Fantasy A Tale of Magic Knights: Beneath the Crimson Moon

Beneath the scarlet moon that hung in the dark night sky, a cold wind blew. Falling orange leaves carried themselves on this wind, caught in its inescapable pull through the air. Dancing across the breeze that carried them, the leaves made their way through a gloomy forest. There was nary a sound, not even a peep from the owls that lived in these oaks. With a final gust to guide them, the leaves blew towards a large house that stood tall above the many trees around it. Roses, red as blood covered the front garden of this house and their bright color contrasted with the dark coloring of the manor. While many of the leaves had already fallen to the ground, a single solitary leaf made its way upward. Nearing the roof of the house, the leaf began to lose altitude as it began its descent. Yet this leaf would find itself pulled from the downward spiral it found itself going down. The course gloved hand of its catcher held it up to their face...

Rubrum liked to meditate atop the Redwood Manor in between his duties caring for Ladies Rosalina and Claret. It was here that he could center himself and keep watch over the entire estate. It had only been two months since the Nasrin Sisters had found Rubrum lying half-dead in the middle of the road leading up to their manor. As he twirled a leaf between his finger and thumb, he recalled the panic and emptiness he had felt at the time as he tried desperately to recall who and what he was. He then spent time as their charge, then as their butler before finally assuming his current role as their protector. They gave him a home, a job and even a name. His eyes had turned a deep red the moment his swore himself to them. Lady Claret had judged his eyes to be akin to rubies in the moonlight. Lady Rosalina took this into consideration and named him Rubrum, after those same eyes that looked to the twins with pure devotion. Rubrum could hear them inside, Lady Rosalina prepping blood for the two while Lady Claret read in her vast library. His senses had always amazed him with how finely tuned they were, seeing the world differently than even his powerful vampiric employers.

As he contemplated the origin of such senses, they immediately detected something Rubrum couldn't recognize. It was foreign, warped and smelled of rotting flesh. Its malice was unmistakable and Rubrum could sense it at the boundaries of the forest. An arachnid climbed atop Rubrum's shoulder, its leg fuzz tickling his cheek. "Lucifer...keep an eye on those two....I'm going on a hunt" said Rubrum as he gently placed the spider down on the tiles of the roof. Tightly gripping his muffler and readying himself for battle, Rubrum leapt out into the night, throwing his leaf into the air behind him...

Blackrose7 Tamriel
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It was after hours at Garms Grace, the lights had been switched on and the blinds had been pulled down. The last customer, a portly Mrs Peterson had left a generous tip for the waitress who had been working that day. Rubbing down the hardwood tables and putting the chairs up. The waitress heard the bell attached to the door ring and smiled. "You're awfully early, Owner didn't need you guys to come in for at least another hour. I haven't even finished cleaning yet!" said the waitress as she pouted. As she turned around, one could see her name tag clearly read "Chiaki". Yet that wasn't what immediately pulled the eye. Atop her brown bob-cut were two triangular cat ears. With a very feline looking tail sticking out from her behind. Chiaki sighed and immediately began pouring coffee for her guests. Serving drinks to the three, she then pulled out her phone and placed it on the countertop. On the screen were photos of men and women who looked to be early twenties to early thirties.

"Hikers have been going missing near the Redwoods for over two weeks now. We've sent familiars to investigate but they come up with nothing we can use as evidence for the Council to authorize Magic Knights. Until last night....where we got footage of what we're dealing with" said Chiaki as she tilted her phone horizontally. On the screen was a young woman wandering through the forest, her ears filled with earphones. As her feet crunched the leaves that dotted the ground, she suddenly fell over. Then she was swiftly dragged off before the footage cut out. "The familiar was partially destroyed by whatever this was...but the Owner was able to look over it and we found this..." remarked a wary Chiaki. The footage ran again, but this time when the woman fell; Chiaki slowed the footage. She then zoomed in on the womans leg, there were bite marks covering her entire calf. "Then the Owner worked her magic and...." continued Chiaki as she tapped on the screen a few times. On the screen, about to pounce on the unsuspecting hiker...was a grotesque skeletal stag creature...


"Wendigo.... a monster born from a cursed human consuming the flesh of another human being. They crave human flesh like a vampire craves blood. They are ruthless, mindless killers who stop at nothing to kill their prey. Yet... this Wendigo has managed to elude us for two weeks, even taking out a few of our familiars. Its intelligent... it remembers.... it knows its being watched...it may even be waiting for someone to come looking" said Chiaki as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. Then she exhaled and pulled a piece of paper out of her apron before placing it in front of the groups leader. "Your bill for the coffee" was all Chiaki said as she went back to finish cleaning up.

On the paper was the most recent location they sighted the Wendigo just two hours before the group arrived...

Dovinique Yahhah StaidFoal
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At the highest point of a building made from glass, steel and lies. A man in a dark suit carrying a briefcase sat down on a couch and adjusted his glasses. His skin was pale, his blood red eyes could be seen behind his shades and his canines were sharper than daggers. He opened his briefcase and addressed the gathered crowd. "I am Agent X, some of you may know of me....some may not. I am the liaison between HQ and the various branches of JINGA. I distribute missions that HQ dictates to be of great importance in our war against the Magic Council. I have brought all of you here today to assign you a very specific task. One that requires your expertise specifically, Sorcuse" said the man as he opened his briefcase and took out what looked to be a glass vial. He then pulled out his phone and with a few taps, displayed its contents on their television. Dotted across the screen were images of a skeletal stag monster, footage of the monster dragging people away and audio files of people presumably being devoured.

"A pair of Wendigo have been killing and devouring Hikers near the boundaries of the Redwood Forest, near the Nasrin Estate. These Wendigo feast on Human Flesh to survive. Normally they hunt alone and are relatively simple for a single Divine Knight to take care of... but this is different. These Wendigo are stronger, faster and far more intelligent than any other. They work as a pair, one hunts while the other destroys familiars sent to spy on it. They throw off pursuers and share the spoils. JINGA heavily desires to know exactly what process allowed these Wendigo to progress to such a stage... were they experimented on by some third party...or is this a natural evolution that we were unaware of...regardless.... your mission is to locate one of these Wendigo and bring its corpse to me. This mission will be difficult seeing as Magic Knight weapons seal the essence of their victims inside....and you'll have to contend with whoever the Magic Council sends to deal with the situation. So far, we have also taken to destroying the familiars sent by the Magic Council in order to manipulate them into believing only a single Wendigo exists. This should increase your chances of securing its corpse... once slain. Bring the corpse here so we can collect samples for research back at HQ....any questions?" said Agent X as he adjusted his sunglasses once more.

The alarm immediately went off, as Agent X sipped what appeared to be coffee.... there was activity going on in the Redwoods
leonhardt231 FuzzyKaktus Fred Colon
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Thanatoaster [/USER] Mikotsuhime

Jazz drove her pinkie into her ear and wiggled it around a bit, before removing it and inspecting the results with not a shred of real interest.

"Sure, boss man. Question. Why me specifically?" She asked, ignoring the alarm.
" I know I'm talented, but the thing is, is I've got so many talents you'll need to be a bit more specific, hey? I'm guessing it's cuz I'm more mobile, on account of being able to launch myself into a free fall in any direction? If we're in a forest that's fun too. I can make myself light enough to run from branch to branch. It's pretty cool. Or is it something else?"

She wiped her pinky on the chair in front of her, leaving a faint yellow smear.

"If you want me to go out ahead to spot the Wendigo, I'll need a walkie talky to coordinate, so I don't get eaten all alone or stabbed to death by a band of Magic Knights. Make sure I can call for back up. Talk strategy with whatever other yahoos are on this mission with me. I'm pretty good at getting away, but better safe than sorry."

She leaned back in her chair and grinned, her eyes half closed.

"Or. Hey. Cooler idea. Do you have, like, one of those wired ear pieces? Lugging around a Wally talky sounds tedious. And it's always funny when you're talking on one of those things and the people nearby think you're talking to them. We can feel like secret service agents."

David quietly made his way down the side walk, his cane clicking against the turf as he moved. It was quite a nice night all things considered. His gaze shifted upwards towards the moon in the sky. If David had been a less disciplined man that moon would excite the wolf inside him, fortunately it did not. Nor would he ever allow it to. He stopped for a few moments in front of the non-descript coffee shop, before heading inside. He gave a polite "good evening" to the woman behind the counter before taking a seat beside of the other magic knight and priestess already sitting.

He was silent while the cat eared woman gave the report. A wendigo, David attempted to recall all he could about that specific piece of folklore, turned reality. As the report was given and the card was dealt out David spoke up again. "A wendigo then... A well thought out plan will be essential to our simplest success" David stated the obvious as he tapped the floor of the area with his walking stick.

"I should not have much trouble tracking down the Wendigo once we're in its territory. If my memory serves me right they carry quite the stench, but once we know where it is there comes the task of killing it, and wendigos are nothing to scoff at. Have you two got any ideas to put out before I present my own"? David asked the other two after he got up and began to put his overcoat back on to get ready to go. Professional as was his normal attitude.
StaidFoal Dovinique

The elegant Rosalina was in the kitchen, since she was prepping up to put the blood from the blood bag into two fancy cups for Claret and herself. She then used her telepathy towards Claret. 'Come over to the kitchen. I am going to put the blood into a cup for us, and then I will cook lunch.' thought Rosalina, who is sending that message to Claret's mind.
Pouring the blood in the blood bag into the cups, Rosalina drink the blood from her cup, because she needed it. 'Still delicious despite being in the refrigerator.' thought Rosalina. She can never get tired of drinking the human blood from her mini blood bank in the black market, since that needle machine is a blessing for vampires like her.

After drinking the blood, she putted for herself and Claret. Rosalina prepped for the lunch. It was spaghetti with the rosemary herb, tomato sauce, garlic, and some lemon juice. She wanted to make the lunch, delicious with her cooking after all.
Tamriel

Virgo walked through the large black door of the penthouse. A place that he has called temporary base for a few weeks now. The penthouse was huge, containing several rooms and opulent decorations that seemed to serve no purpose. Say what you want about JINGA but they spared no expense when it came to luxury. He moved to the kitchen and fixed himself a drink. A quiet ping sounded through his phone. Right on time he thought. Virgo sat on the long leather couch stretched out in front of the couch and presed a button on the remote. The T.V turned on with a flash and there stood the sun-glasses wearing figure of Agent X.

Virgo took a long sip of his whisky as he listened intently to Agent X. A wendigo, its been quite seem time since he's killed one of those. But these clearly weren't normal wendigo's, if agent x's intel was correct. He slammed his finished drink on the table in front of him. "Alright X, I'll take the job. Send me all the intel you got." Virgo says in a deep voice. "But first tell me, whats my reward?" Suddenly a loud alarm erupts through the screen. "hmm no rest for the wicked it seems."

Arin sat himself in the near empty Garms Grace, greeting his comrades with a bright, somewhat tired smile. The meeting was much too sudden for his liking, but alas, a magic knight's duties come when they come. Luckily for him, the waitress handed the small team three cups of coffee, stimulating to the nose. With a silent breath of relief, Arin dumped five cubes of sugar before he chugged down his cup in mere seconds, wiping his mouth with his gloved hand. He kept an ear out for Chiaki as she made her report. Wendigos, huh? Nasty ol' monsters...

"Thank you, Chiaki!" Arin beamed up at the waitress, paying enough to cover for everyone, plus a little extra for herself. "I had a hunch you'd be as dependable as you were. You've got this sort of charm about you, and I love it!" He then stretched his arms out above him, swiftly patting over himself for a little inventory check. He put his legs up on the table, leaning back on his chair. "We'll take care of this creature in no time flat."

David Striation, his fellow magic knight, spoke up first. Guy had a good head on his shoulders; Arin had confidence his plans would be better than anything the red-headed knight could think of. He moved his legs off the table and prepared to follow him. "I'm open to suggestions. What've ya got for us, Davie?"

Yahhah Dovinique

Garm's Grace. Emilio peered up at the sign for the local meeting place of the magic council, his mouth pulled into a thin line. A cafe seemed a bit trite, didn't it? He was used to meeting in the more formal locations of the capital, but he supposed he couldn't complain. Hopefully they would still have a pot of coffee on.

He made his way up to the door, pushing it open and hearing the tinkling bell overhead announce his presence. He looked to the three seated at the table inside, then the waitress, his eyes scanning over her ears and tail for only a moment before refocusing on her face. He nodded his head politely in greeting, and made his way up to the table where everyone was gathered.

He'd received intel. A little bit of intel, anyways. The basics about what they were hunting, and who he was to be assisting. He had been hoping to show up to the briefing with everyone else, though it seems that he had arrived a bit late. Oh well.

He was an outsider here, though he didn't show any indication of awkwardness as he inclined his head to Agate and the other two knights.

"Priestess Agate, I presume?" He asked, though he had seen her photo already. "My name is Emilio, I've been sent by the council to assist with this incident."

He didn't bother putting out a hand to shake, and instead pushed his way into the booth, ignoring whether or not he was actually welcome.

"I apologize for my lateness. I was unaware that you all would already be here... Ah, waitress. Could I get a cup of coffee, please? Black. Thank you."

(interaction: StaidFoal Dovinique Yahhah )

David was straightening his jacket while he waited for the other knight and priestess to give any plans they may have in mind, though they didn't seem to have any. He supposed he did have one of his own in mind if they would be open to it. He turned and nodded in the direction of the knight who'd come a bit late. They introduced themselves as Emilio. The name sounded familiar, most likely from the time the professor had spent reading up on some texts the council kept. Priestess Agate asked David what he had in mind. "To be quite honest I have nothing incredibly concrete in mind" he said while tapping his cane on the ground in thought.

"There are many different circumstances which could complicate things. Finding it should be no issue of course... Once in combat I would say that it would be a good idea for me to try and keep it's attention. Seeing as I don't believe it would be able to do lasting damage to me. There is the dilemma of me not being fully human though, so the Wendigo may not be incentivized to attack me over the rest of you" David gave off the closest thing he could consider to be a decent plan of action.

"If I can keep it's attention then it would be prudent for the two of you" David gestured to the other knights. "To go at its flanks and for the Priestess to keep a bit of distance if she see fit". David finished giving his plan. Normally he wasn't keen to abuse his Lycanthropy in such a way, but to avoid any permanent injury it did make sense to exploit his lycanthropic healing.
StaidFoal Dovinique Mikotsuhime