Fantasy Hunter's Moon: The Sin & Sentence [IC] [CLOSED]

[Viper Actual]

"You will see. If not, well, blind men tend to not live long." Said Seriphine just as Jakob, one of the lycans, interjected. She watched with great curiosity as the man offered a...fruit? Vegetable?

With narrowed eyes she continued to observe. The lycan spoke highly of whatever it was. Perhaps it served as something that bolstered vitality?

Her eyes followed Takato as the monk too decided to examine the item before taking a bite. It seemed safe enough.

When Inari arrived to speak in whatever lowborn demonic language she and Takato shared Seriphine looked at Jakob.

"You. Lycan." She gestured towards the turnip. "You speak highly of this item. Tell me more. Do they grow fast?"

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson kept walking ahead of the group, wanting to distance himself from whatever that thing was that they decided to befriend so quickly. He figured that Vincent would have no choice but to let her into their ranks with the pressure put on him by the others, and he was clearly agitated by it. Their chances of survival were already slim, and they would be even slimmer if they would just accept any old being that was walking the Abyss. It was not his call to make, however, so he simply kept going the path so that if a fight broke out he wouldn't have to be the one risking his life.

Senya was coming up behind him, and all she prompted from the hunter was to look over his shoulder for a moment before he continued his journey.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato squinted intensely, almost as if of disgust, as he assumed she spoke of herself as some sort of legendary being, worthy of any story beyond the one where she caused the river to go blood red and the one where a righteous spirit defeated her.

"[The wielder of the Demonslayer and his party would've thrown you into the river where the water spirits wait for you, for damning them with endless bodies,]" Takato straight up told her, "[And don't let the Head Priest of Shouki Shrine hear you disrespect their ancestor. One more incursion into the land of the Dou, and she might come and exterminate you herself, just as she had done to any Northern Oni self-deceiving enough to believe they can take over the land as the demons had eons prior,]" he nearly concluded, before deciding to throw one last bit of shade.

"[...though, the tales of the Daimyo of the Red River likely end satisfactorily - with her tails cut, and banished to a foreign land, doomed to repent.]"

 

[Doomevil]

She found Hudson walking a lonesome path. And while she really didn’t want to follow him because of his attitude, it made sense to keep watch if trouble appeared. They were in hostile territory after all. She just hoped the others will catch up soon. Senya turned over her shoulder then glanced sideways, scanning the area. No threats.

Senya picked up the pace to the point she was dragging her boots. She continued until she was a few feet behind from the hunter, toning it down to a calm walk. She figured he wasn’t going to say anything so she kept scanning the area, hand on the sword grip.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari frowned slightly at Takato's tone as he spoke back up, and she realized he likely wasn't one of the happy kind of monks. Rather, he seemed to be the kind that was a self-righteous dullard. And he happens to be an Oni. Marvelous.

["Right, right, so you don't like exciting tales-"] She was cut off when Takato added one last little sentence. When he spoke of a 'satisfactory' ending, which was where she was now, she paused, her face expressionless. A very slow grin appeared beneath her pale eyes, which sometimes made it hard to tell if she was looking at him or past. Her tongue slid along her lips and teeth as if she had sighted a rather delectable meal, and her head tilted to the side a ways.

["Ahhhh. Now, that wasn't so nice, was it? And here I thought there was one holy man in the group who perhaps had a soul. I had such high hopes. I guess monks aren't so different from the lowly rabble beneath their notice after all. Perhaps you've lived too long with your head in the clouds away from people to remember your manners. I didn't know monks praised torture nowadays."]

 

[Damian0358]

"[Only those deserving of manners receive them; a murderer who seeks power and slaughter is not deserving. And I am not different from the 'lowly rabble', unlike you who thinks their stories worthy of remembrance, you who thinks of themself tall and great. My soul is not to be given to the soulless,]" Takato continued, undeterred by her tongue. He had faced yokai that had tried to eat him before, thinking it would give them great strength, consuming a Douean hermit such as him.

"[Though one thing you are wrong - we praise not torture. We Doueans are more efficient. They should've quartered you, and then laid you to rest in the very river you made red.]"

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos chuckled at Aliana's reply, knowing full well that she was feigning her newfound bravery. Although, at least she was trying to be brave in this kind of situation. Most people would have been broken by this point in her position. "That is good to hear." he said before turning to Riberta. "Keep her close in these trying times. She will need a guardian such as yourself until she can begin to fend for herself."

 

[K0mori]

As Anya and Henderson reunited with the party, she was relieved that the others didn't seem confrontational towards her. Her wolf form was once again leaving her, and after Henderson directed her to the supply pile, she bolted over, rifling through what clothing was left over so that she would avoid being seen naked once the fur went away. At this point, there was nothing to her original outfit left on her aside from her belt, the silver-clad short sword, and holstered pistol she had brought along.

Soon, she had discovered a charcoal black poplin greatcoat which, when worn, stretched all the way to her ankles. She thankfully was able to find a pair of loose-fitting boots which would be easy to slide her feet in and out of, and otherwise wore nothing. In the event that she lost control again, she would need garments which she could dispose of quickly, in order to avoid shredding them. Besides, now that the others had seen her monstrous side, she figured that there was no use concealing it fully anymore. If she was not warm enough in such a heavy coat, then perhaps she could grow a coat of her own beneath it. Afterwards, she noticed the hat she had been wearing before was still laying on the ground over near the spot where she lost control. She scooped it up, brushed the dirt off, and set it back on her head, between her twitching, furred ears, and gave a sigh. It was taking longer than usual to fully return to her original state.

She then silently returned to the stockpile to gather some food and a canteen full of fresh water. She would speak with Aliana when the time was right.

 

[Fubuki]

She looks back forward as Venextos turns to Riberta to speak to her. Aliana was scared, but she's already convinced herself she's safe, and her amulet is still in one piece. With the trio nearby, she has nothing to fear, she figures. Venny then says that Aliana needs a guardian to defend her.

She looks a bit flustered, and saddened, realizing she may be a burden until she learns to fight and use the beast inside her for the good of the mission. Her eyes dart to the gun on her chest. If she can't learn how to use this thing, she'll be as useless as she has been for the entire trip. As she shuffles her feet in the water in her contemplation, the group seems to come together, though Hudson had stormed off, again. "He has more emotional problems than I do..." She thought, kicking some of the sludge around in her idleness. It was kind of funny to see him get bonked on the head, letting out a slight giggle as she recalls the scene. Riberta sure is strong.

The scary not-demon lady was still here, though she's docile at the least, after scaring one of the party members half to death. Aliana didn't trust the things down here, nor some of the people in her group for that matter, seeing as how most of them would put her in the ground should she make another mistake again.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Takato suggesting she should have been quartered earned a rather raucous laugh from the kitsune. ["Ah! More hypocrisy from the monk. You speak with such authority on things that you know so little about. If we reserved manners only for those who deserved them, we'd have no more nice people left in all the lands of the world. And I thought hermits were supposed to be the enlightened ones!"] She laughed again, though it was much shorter.

["Since I've been here, I've done no harm to anyone. I've been very well behaved. Its been a rather delightful journey so far, too, even with the,"] she waved her hand around, ["uncouth ones. Though I suppose you count me among that number. There is more to what I do than just seeking power and slaughter. Oh - don't think that I'm trying to fool you - I l o v e every part of it. If you think what I did to that river was bad, its a good thing you never found out about what happened at Shirodate, or Sakihara. Though... if I recall... my vanguard was filled with warrior monks at Sakihara. I didn't tell them to do what they did, but they felt the kami desired it. I do what I do because I desire it, not on the behalf of anyone else."]

Inari shrugged, and then waved at Anya as the woman returned, hurrying to get some clothes. She turned back to Takato. ["My stories are very worthy of remembrance. I've made new clans and I've exterminated others. I'll always be remembered, one way or another. People speak of me as many things in many places. I wouldn't think of myself as tall,"] she smirks, ["I'm only above average height in this form, but I do suppose I am very great. The peasants of Garodo certainly think so - they're still alive. They even have a shrine to me. In Kowareta, one doesn't become great by hiding in the mountains and pondering trees and stones. They become great by killing or saving people. Sometimes to save people, you have to kill a lot of them. It helps a bit when you really, really enjoy it, too."]

 

[Frankafurter]

Uloth nods at Xager's words before rolling her shoulders and watching the party regroup again. She waits to see if Vincent sorts the group out a bit and takes on the mantle of actually being a leader instead of just letting everything sit on the fire and boil over constantly. She feels the two Order members are largely the ones bringing the party down, she's never seen a leader so uninvolved in actually leading a party and his lackey so uncooperative and obnoxious in his self-righteousness and fatalistic attitude towards everything. She has half a mind to just gun them down and try to sort the party out herself but she realizes with the amount of wannabe leaders in the group it would just create an unpleasant power vacuum that she'd also have to sort out through force of will.

She catches her thoughts and briefly becomes disgusted with herself, she's scheming like an elf and that isn't her thing. She runs a gloved hand through her long locks of hair and sighs to nothing in particular, she looks at Xager and asks, "Ye' happen ta' have'a few sturdy horses in yer back pocket? I feel we ain't goan be at this city anytime soon an' yer our supplymaster, so..." She trails off, thinking of how far the trip actually is and that walking the entire distance may not be as easy as it could be.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato's squinting didn't cease as she continued to display her ego and conceit, 'thinking herself tall and great', as she tried to associate him with monks of other creeds. The only worthwhile thing she had pointed out was that, indeed, she had been fairly well behaved, though...

"[I will not deny your behavior here so far, though understanding the nature that molded you, surely you are whispering in the ears of others, attempting to form your own sub-faction in the event of this faction's collapse. But comparing me to warrior monks of another creed is not an insult to me, nor the Dou, but to them,]" he began, "[and perhaps, as your senior by at least 300 years, spoken have I with an authority that would've been seen as right in Upper Redonia, but not here.]

"[But one fact remains - your smile conceals a dagger, a twisted past, filled with gratuitous warfare - war may be unavoidable within the Kowareta lands, but not once have you shown a sense of loss or regret over the actions that needed to be taken. Violence so excessive and unnecessary is avoidable, yet you seem to relish in it. Whatever it is you seek, whatever it is you desire, can be achieved another way. But you chose not, for it is undesirable to you. While the future I cannot see, I feel certain that you will be remembered as one thing only once peace returns - the slaughterer of man, a bloody daimyo, who was finally taken away, with the faintest of support from the regions spared due to their support or subservience.]

"[Grateful am I that, even despite our continued division, Mandate forever lost, Upper Redonia had managed to go beyond bloody conflict thanks to the power of the Dou, and for introductions such as our danmaku performance art. Once all see war as unnecessary, war no longer becomes inevitable, though the Dou remains ever-changing. The Northern Oni largely remain in their mountains, maintaining a chaos of power struggles away from the surface, or depart abroad, and even the yokai have joined in the non-harmful art. An example to you, we are,]" he stated, finally finishing up with a sigh.

"[You will find better companionship with the elf beside us. Appeal to her with your war stories. I'm going to speak with someone like-minded,]" he said, as he handed the turnip back to Jakob with a nod, and faced towards Venextos and began walking in his direction, before briefly pausing.

"[Remember, at minimum, within this group, there is a truce, one of necessity, if we all wish to succeed and then leave. No matter how horrid you, or some of the others may truly be, for the greater good, we shall collaborate, for a single tree does not make a forest, nor can a grain of rice produce a meal. Even the Eight Enlightened crossing the sea all had their own particular skills. I will be sure to send charcoal in a snow storm,]" he concluded, before heading to Venextos.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

The others may feel content around Gödrun, but Loque sure as hell doesn't want to stay around her any longer in fear she might try to catch up on fatal old promises. Even if all Gödrun does is want to speak to her, she's not interested. The past few moments have drained Loque of nearly every single shred of her energy, her spirit, and her will. Things started going to hell almost literally even before the door to it even opened, and it's been one endless punch to the face over and over and over again the moment she stepped into the Abyss, culminating in the appearance of an old "friend" that had the worst intentions for her, and has just about had it with it all. So she takes what she needs from the crates and buggers off towards the only friend she's made so far, or at least the only person that she perceives to not have any plans to kill her yet. She jogs all the way up the path to catch up with Senya, but lags a meter or two behind her as to not be so close to Hudson.

 

[Radley]

Loque didn't seem eager to talk with Gödrun, not the she had expected that. Their last encounter had been as big a surprise as her return. Gödrun remained content that even forces in the mortal realm had forced the demon back into the abyss, even as part of a holy mission.

As he friend decided to walk away, Gödrun could feel someone else looking at her. Slowly turning her head, she noticed a little girl clinging to the side of a woman at a supply cart.
With her masks hollow gaze she studied the child before moving towards them.

 

[Doomevil]

Senya turned, noticing a member of the group joined them a meter behind. It was Loque, someone she talked to a while ago. The Red Warden simply nodded to the demon, continuing her travel. She preferred the noise they made in the background at the moment.

 

[Breadman]

Henderson returned to the party to find it exactly as he expected. Busy with talking about something or other. After directing Anya to the supplies he helped himself to his share. He had tossed his coat over it and was pleased to find that nobody had tampered with it. Getting these custom made was hard enough already, so them lasting as long as possible down here would be preferable. As he was putting it on he casually looked around and noticed someone who wasnt there before. Some armored woman.

"Who the fuck is that?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

["I hear your words, monk, but do you hear them?"] She called to Takato as he turned away from her. ["I see you running along to your sorcerer friend. Head back in the clouds with your 'like-minded' people. As two-faced as ever."]

Inari watched him continue further, shaking her head vehemently to herself. Monks. And here she thought the minor lords had their heads stuffed so far up their bottoms that you could crown them. Arrogance was such an unbecoming trait for anyone, especially one who presented themselves as enlightened. Perhaps that was why. One could hardly claim enlightenment without being an arrogant fiend, and monks were all about that nonsense. She enjoyed fanning the flames of tall tales to create an entertaining story and image, especially of herself, but she never claimed superiority on basis of thought brought about by isolation and an over abundance of substances either ingested or smoked. Skill and commitment decided superiority. All of those dead by her blade or the thousands beneath her were inferior only by their defeat by death, but that didn't make them vermin, as the monk no doubt thought of people he deemed inferior. Every samurai, every militiaman, every panicked townsfolk with a farm tool that went against her had the merit of standing up for themselves, to try and save their destiny in the moment by performing one of the most natural acts of living - to kill. They were cut down in droves because they simply did not have the strength to stand against her. Inferior in skill, certainly, but not in soul.

The kitsune tapped her fingers against the pommel of Kioshi in irritation. Takato even suggested superiority over the elf, and he didn't even know the woman. Simply because Gwen associated with her. She turned around when she heard Henderson pipe up about the newcomer, who Inari also didn't really know aside from that they were some... strange wander that would be joining them. She had heard some of their words, and evidently it was also Atracan, yet she could barely make all of it out. Like the big orc woman, Uloth, who spoke in a different but equally undecipherable way.

"Ronin who joins us. Sword for hire, but we no hire and they no ask for money. They simply here. Maybe here to enjoy killing?" Inari shrugged and strolled over towards Henderson. He was one she hadn't spoken with much, and his size was rather... inordinate. A giant of a man.

"Good work on save Anya, we need good strong warrior for our journey," she said to Henderson, looking up at him.

 

[Breadman]

"Oh, she's strong. Saw her rip a demon's face with ease back there. She just needs someone to spur her on. But as far as strong warriors goes, we need some to compensate for others." Henderson answered Anari while adjusting his coat. "I suppose that's why we're also letting that one join our merry band of sideshow freaks and geeks." He said the last part while pointing between himself and Inari as the freaks and towards Hudson and Vincent as the geeks.

"Oh and in case you're wondering. Scratch hollow demons off as potential food. Better off eating mud and rocks."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"You already fight demon?" Inari frowned slightly before realizing it was only a hollow, so apparently a lifeless husk. "I cannot wait for other real demons to fight. It will make group better."

She did raise a brow at his suggestion of eating, or rather, not eating the hollow demons. "I have all rice I need, for now."

 

[Infab]

"Ye' happen ta' have'a few sturdy horses in yer back pocket? I feel we ain't goan be at this city anytime soon an' yer our supplymaster, so..."

Xager shook her head. "You will not need horses down here. Nearby, you fill find a proper method of transportation that will take you to wherever you wish to go in the Abyss." She then looked to Vincent nearby, whom had watched Anya come back with Henderson. "Vincent." she said, simply to get his attention. He looked over, to see her holding out something to him. "You will need these." she stated, as he stepped over and held out his hand. Into his hand, she dropped what appeared to be twelve coins. They weren't gold or silver, or even copper. Not even bronze. Simply some form of metal. They each bore hellish engravings on either side, and a large hole in the middle that one could fit their little finger through. The engravings on each coin were different, it seemed, and the coins were unnaturally heavy as well.

He eyed them, as Xager spoke again. "Each disk bears the markings of the territory that you can travel travel to. You'll know what to do with the disks when you arrive at the station." The station? "Understood." he said, continuing to look the disks over. He knew the sigils. Eight of them belonged to the Icons. A ninth one was for the Heartlands, where Taranoch's castle resided in Dis. A tenth was for where they were currently, the Hollowlands. The other two were for what was apparently the Northern Wastes, and the Land of Dead Kings. It must be a fast form of transportation, as there were several hundred miles between locations at times here in the Abyss. Was it some sort of train or something?

Vincent then tucked them into his pocket, before glancing back to the others. "Alright, lets get going. There's some kind of station up ahead, we can use whatever is there to travel to Sheol." he said aloud. Xager, meanwhile, glanced over and watched Riberta grab a coat out of the clothing crate for Aliana. After she had finished, Xager snapped her fingers and the crates disappeared. "Good luck to you all, and don't kill each other." she said simply, giving them all a nod. And a moment later, a portal appeared which she stepped through. It faded into non-existence afterwards.

 

[Fubuki]

Aliana could hear Xager talking, but only thought that the horny woman was talking about something that doesn't involve her. Riberta takes out the coat, something Aliana could wear whenever she's not using her rain cape. She clutches the coat to her chest, smiling and thanking Riberta for the help.

She steps back as the crates just...phase out of existence. She blinks a few times, before waving a hand at the area they were just in a few seconds ago. Another few blinks later, and she blurts out...

"It's like magic!" She says, continuing to try and find out where the boxes went as she holds her coat. Aliana turns as Xager leaves, watching the horny woman leave through a portal in thin air. Demons are new to her, having not really believed in such a thing the entire time she was down here.

"Does she really think we'll kill each other?" Aliana looks up at Riberta, already knowing the answer, but curious nonetheless. She's already seen the massive extents some of them would go through to hurt someone, even if they couldn't act on their instincts at times. Why can't they work together? Dying down here seems worse than walking the lands, yet they'd kill each other sooner than work together... Maybe Xager is right, after all.

 

[Frankafurter]

Uloth quirks a brow at Xager's somewhat cryptic reply and then looks at the coin-like objects she hands to Vincent then nods when there's mention of a station up ahead. She would follow Vincent once he started resuming his journey to reach this mythical 'station.' She wonders what that sort of station would be like, is it as simple as a train station like the one she had been transported to Eternis on. Maybe some sort of abyssal gateway system? She doesn't know what to expect on this trip at this point, with all the issues and hiccups that have happened so far, will they even reach the station in one piece or will infighting force them into some sort of grisly brawl that no one will come out of for the better. Too many egos, not enough cohesion.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked pleased as Inari ate the turnip. He looked over at Seriphine, though, as the woman asked about the nature of the turnip. Ignoring the fact that she called him by his race, Jakob's eyes lit up a little at the prospect of talking with someone about turnips. He pulled another from his large pack, and pushed it into Seriphine's chest. Pretty much forcing her to grab it. "Turnips are root veggies. They're very nutritious. When young, they have a sweet taste, but as they mature, they taste more like potatoes. They grow fast if you know how to plane 'em."

Jakob began to ramble on about the turnip, completely unaware of Takato and Inari's discussion. Once he was done talking about them, he noticed that both Redonians had walked away and Xager had vanished with the crates of supplies. "Oh...uh...anyways, turnips are good!" Jakob gave the warmongering elf a smile, then walked away towards the others. It was time to move to the station Xager had mentioned to Vincent.

As he approached Riberta and Aliana, he heard the young lady talking about the group. Specifically about their survival chances. Jakob looked to Riberta. "Well...being completely honest, kiddo, it might happen. Y'know? They might start fighting but...we can try to stop it." He gave Riberta a smirk. "Hell, I bet she can stop most of us with a single smack to the face." Then he looked back to Aliana. "But don't worry, okay? We'll help you...as soon as we get more time, I'll teach you how that rifle works. And we can all have a talk about...our lycanthropy."

 

[Fubuki]

Aliana nods as Jakob speaks to her, looking at him for a moment before looking at the muddy ground beneath her. Maybe Riberta can stop it, but Aliana couldn't. She'd have more trouble stopping herself than others. She did have a quiet laugh as Jakob remarks on stopping everyone with a single smack. She rubs her cheek, well, she didn't want to find out how hard she hits.

She'll worry, however, as Jakob told her otherwise. She'll worry so long as her life is threatened by the infighting. All of their lives were threatened by it. She narrows her eyes, thinking of the two who nearly got close to ending her life. Hudson and the loner. She'll hold disdain for both secretly, the beast inside her telling her to act on her instincts. No matter how much she may refuse the voice, it will always call to her, now that the amulets power over her is waning.

She then looks at Jakob after he finishes talking and smiles. "I'd like that!" As cheery as she could make it sound, she wanted nothing more than to defend herself. Just anticipating when she'll get the chance to learn is killing her inside, knowing that anywhere along their travels to this so called 'Station' any one of them could snap. Or worse, herself.

She holds Riberta's hand as she carries the coat in the other. She'll get the help she needs, that's all that matters right now, to her.

 

[K0mori]

Her ears still bestial and attuned to distance hearing, Anya could tell that Inari had mentioned her and called her a great warrior. Henderson had also acknowledged her strength. Thinking back on the demon she had killed, she now realized that she probably was never in danger in the first place; the demon was nothing more than a shell of what it had once been, and didn't resist when she pounced on it. The compliments paid to her by the other members of the party were probably unwarranted, but still... the dreamlike memory of attacking the wicked creature excited her a bit. She had been so afraid, and then, when the wolf returned, she turned the tables completely. And unlike her various adventures and incidents in the mortal realm, this time she had nothing to be guilty about. Killing a demon was, at worst, a plain necessity, but Anya felt that it might have actually been heroic.

For a moment, she grinned at the thought, flashing the fangs which still adorned her mouth, but that smile disappeared quickly. No, not heroic. You were a coward and ran away. You only encountered that monster because you were a fool... and without the strength of Henderson to reassure you, you would have kept running. You are not brave... merely a survivor.

She shook the thought away. While she couldn't deny that it was a fair assessment, she couldn't dwell on it for risk of ruining her mood once again. As Xager departed with the crates, Anya stepped over to Inari, biting into some unidentifiable meat jerky. It was quite savory, and felt good on her tongue after a kill. "You are level-headed, western-one," she said with a very slight bow. "I know you tried to stop me, earlier. But rage is overwhelming, cannot be stopped when wolf is already here. Must be used for something else, once awoken." Anya grinned, a bit devilishly. "Hurting ally felt bad, but killing demon was good."