't seems to be devastated by war, given that the buildings showed no sign of burning, but were instead stripped down, its materials reused by settlers elsewhere. Some of the Qua workers looked at the stranger walking into the plantation, chittering and chating, before going back to their work.

 The high elf noticed a stranger passing by the plantation, and waved at him vigorously. It was too far away to know what the stranger looked like.*

"OI! COME OVER HERE!" *The elf said in Silnari.*
Silvana
*Hearing the elf calling out to hear, Quiss' ear would perk up and he'd turn his head in the direction of the sound. Seeing the stranger, he'd walk forward to him. Taking his time in his approach, eyeing the elf up and down as he does so, doing a mental assessment of him. Once close enough he'd speak.*

"You the employer?"
Deann
*The high elf looked down at the dark elf, closing his hands together and resting them on his table. He seems to be in thought for a bit. Then, he broke into a smile. Mercenary's mercenary, it doesn't matter what race they are if they get rid of his problem.*

"Yes, I'm the owner of the plantation. We were clearing out land two miles west of here, when a group of Kuileis came in and tried to kidnap our workers. We fled here, but it seems the Kuileis are very unwilling to leave, so we need some good adventurers to get rid of them."
Silvana
"Good adventurers, huh? Must be nice for you to see a dark elf then, seeing as that way you won't feel a thing if there was a casualty in battle. Two birds with one stone."

*He would look down at the high elf. He'd draw his dagger, not necsessarily in a threatening fashion, more so to indicate he's ready for whatever is to come. In any case, even if there was a double meaning behind it, it would remain unsaid.*

"So two miles west, correct? See you when it's time for you to pay."

*Quiss wouldn't seem interested in asking any more questions and would turn on his heels, beginning to head in the direction implied by the employer, cracking his neck by tilting it to the side as he does so.*
Deann
*The elf clenched his hands together, not responding at all to the adventurer's snarky comment. He is experienced enough to know better than to retort or start a fight. A job well done is a job well done.*

"Yes, over the hill, there's a sparsely forested area there."

*After two miles of walk west through mostly cultivated land, he would pass a low hill, with fenced edge, and a sparse woodland on the other side, stretching out for miles. The hill had a gentle slope, and is six meters tall. From this vantage point, Quiss could probably spot some movement within the wood a hundred meters inside.*
Silvana
*Khan would twist his dagger around, making sure it's ready for a fight, in the process warming up his main arm a bit, thought the amount of walking he did was likely enough to warm it up as it is. He'd look down the slope, knowing that it is the direction to go.*

"Let's have some fun, eh?"

*Who he was talking to was a mystery, but he'd say it anyway, beginning to walk down the slope and into the forest, marking some trees on the way just to make sure he doesn't get lost if the forest gets too deep.*
Deann
*The woodland stayed silent as he approached the forest. The woodland was quite sparse, which meant he could still find his way 200 meters in if he liked. It didn't take long before he attracted the attention of his targets, however.

A pair of two Kuileis appeared in front of him. Thanksfully, all of them were wooden, though both of them used a kite shield, and a short sword, 60cm in length. He is thirty meters away from the golems.*

"Who are you!?" *One of the golem bellowed out. Perhaps this is a sign for reinforcement?*
Silvana
*He'd judge the distance between himeself and the golems, knowing that he's full strength until he starts casting his spells and using up his mana. However in this case, they had swords significantly longer than his dagger, aswell as shields. Seeing as there was a decent distance between him and them, he'd try deal with them both at a longer distance, moving his arms in a wide arch as he brings them before him, he would send out a small ball of concentrated arcane straight down the middle. There would not be any chance of them being hit by the small ball directly so he would hope they wouldn't react to it, adding a "Shit!" Right after he threw it, making it look like an accident. Once close enough to get a good a hit as he can he would suddenly close his fist, causing an explosion.*
Deann
*The two Kuileis looked as he moved his arms. The golems weren't experienced enough to know this is a sign for a spell cast, and it threw them off guard. The ball would instinctively lead both of them to raise their shield, blinding their vision. Then, it exploded.

The blast managed to hit one of the golem, throwing it back onto the ground, while the other golem looked back and forth, confused by what just happened. It is trying to determine the best course of action..*
Silvana
*'Hit them while they are down.' It was a phrase Quiss grew accustomed with, so that's what he did. He used the fact that the other golem was distracted to raise his arm yet again, this time just one. He'd raise his index and pinky fingers, arcane energy would start forming between them. With a slight delay of 1 second between the two missiles that would soon fly out. Each following it's own trajectory but both aiming for the enemy on the ground, one arching from the left side, the other from the right.*
Deann
*The Kuilei covered himself with the shield, and one of the missile landed on the golem's shield, piercing partially through the shield. The other one managed to hit it in the upper leg, encumbering it some as it struggled to get upt.

The other golem charged Quiss while he is busy casting spell. It has figured out that it won't win a long range fight, not at all.*
Silvana
"For fuck sake, when did they make golems that react so fast..."
*He'd disperse the arcane energy from his hand, drawing his dagger. The only way he would have an advantage over the golem in close quarter combat would be if he fought it now, while he has the strength to do so. He'd draw his dagger and bend his knees, preparing to attempt to have a direct collision with the golem. Once the golem is close enough he would attempt to jump by it, attempting a slash at the left leg joint of the golem. He'd have read about these creatures before taking the job. Such was his nature.*
Deann
*The other Kuilei seems to be still struggling for his balance thanks to the arcane bolt. 

The one approaching him raised his shield toward the dark elf to cover his approach, and then attempted to ram into the dark elf, just as he predicted. The dark elf has a slight advantage in strength over the golem, though his sidearm would not beat the golem's in length. The golem halted his charged, using the shield to ram it into the dagger in an attempt to block it. This give him some breathing room until the next turn.*
Silvana
*He wouldn't have the time to draw his dagger back, it would collide with the shield, getting stuck. He'd use this to his advantage as he moved the arm holding more dagger forward, moving the shield away in the process. That would result in an opening for him to raise his pinky and index fingers once again, aiming at the joint yet again, releasing 2 more bolts of energy directed right at it. Hoping for a direct hit.*
Deann
*The Kuilei raised it sword, attempting to push the shield away so it can strike at the dark elf. Unfortunately, the moment the shield was moved away, two bolts flew into its leg joint, penetrating half way through and creating a satisfying crank. A small leak of pure, harmless blue arcane energy bursted forth from the golem's legs - something that the Dark elf's natural magical vision would allow him to see.

The golem fell onto the ground, and tried to sit up to defend itself. The other Kuilei limped toward Quiss with sword in hand.*
Silvana
*Quiss would grin as he sees the leaking. This would indicate that damage has already been done to the golem and that now both enemies would be much slower to advance, so this was the time for him to gain his distance and use his own strengths. He'd leap backwards, forfeiting his dagger to the golems shield. One he lands he'd raise both his hands, each in the casting position. From each a single missile would be fired, aiming at each of the golems heads. Quiss' expression would be that of absolute focus, starting to take this fight seriously.*
Deann
*The golem that had lost its balance managed to sit up, only to find a bolt flying toward its head. Unfortunately, the kite shield was a bit too long to move properly in the way. Its head dropped onto the ground with a satisfying crack, indicating he had succesfully hit and "Killed" The golem. 

The other golem raised its shield in time, a loud thud can be heard as the arcane missile impacted the shield. It seems shield is a very formidable, all purpose defensive tool indeed...*

"ELF HERE! COME HELP!" *The golem said as he continued to approach the dark elf. Now it is blatantly obvious it is calling for reinforcement. Despite its best effort, it cannot reach the elf with a limping leg at all.*
Silvana
*With one golem dead, he had to finish this one before any reinforcements arrived. Attempting to slow it any further would be a lost cause as it was already struggling. He'd drop one if his arms, the arcane in the other growing in size as another two missiles fire. One of them would aim directly for the shield if it was still covering the head, otherwise just got the head. The other would aim for the lower torso. He would attempt to make enough space between the missiles so that the golem could not just use the shield to block both. The shield had already taken two hits, but showed no visible signs of breaking soon so he couldn't just assume he could break it that easily, spreading his damage rather than focusing it at one point.*
Deann
*The golem lowered its shield, as blinding its own vision was a bad idea. Unfortunately and anticlimatically for the golem, a bolt was flying his way the moment the shield was lowered. The bolt flew into its head, splintering it and shattering the gem within. But luckily, the golem fell dead like the other.

Yet Quiss would not earn his gold too easily, for he could hear distant footsteps in the distance. The golems lay "Dead" On the ground, with their kite shield strapped to their arms, and sword on the floor.*
Silvana
*Hearing the footsteps, Quiss would have limited time to prepare for his next battle. He'd rush over to the decapitated golems, taking each of their swords and looking around for a vantage point. It was a forest so there likely wouldn't be an obvious one so he just decided to use the biggest tree around him, holding one of the swords in hand, while sticking the other into the ground next to him Incase he needed it at a later time. Apart from that, he'd lean on the tree and catch his breath until the next enemies arrived.*
"He wasn't kidding when he said they weren't planning on going away."
Deann
*The reinforcement continued to approach. In the meantime, Quiss had some time to take his breath, allowing him to recover his mana for four turns worth of time, before reinforcements came. Then, a group of three golems appeared to his right, some forty meters away.

 It seems that fortune favoured him or not. Depending on his perspective... One golem had a heavy wooden club in his hand, and a kite shield. The other two that appeared also had a club, and had five iron darts strapped to their belt. The other two grabbed their dart and prepared to throw it at him.*
Silvana
*In his head, Quiss analysed the situation. 'One shield, Three maces I should definately not get hit by and many darts.' He'd see the golems prepare to throw the darts but would decide against casting the spell to block them, instead he'd twist around and use the tree as cover as the darts were thrown, that was the purpose of the tree to begin with. He would look down at the sword, trying to assess its capabilities against the mace, if any.*
*Mana: 105, Strength: 4, no boost to Running Speed.*
Deann
*The dart flew toward him. One did not hit its mark at all, and the other landed in the ground. Both of them had a throwing rope attached to it which extended its range. The golem readied another dart and approached him slowly. They are now within 30 meters.

It seems the mace were all rather short, at 40cm or so. The sword seems to be made out of iron or steel, and mass produced judging by its lack of flourish. It is well-built and slightly longer at 0.6 meters.*
Silvana
*Continuing to analyze... 'If I can get the shielded guy alone, I might have him beat. That means the two darters come first.' Since they have no shield to protect them this time, Quiss would drop the sword, twisting around the other side of the tree onto his knee in casting position, both arms raised. From each a single missile would fly out aimed at each of the golems neck-less heads. That fact was both an advantage and a disadvantage for Quiss. They had less flexibility to dodge but it also meant that a hit to take it off would have to be harder than if they had a weak point like a neck. He'd keep the arcane energy present after he casted the missiles, not having time to move back behind cover.*
Deann
*The two golems had darts ready in their hand as he popped out of cover. Both of them threw their dart at him, as he unleashed his arcane bolt onto them. One was hit right in its eye, penetrating deep within and obscuring its vision. By some miracle it didn't die instantly and shatter its crystal. It seems to be stumbling.

The other one would be hit in its metaphorical mouth. Without artery to sever, it continued walking toward Quiss menacingly with club in hand. And this time, it is charging.

And so is the one with the shield. And there's two darts flying toward him.*
Silvana
*Quiss would let out a 'Tsk' as his attack was not quite as effective as planned. Both the darts and the maces seemed menacing at the time and the darts were traveling faster. With the arcane still in his hands he would bring them together, then spread them apart, forming an Arcane Wall, which would block the darts. He wouldn't be able to move during this time, but judging by distance of the golems and their speed, he was hoping to have enough time to not get hit directly from the get go while casting.*
Deann
*The darts flew away harmlessly, bouncing off the arcane wall. The two golems joined into the charge, as they cannot continue launching ranged attack without endangering their teammates. 

The jawed golem continued to limp toward Quiss, taking four turns to get to him. The other two would arrive the next turn. The one with shield has his mace concealed behind his shield, preparing for a downward strike. The one without shield was readying a similar attack, too.*
Silvana
*With no time to run away completely Khan would roll backwards slightly, putting in whatever space he can. He would try using the superior brain of something actually living to his advantage. All patterns in the golems movement indicated an attack from above, and from his location there was nothing he could do to prevent that, so he raised his arms to cast yet another pair of missiles, however unlike the last, these were not aimed at the golems directly, they were both aimed just off a direct hit in an attempt to hit the Golem's arms that held the maces as they were raised to strike him down. It was a desperate maneuver but it was best thing he could think of, which if successful could give him a significant advantage, as it would also show him the reaction time of the golems.*
Deann
*Seeing the projectile about to come out of his hand, the shieldless golem collapsed itself onto Quiss, swinging downward at his torso in an attempt to disable him. The hit flew toward the golem, missing its arm but instead hitting it in its chest. The hit was not fatal, and the golem continued on. The other golem would be hit in the upper shoulder, losing its grip on the mace as it fell. The mace would fly toward Quiss's chest, though with much less energy than if the attack was not interrupted.

The golem that lost its mace is now readying to punch Quiss.*
Silvana
*Quiss quickly realized how grave the situation was and how slim the chances of just slight injury was. Taking the worse of the two options Quiss would do his best to leap to side away from the shielded golem. Taking the hit of the falling mace on his stomach instead. Due to the jump he would not be able to cast or attack leaving him vulnerable to the punch, he'd cross his arms and raise them above himself in an attempt to reduce the damage dealt to him. He was running low on time as it was with the third golem approaching, he had to thinking of something and he had to think of something fast.*
Deann
*Thanksfully, the hit wasn't exactly strong, due to his attacks disrupting the mace's swing. After the first hit, it would take a while for the unshielded golem to ready up another strike. The shielded golem punched as expected. It would hurt, as their hand were made out of wood, but not be fatal at all, thanks to a lack of enchantment or speed or strength boost. They readied a second set of strike, one punch, and one downward strike aimed at his collarbone. He could attempt to move his way out of the strikes, however

The golems, while not slow, weren't unnaturally fast either. Quiss could gain ground and think of how to better use what option he has.*
Silvana
*He has to think of something and he already had. When he was about to get hit by the punch, he noticed the pair of blades he left, a leap away from him before, but much closer than that now. He didn't know how to dual wield so as soon as he moved back to reach for the first blade, with a shaky arm from the hit, he would swing and let go, attempting to hit the shielded golem as it was mid-strike, hopefully the fact that it was off balance due to the swing would result in the shield not being raised in time, but he couldn't rely on that as he took a single step backwards, awaiting the next set of attacks.*
Deann
*The mace from the unshielded golem landed, though it was not enough to crack a bone - luckily enough for him. The counterstrike with the sword would work, and the sword cut mid way through the golem's head, splitting it in half. The strike destroyed the head crystal, but at least that's one opponent gone. And the sword's quality is now assured.

The second golem continued its attack, and made another downward strike at the same collarbone from the front, attempting to disable its opponent. The slow golem had finally caught up with the fight, and is now grabbing one of its dart. He is some four meters to the right of the dark elf.*
Silvana
*Quiss now has an enemy from both sides, it wasn't looking good, but it was looking better. If he takes the strike from the golem in front of him, there is a good chance it would be enough to break his collarbone, leaving him with only one arm to fight with at best. Though taking the hit from the dart was far from optimal. He decides that he'd take his chances with the dart, seeing as last time they threw them, they weren't that accurate. Letting Lady Luck take the reigns, he would drop the sword, aiming both casting hands forward and shooting out two missiles directly forwards. Towards the striking golems head. In his head it was either he gets hit with the strike or kills it before it connects. He didn't care as much for the headstone as he did for his own survival at this point, so no effort was made to avoid it.*
Deann
*The golem continued its swing. At the same time, Quiss managed to shoot the arcane missiles toward its head. What followed was pure confusion, as a large burst of magical energy would swarm the vision of Quiss very briefly. It appears that the head of the golem turned into a pure fountain of energy, as its crystal was cracked and the head imploded underneath the impact of energy, leaving a headless carcass on the middle. The club landed on the squishy part of his upper arm, thanksfully preventing a collarbone shatter. 

The dart flew toward Quiss, though it was inaccurate and is likely to either graze him or hit him in the thigh, without penetrating deep enough to endanger him. He now has one opponent left. And the opponent is taking out its club.*
Silvana
*Quiss was pleased that his assumption about the aim wasn't wrong, though disappointed in the hole in his pants. He would stumble around. Looking down at the sword which was likely a good option, however he decided to use magic instead. The golem was still 4 meters away, it wasn't ideal distance, but it wasn't the worst he had. He would raise his arms in casting position, slowly walking backwards as arcane forms between his raised fingers. Similar to his attack on golem from the last batch, he would aim one missile for the head, while the other was aimed at the arm holding the mace, forcing this time the golem to picks what's worse for it just as they made Quiss pick.*
Deann
*The golem charged forward in an attempt to get a hit in and stop him before the arcane bolt came. Poor little golem didn't bring along a shield. The mace would be swung forward from below, up toward Quiss's solar plexus. Whether it hit or not, the fight would end shortly after, as the golem's lifeless body onto Quiss. It still carry quite a lot of momentum, however..*
Silvana
*Quiss knew this fight was over, but he couldn't risk getting the breath knocked out of him and getting knocked out by it, so brought his arms down to take the hit, fully knowing the risks of one of them breaking, that's why he put his better arm second. At the same time he would try to leap back, hopefully making the blow have less momentum if not miss completely, but no one gets that lucky.*
Deann
*The golem fell onto him. It was as heavy as a normal human, so there wasn't any extra force that could break him. It was sure to hurt, however. There was no sign of more footsteps coming, and it seems Quiss has handled the last of the Kuileis. Perhaps it is time to loot and salvage what he could?*
Silvana
*Huffing as he caught his breath for a moment, he would swiftly move towards the golem that had his dagger in its shield. He would take it out with a strong pull and would quickly get to work at prying the gem eyes out of the golems. Once he was done collecting the one he didn't destroy. He'd then look around, making sure there were no enemies nearby. He didn't want to attempt taking out any torso or head stones with a risk of getting attacked, so he stopped to make sure. If there weren't any, he would take the sword rather than the dagger and carefully cut cut the golem up just as he read in the book. If there were enemies approaching, he would run. Knowing he was much faster on his feet than those golems.*
Deann
*All would be quiet as he pryed out the eyes. One of the golem lost one of it eyes to a bolt, and another had its head imploded. He would manage to salvage a total of seven eye-stone.

Then, as he moved to consider whether to take a torso or head stone, a branch would crack suddenly. If he looked toward it...

It was a rabbit, 2 pounds in weight, black and white, thanksfully its mouth was not covered in red and it does not require the intervention of holy explosion to deal with.

Once he deal with the distraction (If he chose to), he would manage to salvage the head and torso stone. *

**Quiss's kill and loot list:**
Golem 1: Head destroyed. Eyes intact. Torso Intact. 
90 silver loot.
Golem 2: Head destroyed. Eyes intact. Torso Intact.
90 silver loot.
Golem 3: Head destroyed. One eye destroyed, Torso Intact.
65 silver loot.
Golem 4: Head destroyed. Eyes destroyed, Torso Intact.
40 silver loot.
Golem 5: Head destroyed. Eyes intact, Torso intact.
90 silver loot.

Salvaged equipments:
3 wooden mace, worthless
2 kite shield, probably could be sold for 20 silver total.
2 quality mass-produced sword, probably could be sold for 20 silver each.

Now all he need is to return to claim his bounty. If he decide to do so, it is best that he present the crystal to the owner.

His way to the manor would be safe and unimpeded.
Silvana
*Khan would ignore the rabbit, he grew up near a forest and grew to love it's creatures, he was not hungry so saw no harm in letting it live. He would place the different types of crystals in two separate pouches. One for the eye crystals and one for the torso crystals. He decided that the best way to prove the death of five golems, was five torso crystals, since he didnt have the others to back up his claim, onl y having the eyes of 3 and a half golems and having the heads of none. He would leave the maces where they lay, sheathing the swords using his belt, careful not to cut the belt and carrying the shield in hand. Once he reaches the manor he would announce his return.*

"Oi high elf! Time to pay up!"
Deann
*The high elf waved at him and stood up with a kind smile on his face.*

"You returned quickly, may I see the proof of your victory?"

*He stepped forward and beckoned a muscular looking Qua servant to follow him. The servant is carrying a heavy chest.*
Silvana
*Khan would take the pouch with the torso stones off of his belt, opening it to show the employer five crystals. He would then shift his gaze from the pouch to the high elf, just looking at him.*

"Five kills, Five Crystals. And unless rabbits are attacking your Qua, there shouldn't be any more issues."

*He'd close the pouch once certain the elf has seen the contents, putting it back on his belt.*
Deann
*The elf examined the crystal. It was proof enough. He turned toward the Qua.*

"I'll fetch your payment."

*The Qua and the High Elf returned to the shaded table, and then the Qua opened the chest, taking out 25 deca-silver coins, all of them pristine and real. The qua counted it for the high elf, then, the high elf returned with the coins in a pouch, on his hands.*

"Your payment is here. Please make sure it is right."
Silvana
*Quiss would go over to the chest and count the amount of coins within. Upon making sure there were 25 and none of them were counterfeit, he would nod. Closing the pouch Quiss would take it and place it right next to the crystals onto his belt. He wouldn't have any plans of sticking around so he would just turn like before.*

"Hopefully we'll never meet again. Not about Kuileis anyway."

*With that he was off to the closest town to sell his obtained loot, having no need for a shield or a sword, let alone two. Plus he had to sell the crystals, they were worth more than the weapons anyway.*
Deann
*And with that, the quest would be finished, and Quiss had obtained some very hard earned money from the quest.*