Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[EdwardDewey98]

During the previous night...

It was a cold night on the outskirts of Buckshard. With the harvesting season almost over, farmers and people from nearby towns or from the mainland were getting ready to leave the isle. Inside a cozy little cabin next to a large wheat field was a middle aged farmer, warming his soiled hands by the warm fire in the fireplace. "Can't wait ta see the missus, again. Hopefully we get paid in the mornin' so I can 'ave a ride back to Airedale." The farmer looked to his side, where a fellow farmer sat. An older man, of portly physique and short stature, whom simply nodded while looking through the window. "What're you lookin' for, Alfred?" asked the first farmer, but the older man remained quiet. He gazed through the dirty window, his breathing fogging the glass as he sat fixated on the open field surrounding the small cabin.

"Uh...Alfred? What's wrong, mate?" asked the first farmer, while gently getting up from the small wooden stool he was sitting on. "Bad moon tonight. Somethin's wrong...I can feel it in mah bones, Edgard. Think I heard somethin'." said the older farmer finally, glancing back to Edgard. He picked up a lantern and small, rusty old sword that they had just in case wolves came around. "Wait 'ere. I'm gonna go check." he said as he stood. Edgard protested. "No way I'm lettin' you out there alone, ol' chap." Alfred grunted, then looked to the window again. "I think its best if you stay here. I'll shout if I need yer help. Got it?" Edgard nodded, as he grabbed a nearby wheat harvesting scythe and sat back near the fire. Alfred then quietly strolled outside, leaving Edgard alone.
At first, Edgard thought that the old man was finally loosing it. He was going to humor him, however, before asking to him to come back in. But, after a few minutes of waiting, he was startled by a loud sound coming from the side of the cabin. He promptly sprang to his feet and shouted. "Old man!? Alfred, are you okay?!" Edgard stood there for a few moments, motionless as he waited for an answer. All he heard however were the chilling sounds of gargling coming from the side of the cabin. The farmer didn't know what to do. He tried to find some rational answer in his head while gently approaching the door. Maybe the old man fell and hit hard against the cabin? But what about the horrible gurgling sound? What if there was an actual creature and it was attacking the defenseless old fool?

He didn't know what to think. He had never seen a paranormal being in his life, but he couldn't leave the old man to die. Arming himself with courage, he eventually opened the door. The night sky full of stars illuminated the old cabin and the field around it perfectly. Edgard, noticing the warm light coming from Alfred's lantern around the side of the cabin, quietly crept towards it. He leaned against the wall while trying his best to not panic. Once near the corner of the building, with whatever courage he had left to gather, he rushed to the side of the building looking for the old farmer. Instead, he found a large man dressed similar to a reverend.

Edgard looked upon the man cluelessly, before noticing something thrashing in front of the tall man. It was Alfred, holding his throat as a black bile bubbled forth from his mouth. His dark eyes turning red as he continued to make loud gurgling noises. The farmer's mouth began to horribly mutate, and his teeth grew longer and sharper. It started to look much more like the mouth of a lamprey than the mouth of a human being. The man in dark clothes then turned about to look upon Edgard, whom was simply standing there with a look of pure horror on his face. He readied himself to strike the fiend in black with his scythe, but instead he felt the man's hand grabbing him by the neck. With unnatural strength, he lifted the farmer from the ground. The man in black looked him directly in the eyes, his stoic expression strange on his gaunt and sickly face.

"I am...[breathing]...sorry I must...turn you into this." The man had an incredibly raspy voice, and it sounded as if he had breathing problems. It was uncomfortable to hear him speak. "...but...fear not...[breathing]...your soul will soon be...liberated, and you'll...have another chance...in life..." The man raised his other hand, revealing a gaping wound on his palm. It oozed dark blood, dripping off onto the ground. "It...will be over...soon." said the man, before pressing his palm against Edgard's face. Forcing the farm to swallow the dark blood as he struggled against the man. Behind the man, Alfred had fully transformed. He got up, twitching and gasping for air as he maniacally laughed towards the sky. Alfred was now a ghoul.

Some Hours later...

A new day was dawning as Ser Edmond walked the streets of Buckshard. Hands behind his back as he looked down at the dirt and cobblestone road. He eventually reached the edge of the city, looking for his young human alchemist companion. He sensed her nearby and gently approached her until he stood right behind her. She seemed to be working on an interesting apparatus of some sort. Edmond then made his presence known to the alchemist, simply by breathing. It startled her, of course, forcing her to drop a tool. He stood unamused. "Blair...I've seen your...work throughout...[breathing]...the township. I am surprised by your...reliability."

 

[Infab]

"Good gods, Ed..." said Blair, forcing a smile as she picked her tool back up from the dirt. "I aim to please, of course." She grinned as she returned to working on the device before her. "I learned how to do this during my travels through the highlands of northern Atraca. Studying the old battlefields gave me quite a lot of special ideas. Ideas that I can put to proper use here." She then glanced back at Edmond, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you've probably seen devices similar to these all those years ago." She then drew a shotgun shell from out of her vest pocket, inserting it into the device and locking it into place. "Perfection. Now! I need to find a place to put this! How has your little trip around town gone? Have you found suitable candidates for...whatever it is you do?" she said, picking the device up and looking back to Edmond.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Edmond looked at the Alchemist with a slight expression of disgust. "Those...candidates are...living souls, madame." He looked back towards the town of Buckshard. "But yes...I have done as I have planned. I'd prefer more...[breathing]...direct methods to deal with this inquisition menace rather than...this..." He looked back to Blair as she carried the device. "If the...[breathing]...the duke would listen to his mind rather than his wrathful heart, we wouldn't...have need of people like Cassandra or Wallace, who have caused more damage to the cause than fix it..." He then walked alongside the alchemist, towering over her as she carried the device in hand. "But no...matter...may the gods and the Red Knight have mercy upon their horrible souls."

Edmond watched as Blair installed the intricate piece of engineering. "This might be enough to...stop these brave people. But as you might have noticed, most of the others have underestimated this...group...I wouldn't be surprised if...this is nothing but another deterrent for them...quite an impressive feat for such a...small group."

 

[Infab]

Blair straightened up and looked back at Edmond. "This should stop them. I've done enough work here to stop a small army. If they were able to take down Cassandra, then extreme measures need to be taken to eliminate them!" she said, with a smile. As she stepped back over, she looked about then back to Edmond. "...So...why is the Duke doing all of this, anyway? I understand he plans to use the ring to change things so that vampires are better off than they are. What's driving him to do it?" she asked, as they turned to walk back to where their horses were.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"...Loss."

Edmond remained quiet as he looked to the Alchemist. The silence between them was long and strange, the only sound coming from the early morning breezes. "Emotions are powerful. They are what make us... alive... but sadly, emotions at times do not allow one to see things clearly..." As they walked, he continued. "The Duke...once a great man, now driven by hate...but there's still time for him to open his eyes. And I hope he can...before its too late. For the sake of all in our world."

 

[Infab]

Blair kept quiet for a moment, before eventually speaking once again. "I think he'll eventually figure things out. He's a smart man." she said, before checking her pocket watch. She clicked it open and read the time. "They should be setting out about now. They'll arrive by sundown, I believe. Then the fun will begin." she said with a nod, closing the pocket watch and tucking it away in her vest. "I must return to where I set up the plungers..."

------
​

Now...

The group continued their trek towards Buckshard, moving at a decent pace. Not much had been said, as most in the group were simply focused on the journey or on the area around them. Peaceful countryside, a calm river next to them, the rolling Buckshard Hills ahead of them.

 

[K0mori]

When Francis returned with his equipment, the rest of the Inquisitors got a glimpse of what sort of help he would be bringing to the expedition. In a way, he was sort of like Theodore, but without the scholar's alchemical skill and on a brutally tight budget. He had taken care to divide some of his destructive components from each other so that there would be less risk of accidental detonation of many of the bombs and incendiary solutions he had produced in his shed, and even lined some of the cases with iron plating in hopes of making them bullet resistant. Although his materials were dirt-cheap, he was obviously a meticulous man and cared very deeply about protecting himself in every way. He even fashioned something akin to a suit of armor for his torso and neck, built again from plates of scrap iron riveted together.

As Roseanna introduced herself, Francis looked over her with a critical eye, trying to determine what type of monster she was, since Valeria had listed off so many different types while speaking to him yesterday. Unable to figure it out, he nodded politely, but without a smile. "Hello Roseanna," he said as he loaded himself onto the carriage. "Just a word of warning, for everyone," he explained once they were on the road. "I don't know which of you are human and which of you are... something else. If you aren't human, I don't want to talk to you. I'm not the kind of man who asks questions when killing off bloodsuckers. I don't want to know who you are if drinking blood is your thing. But I'll work with you, ...for now. 'Till this is over."

His words weren't particularly laced with hatred. Instead, it was the sort of confident indifference that comes from a lifetime of unchallenged ignorance.

 

[Infab]

Valeria glanced back to Francis and the others as they road, overhearing what he said to them. Please don't let this turn into something disastrous. Why not? The only thing stopping the group from doing it before was the odd quirks of the Marquess's personality and the cheerful, now wheelchair-bound werewolf. I'm surprised they haven't tried to kill one another yet...when they do, my money is on the dullahan. Rosanna simply ignored the man's comments. She had heard similar things down south. All she had to do was prove herself a few times, and they'd be as right as rain with her. "I'm th' dullahan. Galina over there's a Tsavanian banshee. The two in the carriage yer on are the vamps. And you can pick out the lich easy 'nough." she said, looking out over the river before glancing to Francis on the carriage. "...We used t' have a werewolf constable with us...as well as a vampire countess. Constable went on home, and th' countess is...dead."

 

[K0mori]

"A countess..." Francis repeated quietly, an ugly look on his face as he pictured a parasite running an entire county. He nearly continued, good riddance, then, but stopped himself. He wasn't going to ask for distance from his inhuman colleagues and then incite them with petty comments. "Right," he simply said, making sure to memorize which few of the inquiry he would feel comfortable speaking with.

 

[Dmaster]

Despite how her views may somewhat align with Francis', Camille shook her head as he requested that none of the supernatural members communicate with him. To cut off so many lines of communication within the group was nothing short of asinine, and it only proved how inexperienced the man really was. Still, far be it from her to suggest otherwise. It was an effective means of distancing yourself from them, which would make it much easier to slay them once they inevitably snap.

Seeing the man armed and armored with actual garbage only gave her more reservations about his future performance, unable to contain a sneer before she turned toward Valeria. "Are you certain that you want to go through with this? You are by no means obligated to join us. Would be terrible if inexperience got you killed." the Marquess cautioned, though she looked at the Senior Inquisitor the whole time. You have no idea how to tell someone 'no', don't you? Mon dieux, have you no care for who else gets gravely injured or killed now that you live on borrowed time?

 

[K0mori]

"It doesn't take an expert to know what will happen to Westerly, and the rest of Atraca, for that matter, if we fail to stop Duke Ashwood," Francis replied. "I've killed a few vampires, but maybe you're right, and I'm not the man who will put an end to him. But maybe you're the right woman for the task, and I'm just the man who laid down his life to help get you there." He looked over to Camille, gravely serious. "I stayed up late, thinking about all this, miss. I'm willing. I'm sorry if you find that humorous because I don't think it is."

 

[Dmaster]

She ceased her glare at Valeria to focus back on Francis somewhat, shaking her head from either side slowly before she looked down at the road. "Even if I am the woman for the task, I would rather not pave my victory with the bodies of opportunists." Camille admitted with a somewhat wistful sigh. Despite her belief that the school teacher was in this for the wrong reasons, the last thing she wanted was for someone to get gravely injured or killed on this venture from inexperience. "I can do nothing to stop or dissuade you, and I have no intention to do so. It is not my job to caution or forbid someone that wishes to help." the huntress adds, another thinly-veiled jab at Witlock. "Even still, you have much to live for. Try not to forget that and don't do anything rash."

 

[Infab]

"I made every attempt to warn the man of what we will be getting into, Camille. Including informing of my own personal problem." said Valeria loudly, from where she was. "He spent the night mulling over it, and still decided to join us voluntarily. I won't stop him, just like I didn't stop you or the others at the beginning of this inquiry. Besides, we could use the assistance. Especially with the task you and the others have." She then looked back towards Camille. "Do you think I enjoy dragging these people away from their families and lives, just to put them into dangerous situations? Watching them get injured, crippled, or killed? No. I don't. I do it because I have to. We need the help."

 

[Dmaster]

The huntress scoffed openly, leering at Valeria as they continued to ride. "'Personal problem' is putting it lightly." Camille interjects, tightening the reins on her horse. "A little too late for regrets now, isn't it, Witlock? Once the duke is slain by your stolen skills all of us will have to deal with the immediate aftermath." Her eyes narrow as she grits her teeth. "Did you even grant him the knowledge of what would happen should any of us die against Sazak? Our immortal souls will cease to be. At best you have given us another hand to shove blades into your infested corpse, at worst you have damned another soul to nothingness."

"I do not think you enjoy watching comrades die or get injured, I merely see it as a side effect of your gross incompetence. At some point before taking in another inquiry member and after making a deal with a demon I hoped you would realize that."

 

[K0mori]

"Lady," Francis said, "if I understand this entire predicament correctly, the only reason we'll be capable of stopping the Duke and that godly ring of his is because of the deal Miss Valeria made. I don't know too many people out there who'd have been willing to make that sacrifice. Now she's asking us to do our parts to make sure that it wasn't all in vain, and it's helping no one to squeal about inquisitorial 'incompetence.' Now will you quit whining about me, or her, or whatever it is you're on about? Not every opinion needs to be shared."

 

[Infab]

"No...she didn't have to tell him because she thought ahead."

Valeria's voice had changed. And so had her eyes. Sazak was now speaking through her, her eyes shifting to the pure blackness of a typical demon with golden rings in the form of irises. "See, when we made our deal, Witlock decided to toss in a little...stipulation. I would gain control of her body and soul as soon as you all slay the Duke, but I can't harm any other members of the inquiry afterwards. Otherwise, the deal is off. That means I can't crack your skulls open, or split you in half, or anything. Sad really...because I really want to kill you most of all, Camille. And I will. Eventually." Valeria stopped her horse, turning it slightly so that she could face Camille better. "Everything about you...it grates on my nerves. I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to piss off Velin herself with how you act. Which is why when I kill you, I'm going to put you in the darkest hole I can find in the Abyss. And maybe let in a few ghouls to feed on you from time to time...perhaps I could send in your old teacher too."

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil stayed quiet as Camille and Valeria bickered among each other as war par for the course by this point. He was more focused on his own thoughts on the figure that had visited him. He certainly had many questions, as well as new doubts as to the mission as a whole. Should the figure have been speaking the truth, the Duke is only a lesser threat compared to what was to come afterwards, but he didn't know what that was. What could possibly pose a greater threat?

When Valeria's disposition suddenly changed, Ethraeil snapped out of his thoughts and immediately glared at her. Sazak was speaking for her now, and blatantly in front of everyone too without need to hide it. He gripped the reins on his dead horse tightly as he spoke up: "Not if I get to you first, Sazak."

 

[K0mori]

Having just admonished Camille, Francis was too shocked by Sazak's sudden intrusion to be humbled. He didn't even reach for his weapon, as it took him too long to realize what was happening, and even when he did, he did not want to attack Sazak for fear of harming Valeria. He simply froze, slack-jawed.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille did not have the time to acknowledge Francis' point of view, too concerned with her own anger to properly give it attention. Of course the insults at the end hardly helped to make it enticing, yet she stopped her horse in its tracks once Sazak overshadowed Valeria.

She stood her ground, straightening as she looked her dead in the eyes. "Likewise, demon. I despise every being of your ilk, yet you manage to earn my hatred far more efficiently than the others." she spits back. "Your threats are hollow, I know this because you manipulate and steal rather than perform the dirty work yourself. You prey on the feeble and desperate to feel strong and powerful, when in reality your threats and enticing offers hold no sway over someone with ambition and conviction that refuses to be extinguished."

"Oui, it makes perfect sense why you would take great pleasure in seeing me dead or tortured. I stand against everything you are. My strength comes from my own will and dedication, and I would never accept any of your petty deals to grow stronger. Does that anger you, hell-spawn? If you are to face me in the future like you so confidently predict, I will not surrender an inch. Even in a pit of ghouls deep in the Abyss, I will fight for eternity if I have to." she says, leaning in closer. "So be sure to send your strongest pawns when you make that move, coward."

 

[Infab]

"My threats are hollow?" asked Sazak, as Valeria raised an eyebrow to add to the question. "If you believe my threats are hollow, simply ask your lich companion. He knows what I am capable of. I made him watch. Do not test me, woman. I'll force feed you that rapier you so dearly cling to, and roast you like a fat hog." Valeria then grinned wildly. "I don't think Witlock would mind all that much if I did it, either. After all, she hates you too. But you don't care about that. You think she's incompetent! The very woman that made the deal that makes sure I don't skin you once the Duke is dead. But once I'm through with her, Camille, you're on my list. Along with everyone you love. That's a promise from me to you, sweetheart."

Valeria then glanced over to Ethraeil, and Sazak forced her to grin once more. Then, her eyes reverted back to normal. Valeria looked between the members of the group, an expression of horror on her face.

 

[Dmaster]

"Then come at me whenever you work up the courage, you'll find me wanting." Camille shot back as her parting words. So long as he talked through Valeria and used her like a puppet those threats would always be hollow to her. Even if they were true the huntress would commit to such a fight regardless, especially if her loved ones were in jeopardy.

Slowly she shook her head at Valeria before flicking the reins of her horse, moving forward yet again. "Perhaps you are right, Francis, I may be whining. I knew the incredible sacrifice that Valeria made to get us this far, and I concede on the incompetence of arranging such a pact as I did not know all the details."

 

[K0mori]

Francis looked pale in the face, but he hadn't panicked, and once it was clear that Valeria was in control of her body once again and the scene had resolved itself, he began to breathe normally, feeling his heart pound in his chest. He heard but barely understood Camille's words. Eventually, he replied to her. "Let's allow this experience to bring us all together, then." Afterwards, he was silent.

 

[joshuadim]

With Sazak now slinking back to the shadows, leaving a horrified Valeria is his wake, Ethraeil rode ahead and passed by Camille close by. "We should speak... it involves the deed." he muttered bluntly to the marquess before riding further up.

 

[Dmaster]

She raised her brow at the lich and his bluntness, though she managed a quick nod before he rode further up. Ethraeil was perhaps the most experienced in combating Sazak, or at the very least knew how closing these deals worked. It made Camille beg the question as to why he would choose to speak with her personally rather than with the rest of the group, however.

Taking the hint, she flicked her reins again to ride farther up to get next to him.

 

[Breadman]

"Merde" Theodore could only respond with that to Sazak's barking. The disgust to the demon's words quickly gave away to mockery as they betrayed details of the deal to the Inquiry. He made the mistake of showing his hand in plain view. The scholar's grin hidden beneath his mask as the creature puffed up it's chest, attempting to strike fear into the inquiry. By the looks of the aftermath, it had the opposite affect.

"Valeria, please calm yourself." He said to her after noticing the horror on her face, his voice losing the bitterness he might have had before towards her. Instead he spoke in the same manner as he would to students coming to him for consultation. "Demon is back inside after the marquise stepped on his tail too hard and he barked at us from the safety of it's house. And I was wrong. Out of the two, it would appear he's the incompetent one. Making deals like that, barking out the details so loudly and proudly." He was silent for a moment as he remembered what Valeria told the rest about the deal between him and Mariette "And of course making backup plans that rely heavily on circumstances and greatly underestimating those he views as pawns."

The creature may be gone from sight, but Theodore knew he could hear him. It's what he was hoping for. He was still weary of whatever plans the demon had concocted in it's head, but if the inquiry would appear to not take him seriously, then that would play into his pride. Something Sazak has in surplus. If he was too prideful, then he would make mistakes. Mistakes the inquisitors could use against him.