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

[Dmaster]

He scoffed at that justification, now actually looking at Inari as she got closer. "I've got plenty of passion, believe me. It mostly goes to the demons and people that wish to emulate them. My heart? Got that on my sleeve. Killing's a terrible thing, treating it like it's some game or contest is how you distance yourself from it. Justify it. We all got our reasons to fight, to take lives. The second you start to find enjoyment in it or numb yourself to it is when you start your path here."

"Maybe the water spirits realise exactly where you stand and want to put a stop to it." Hudson concluded.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari was silent for a second before a large grin crossed her face, and then she nearly doubled over in laughter. Her laugh wasn't like her occasional earlier giggling - it was boisterous and full of deep amusement.

"Are you jester or warrior!? I never hear such funny things in a very long time! Heart on sleeve? Terrible place to keep it. It belong deep in chest, or if enemy heart, in hand," she said, having to pause as another short laugh escaped her. "And to say killing is terrible... such child thoughts! Killing has many reason. Some bad, yes, some good. Liking to kill doesn't make one bad, unless maybe it for bad reason. But killing is very natural thing. Kill for war, kill for honor, kill for glory, kill for revenge... too many to list!"

Her humor remained with her, though she grew a little more serious. "Water spirits are great kami, but perhaps I once... maybe few times... make them very mad. Is a matter of disrespect from me, not entirely on purpose. I say sorry but," she held her hands out wide in an exaggerated shrug, "they no accept."

 

[Dmaster]

Once again her nonsense prompted another roll of his eyes concealed by his helmet, patience only intact due to the mission at hand. "It's a phrase. It means you have nothing to hide and your emotions and nature are laid bare for the whole world to take shots at. The metaphor is based on it being a poor idea to put your heart in such a place." the hunter explained, though he knew it was futile to explain it to her.

"And you're right. You can kill for good reasons. I used to kill for my own selfish desires, or warped sensibilities or projections of the kind of person I wanted to be. But now I kill to protect people, to put a stop to evil and make things right." Hudson said, looking away from her, sword lowered completely to his side as he looked to the horizon.

"Absolving yourself from terrible mistakes you should have never made isn't as easy as saying 'sorry'."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"You say heart on sleeve is bad place, yet you also have it there? You are very funny man. Anyway - you also say you kill for good reason now, but I don't see the passion. I see only sad, boring, small-mind child. Next time you kill, make a smile or laugh. It will make you feel better. Make me feel good, usually," she explained. She then pointed towards some of the others in the inquiry. "Many seem scared or sad. If you show more passion, they will too, and morale will go up. I remember you say earlier many or all will die. Maybe. Is possible, yes. But also why say such thing? A warband can go far with good morale."

"And my relation with water kami is not terrible mistake, more... what is words... side-effect? Was no mistake, but I was too bold for them to like. Kami can be resolute, or kami can be fickle. Water spirits very fickle."

 

[Dmaster]

"If you have nothing to hide from your friends, loved ones, and enemies, you have nothing to hide from yourself." Hudson wouldn't trust Inari's story about her relationship with spirits to be truthful. The woman was too far gone to even accept that what she was doing was wrong in any way. "Perhaps they are scared or sad because they're dealing with the weight of their sins. Every terrible thing they've done up to this point moving through their minds and bodies faster than any bullet ever could." he starts, turning to look Inari in the eyes again.

"I feel that crushing guilt every single day - have been for years." the hunter stated, pain and anger both breaking through his voice as the tiniest syllables that were out of proper timing. "Laughing over a fresh corpse like a psychopath will do nothing for their morale. You'll see where my passion lies, trust me. The hatred I feel for demons does not measure up to the amount of hate I hold for myself."

 

[Breadman]

So, how do you like my home so far?

"Very inviting. We even had the red carpet treatment in the form blood and guts all over the floor." Henderson remarked to Loque's question. The cold was not so bad as it was for others. Being locked up in a basement under a grand cathedral has its hidden benefits. He glanced back at Riberta for a second to see that small elf clinging to her even more tightly. Never mind the rest trying to assure her that everything will be fine through their trip in the Abyss. "Adona's balls. You really are becoming a mother." Not even an hour had passed in this place and already he felt like things were spiraling in directions.

The rest of the talks, he paid somewhat attention to. Whatever the detective's previous group had done before, it seemed to have had world-shattering consequences. The reasoning for him being here makes more sense now. Then the demon hunter began yet another exchange of wits with the forest woman. Much like the dungeon, she had a point. The man was dull. Her other point about enjoying yourself while killing was one that he agreed with. If you're stuck performing a dirty job, might as well try to find some enjoyment in it. Cutting off heads is boring however. Now ripping off the limbs, that's the real fun.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"The hatred I feel for demons does not measure up to the amount of hate I hold for myself."

"Then why are you here then? You had me fooled thinking you were the type that finds pleasure in putting us down." asks Loque. There's no sarcastic or mocking tone here, oddly enough. She really is curious about this after hearing him exchange words with Inari. "If you've come to absolve yourself of guilt, you've come to the very very wrong place."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"Only fool hates self. No point in such thoughts. And guilt is... fickle thing, sure, but to let guilt rule you like master only makes you dog to it. Never let your heart or mind leash each other. I do some things that maybe are no good to others, like upset river kami. Do I let that make me dull sad woman? No." She shook her head vehemently to demonstrate her point.

"And why hate demon-oni so much? They just other creatures. Like human, elf, orc - all creatures. Maybe dark creature who live in cold place, but this place not so bad. I take land here, make outpost. Recruit demon maybe, like stone guardian woman at the death door."

 

[Dmaster]

He snaps his gaze to Loque, hearing them out despite the rage he holds for her and her kin. Inari seemed to ask pretty much the same thing, though reprimanded him for it rather than act genuinely curious. "I already explained myself to you demon. Your kind exist purely to corrupt men, if not slaughter them indiscriminantly." Hudson said before turning to Inari. "They are not just another creature. And killing them prevents them from turning ordinary people into bastards like me. If nothing else I can save lives of the innocent instead of cut them short."

The hunter continued to trudge down the bleak path before them, chains and spurs clinking and sounding off with each deliberate step. "I'm exactly where I need to be. If we somehow succeed in our mission, do some undeniable good for once - I can begin to feel like I have done enough to deserve forgiveness, a life where I can live with my regrets instead of be consumed by them. If I die down here? Well, I know it's the death my crimes have earned me."

 

[Damian0358]

The more and more Takato listened to Inari, the more he grew disillusioned with them. The curiosity of having a fellow northern Redonian, a kitsune of all things, joining them has given way to worry and disgust. Whilst the others knew not why these water spirits might be very mad at her, he could certainly conclude why - the bodies still being found in the Red River to this day... previously, he had thought that she may have been only one of many to have fought at the river, now he wondered whether the river became red because of her. Her aura certainly indicated she may have lived for long enough to have caused such an impact, especially as he recalled never hearing of a red river in his youth, nowadays such a fact being known in the north-west.

And from the way Inari spoke of the demons and oni, Takato's thinking she may not fully realize the strength and might they wield - unsurprising, as while all of Redonia was impacted by the invasion of demons during the Age of Darkness, only Upper Redonia was truly damned by it, having lost the Mandate of Heaven which once held the mighty Heavenly Empire together, now only kept at peace by Shouki Shrine. Oni didn't commonly venture out of Upper Redonia, and even if they did, they'd be southern oni in disguise. The more brutish, neo-demonic northern oni mainly kept to the northern mountains and its surrounding areas whenever they wished to cause chaos, at least until the Head Priest comes in and beat them within an inch of their lives - hence why they prefer geopolitical scheming before getting violent. Inari very likely thinks the stories of oni strength may be overblown, he thought. In contrast, while he disagreed with Hudson's general tone and implications, at least he took demons seriously, a threat that needed to be dealt with if it opposes the innocent.

Takato sighed, as he thought to himself - feelings of discontent are already filling within. Whether these feelings were there already, or manifested from the Abyss, mattered not. They were there now. He needed to content himself, and flow forward regardless, just as his master had taught him... to flow like water, applicable in so many ways. At least Hudson recognized the need to improve oneself by realizing one's flaws, and striving to better oneself, even if his tone wasn't one he'd use.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I already explained myself to you demon. Your kind exist purely to corrupt men, if not slaughter them indiscriminately."

"That I have. Oh, that I have." says Loque, smile forming underneath her helmet. "Every time you say that word, 'corruption', I'm reminded of the first time I ever succeeded in fully 'corrupting' someone: it was some noble from some throwaway land of yours who wanted my hand in marriage. Of course, me being rather 'selective' in my choice of men, I decided to test this man to see just how much he really loved me. I started small, so first I had him 'share' with me quite a large sum of his wealth and his land too. I told him that, since we would be sharing it as husband and wife anyway, I ought to sample it to gauge whether or not I was comfortable with this concept. I told him I was, but I felt the need to test the waters just a little more. I had his money, and next were his friends and family. I lied to him, forging letters they sent between them telling one another they're not fond of the idea of him marrying an Escarian, and that his fellow countrymen will be very upset for not thinking one of their own was good enough. The more letters I had forged, the easier it got to get him to break off any relations he had. But this still wasn't enough, so I decided to take this a little further. Finally, with the knowledge I planted that his friends and family have disavowed him, I told him he had to do something about this because they'll surely interfere with our relationship. So, I gave him one of my swords, and said to him that he knew what to do. You should've seen his stupid face as he saw the city guard behind me as he left his family manor. Last I heard, he died screaming my name as they tortured him for his crimes..." Having said her story, she looks over her shoulder at Hudson to see if that got to him. Maybe if she could rile him up enough, the others would finally have an excuse to put him down, thus at least making the rest of this journey far more pleasant without his aura of depression bringing everyone else even lower than they've traveled already.

"You know, when you put it into perspective, there's a sort of art form that comes with being able to turn just about anyone into whatever you want them to be. You might call it 'corruption', but I call it reflection. A glimpse of what you people really are without all the self-made dignities you dress yourselves in."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob wanted to continue talking with Hudson as they continued walking down the path to find their demonic allies. But shortly after his talk with Anya, that woman Inari began to show her true nature. Behind her insane smile was a truly deranged warlord, Jakob just looked back at her in pure disgust, he didn't think highly of the Redonian and now he just wanted her to shut up. "Thiasis sake... You truly are one evil bitch..." Jakob said while looking at her over his shoulder. "Hudson, don't bother talking with them... that lady is not sane neither is the demon, they are going to continue twisting what you say." Jakob tried his best to grab the hunters attention so he could stop talking with those women. If the demon continued talking Hudson will probably try to kill her.

So far Jakob wasn't exactly sure what to feel of the party behind him. Hudson, Venextos, the Redonian monk, Riberta, Senya and Uloth seem to have a grip on the situation and Jakob felt they had his back should things go wrong. But the two elves, the demon, Henderson and Inari not only sounded insane, they also acted like it. He didn't understood at first but he was finding Hendersons implications to be unnerving. Jakob shaked his head slightly, he had to concentrate on the path ahead, no point in thinking in this at the moment.

 

[Infab]

Vincent quietly listened to the others talk, taking in the information as he walked ahead of them. He had only been briefed about certain things by Velin, so this simply connected puzzle pieces together for him. He'd occasionally glance back, as some of them began to talk louder, or to make sure there was nothing behind the group as they walked. They were in enemy territory, and the enemy could come from literally any angle here.

"Adona's balls. You really are becoming a mother."

"I'm already a mother...well, I was one." she responded, glancing to Henderson as she walked. She didn't speak when Inari and Hudson spoke about enjoying killing. That, along with her motherhood, were painful things to talk about. And both were the reason she were here in the first place. She glanced down at Aliana, as the Orc managed to give her a good pep talk. She'd still watch over the little elf, but it was good that Aliana had decided to try and face her fears. A werewolf must be brave in the face of danger and hardship.

Soon enough, as the group rounded a rocky outcrop down the pathway, they came to another open area. There was vegetation here, grass and weeds scattered about along with the remains of old campfires. Perhaps this was were those demons who's corpses were around the statue camped out before venturing towards the door? There was a tree off to the side, its branches bare as the leaves were cast about the area.

As the group paused to look about, there was an audible crack in the distance. Clouds had gathered towards the mainland across the strait, and a storm was brewing there. Thankfully, where they were on the small Abyssal Gate island, they would remain dry. Further down the path was a small dock, with a large boat tied off to it. Likely how they were supposed to get to the mainland. Vincent glanced back to the others, before speaking up. "I guess we wait here until the two de--" he said, before being interrupted by voice from where the tree stood. "You won't have to wait."

As the group looked to the tree, they soon found a pair of women standing beneath it. The taller one wore a steel mask that covered her eyes, with long flowing white hair and large horns. She also wore a delicate purple dress, which appeared to be made of fine silk. The other woman, whom also had white hair cut into a bob with large jagged horns, wore what appeared to be a sort of combat outfit, made of leather and several pieces of steel armor. An extravagant steel plate stretched from her left shoulder across her chest. The most noticeable thing about her were her intense black and gold eyes. It was as if she was staring through you. The taller woman spoke up with a smile. "My name is Tariun." she said, before motioning to the woman next to her. "This is my lieutenant, Xager."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

“Finally, some better company.” hisses Loque in their language. She does a slight bow to both of them, wondering if they’ll return it.

 

[Damian0358]

As the group approached the dock, Takato could feel two unfamiliar auras nearby. They felt akin to Loque's aura, and yet they felt... like Cassiel's in a way. Cassiel's aura, as an angel, was heavenly, a pleasure to be around, and some of that sentiment could be felt in these two new auras too. Moments later, it would be revealed that they belonged to Tariun and Xager.

"Madame Tariun, Madame Xager, an honor it is," Takato bowed as he had earlier, following up Loque's bow. His ears twitched hearing Loque speak - demonspeak seemed far removed from what even Northern Oni speak is today, let alone Southern Oni.

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos gave a friendly wave towards Tariun as he lingered with the group. "Good to see you once again Tariun." he said with a smile.

 

[Fubuki]

Aliana kept thinking to herself of the mentor-like green woman's words, finally coming to terms with her situation. She's stuck here, whether she likes it or not, but the way she deals with it is what matters...

She followed along the conversations, only managing to understand that some of us here may not get along as well as she thought. The woman who can't speak properly seems to have some roundabout way to justify killing, and the weird...demon person kept trying to argue with her. Demons, huh...

Soon enough, as the group was walking, the surroundings had started to change. Grass! For the first time, she was able to step on grass. Though, it didn't feel right, there was hardly any crunch to the dead vegetation. There also seemed to be a storm forming overhead in the distance, as the wind started to pick up and make things colder. She was surprised there was even water here..

As she heard the two new voices, she looked up. "Horny women!" She said in a rather straightforward manner. They looked really strange, like the one person in our group.

 

[Doomevil]

After a long path, the group found grass and weeds in this new area. A nice change in scenery besides blood and guts. Senya saw a small dock consisting of a large boat so they can get to the mainland. She could feel two auras coming towards them until they revealed themselves as the allies of this mission, Tariun and Xager. Yet, something bothered Senya and she couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was their appearance, maybe it was something else.

She waited for others to speak, hearing what else they had to say towards the demon allies.

 

[SniperComZero]

Gwen quietened herself down after her last words. She was much more content to listen, than to trifle. At least for the moment, in any case. The dead vegetation, crisp and crunching beneath her feet only furthered the thoughts that she was far better off reminiscing of home. Since it's highly unlikely that anything even approaching aesthetically pleasant will come up whilst they're down here. Or, that's what she thought, anyways, until their two mysterious benefactors appeared near what seemed to be a makeshift dock.

A palm outstretched, and her other pressed with her forearm against her stomach, Gwenaelle shifted a foot backwards in order to give the two of them a noble curtsey. It did one well to maintain appearances, after all. "Madam, madamoiselle."

 

[Frankafurter]

Uloth sweeps the muzzle of her gun towards the two demons at first then lowers it as she realizes this is the help they're meant to meet. She relaxes a bit and lets the heavy gun rest its weight on the sling she has for it, standing to as she lets Vincent do the talking or let the demons help brief them on the situation at hand.

 

[Breadman]

"Insane or simply aware of how to survive in a world that wants them dead for merely existing and are now tugged along by the neck to serve the same people that want them dead?" Henderson posed that question to Jacob after the man clearly made his judgement. Truth is, he didn't care for the answer. It was already obvious what it was going to be with these types. Inari and Loque may be monsters, but so was he. But heavily in denial. "But what do we freaks know? It's a world of humans and gods. We're just making the most of it."

He kept on walking with the group after that, humming a tune to himself along the way. The change of scenery was sudden, but he suspected that it would be something they would have to get used to. Then came the appearance of the two demon women probably meant that they met their help. He simply crossed his hands and waited for the group to get on with it.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob stood between Vincent and Hudson as the two demon women appeared. At first Jakob didn't think much of them until he slowly recognized the voice of Tariun, he remembered an ascended Demon back in the Isle. "Wait... I know you! you were the owner of that Inn back in the island. I was there! you had a little kobale assistant and everything. Winchester and his Kitsune wife were there as well."

 

[Dmaster]

He listened intently to Loque's story, and while it was plenty to make him angry he knew exactly why the demon was sharing so much. The hunter's suspicions weren't far off in the least bit, and though he clearly had to hold himself back from attacking her all she saw was Hudson's sword-arm tremble slightly. "Know this, filth. I put down demons like you constantly, and I've heard their stories and got first hand experience with how they think and act. All your story's done is tell me that you're perhaps one of the weaker ones, and I look forward to this place tearing you apart." he said before Jakob told him not to speak with them any further. "The truth is always twisted to suit a deranged person's benefits. Rather than accept it they prefer to make excuses or see themselves above their sins."

Once they came to the clearing and the storm began to brew in the distance, Hudson couldn't shake the feeling of something being off. As the others stood and waited he got into a stance suited for fighting, sword now held in both of his hands as he looked about for where their attackers would strike. He looked to the cracking noise, staring down the direction of its source as he remained still and stood straight. When the two new arrivals were revealed to be their 'help', his stance didn't change whatsoever. It seemed he was ready to kill them just like any other demonic threat.

"... Fucking brilliant." he muttered under his breath. When Jakob recognized her, the hunter cut him a look through his helmet. "How many people in the Abyss or heading there are you going to recognize..?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Though Loque felt safe around other members of the Abyss, she noticed Hudson tense up like crazy and shift into a stance ready to strike at the other two, prompting Loque to act. "Oh, pay him no mind!" she says to her fellow demons. "He's just had a lot to drink and currently isn't behaving himself!"

 

[joshuadim]

"I can assure you Monsieur Hudson, you have nothing to fear here." Venextos chimed in as he walked past the hunter to get towards the front of the group. He turned his attention to Tariun to speak: "I believe there is much to discuss about the tasks ahead, oui?"