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

[Frankafurter]

Uloth opts for a bath, she had gotten a bit ripe due to the fact that she had been in a cage most of the time prior to coming here and she heads off. She's not impressed with the decadence of the bathing rooms, she preferred a simpler and more humble interior. Either way, she stripped down and took a bath, soaking a good while and washing up before climbing out and going through the efforts to dry off. The longest part of the bathing was cleaning her hair, her large mane of black hair. Normally she would braid it or draw it up into some sort of tied shape, but she opted to just leave it loose for now.

Once she was dried, dressed, and ready, she plods off to the dining area where the rest were. She saw that elf warlord talking with the group leader and she saw Henderson partaking in what looked like a small person, Loque had a buffet's worth of food in front of her that she was gorging on, the others were eating as well as they could. She walks over and grabs a roasted and salted goat leg, some root vegetables, and a flagon of mead. She walked over and sat directly next to Seriphine before digging in to her meal. The roast goat leg was the best she's ever eaten and she's had some pretty well cooked goat. She doesn't eat like a slob, but she doesn't eat dainty either. She takes vigorous bites of her food and chews somewhat contentedly, she knows she shouldn't be eating this stuff as it was likely unsafe for non-abyss people to eat, but she figured this one meal would be fine and it would save the rations she had packed for more critical moments.

 

[Radley]

The hollow eyes of Gödruns mask slowly turned to Hudson, and they seemed to glare at him in a intense fashion.

"I am no Demon." she said slowly.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson is unmoved, taking another spoonful of his can as he nodded. The hunter grunted as she seemed to stare at him rather angrily.

"You sure took your time to say that." he mutters. "Pardon me for thinking that a being walking the Abyss with a flaming sword couldn't be anything but a demon."

 

[Radley]

"Thine fiery flail and attire does not lend to one of pious inclinations either." She replied.
"Thou speaketh of a holy mission mandated by this Velin. Yet mine eyes have bore witness to naught but an ensemble of slave knights cast into the abyss. Perhaps as a trial of redemption."

 

[Fubuki]

Aliana had almost fallen asleep just from how large the steak was. She sits up, before wiping her hands and face clean with the napkins that were provided on the table. She rests her arms on the table next, laying her head on them. It wasn't such a great idea to eat a steak that big in 20 seconds, and her stomach is yelling at her for it. She hopes this won't come back to bite her later on.

She hears the idle conversation going on, paying attention to Seriphine. She was definitely proud, hearing how highly she spoke. Elves had something to be proud of? All she remembers was how desperate the falling Houses were, the killings and battles in towns, and the overzealous patrols looking for abominations and royals both. They weren't as great or powerful, only weak and flailing. Every patrol would slaughter innocent people or try to extort you for whatever useless coin you had. Thankfully she doesn't remember what Houses were left, or else she'd get angry at Seriphine for belonging to the House that chased after her.

She keeps her mouth shut, assuming that Seriphine would only snap at her for things Aliana wouldn't know. Thankfully, Seri knows how they died, so there's a possibility that 'humility' can be one of her traits. Or not. She'd seen Hudson leave in a fit earlier, probably from Riberta teasing him. She lets out a quiet laugh, thinking of the moment. She laid there, waiting for Riberta to stand up so she'd follow.

"I wonder what Sheol looks like.." She wonders aloud, having the image in her mind of it being a homely little town with lots of friendly demons. She forgets about it, knowing her expectations are probably too much for the Abyss.

 

[Dmaster]

He scoffs at that, just to chuckle shortly after. "I find I am only a holy man in title only. If that." Hudson says, shaking his head. "Still, flails are consecrated and provided by the Order. Wouldn't go so far as to call even half of the... beings along for this mission knights."

"Only way for us to get into the Abyss is to have done sins worthy of sending us here. Velin sought to take advantage of that - though while I am here for redemption most of them aren't." the hunter explains, shrugging his shoulders for a moment. "She didn't take much care in selecting the team, which was also rather deliberate. Gonna be a miracle if we survive this."

 

[Radley]

Gödrun nodded slightly.
"Perhaps thou arth not as brazen as thou seems. Mine vigil shalt ve close upon thine followers. Perchance, some of them arth truly on the path of salvation" she spoke softly.

Gödrun then looked straight ahead. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children."

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson had finished his can of food and shook his head yet again, his position of his seating changing as he slumped forward slightly. Putting the empty can to the side he gave a sigh. Just how long was this person stuck down here in the Abyss?

"Flattering, but no. I seek only to absolve myself of sin. And I am only looking after a few of our team down here. The rest can be flayed or burned to death for all I care."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari eyed the multiplied demons with some wry amusement. A trick she had known some other kitsune to employ, and one she didn't expect to see used by demons. She figured she had a fair idea of what a succubus may be, and if this was an incubus, it wasn't a stretch to make a connection. Same with a kitsune. The three of them had a certain special common trait.

One bowl of food disappeared as she went on to the next, her appetite unusually immense. This wasn't a typical journey and she often forewent richer foods. Rice, vegetables, and some meat was the staple diet for being on campaign. It kept you going and prevented digestive issues that other foods may give, which wasn't something one wanted on the march. She had another deep sip of sake and adjusted her arm so that the demon could wash it some more. Having four of them do the work for her put her back in the spirit of old times. Back then the bath was bigger and there was more diversity in the servants, but this was good enough.

"Sheol sound nice. Good place for work." An unstable wasteland just waiting for a power to come in and take charge, which this Priest of the Damned had done. And now they would topple him and take his place. Ah, conquest.

"How bring up... ah, summon, succubus, incubus, other demon people? Money? Sacrifice?" She knew some yokai could be invoked with offerings at shrines, though she had no idea how these Abyssal demons worked. They seemed pretty much like normal people to her, just with some special powers and different appearances.

 

[Infab]

"Well then! How about we gauge the truth of your words alongside your cooking skill? Please, if you can, bring to me his favorite dish. You ought to know what it is, and just how he likes it."

Cat shook her head slowly. "I would if I could, madame. That's the one meal I wasn't taught. Lord Thorgran wanted it to be kept a secret. Especially from Lady Keggoth. You know how they despise one another, so Lady Keggoth would likely do whatever she could to impede its preparation."

Riberta glanced down at Aliana as she thought out loud. "We'll know when we get there, really." she said, with a smile. She then glanced to the others nearby, mainly Loque and Anya while Henderson munched on his pigmi. Soon, she spoke again. "...As much as you hate other werewolves, we lycans need to stick together down here as much as possible. There's strength in the pack." she said, in Anya's direction.

Down the table from them, Vincent looked back to Seriphine. "Hopefully new perspectives. We can live in peace with one another, I'm sure."

------
​

"How bring up... ah, summon, succubus, incubus, other demon people? Money? Sacrifice?"

"Depends on the demon, really." replied Wesix, as he and his copies continued to bathe the kitsune. "Regular lowly demons are easy enough to summon. There are a variety of spells available for that. I'm sure you can learn how to do them through various sources. Demons like me...born or aligned with a certain sin...we require both sigils as well as tributes. Wrath demons are the only ones that require blood sacrifices." He moved along her arm, continuing to clean. Only pausing when she went to drink some sake. "The issue with summoning demons is that, occasionally, you'll get the Icon themselves...and they're tougher to deal with. Often they will want to make very one-sided deals. Some upper class demons will do the same. Lieutenants, Generals, Princes."

As he moved around behind her, beginning to wash her upper chest, he smiled. "...Personally, I just ask for a little fun." he whispered, "But of course...I'm bound to this train for the time being. At least I get to have fun with patrons such as yourself."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I would if I could, madame. That's the one meal I wasn't taught. Lord Thorgran wanted it to be kept a secret. Especially from Lady Keggoth. You know how they despise one another, so Lady Keggoth would likely do whatever she could to impede its preparation."

"Impede?" This draws Loque's curiosity a little. The recipe was indeed a secret, Loque knew this, but what it entailed and the very specific ingredients used to cook it were so closely guarded that there were only two people she knew of that knew enough of it to cook it successfully, and one of them was Thorgran. Though she figured this was due to Thorgran wanting to keep it all to himself, it never did cross her mind someone would try to ruin it.

"Well regardless, it's a shame they didn't teach you. He requested it often and he enjoyed it every time it was served to him, and it'd be even more shameful if it was forgotten."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari sets down the near empty second bottle of sake and lets out a short, wild howl of enjoyment. What a vacation this was turning out to become. So many people talked about visiting isolated mountain shrines (in her younger days she liked stalking the pilgrims, a pleasure she hadn't done in a while), visiting the shores of the mighty ocean, or traveling to see family or some other oddity in a neighboring province. This was a real journey. They hadn't gotten to the killing yet, but that would evidently come, and it would be glorious. For now, some food and entertainment made a great prelude to what would undoubtedly be a great adventure.

"Funny demons!" Inari remarked with a scarlet smile. It was difficult to pinpoint what made her face so red - the water, the sake, or the demon. "I never live like sorceress, but maybe I learn spell now? I summon many demons! I can have army," she snaps her fingers, "just like this! Snap! Army! Haha... yes, very good. Or companion for music... bath... dueling? Maybe chat."

She seemed slightly more caught up in her own thoughts of grandeur than where Wesix's hands were going, though she never stopped him. "Summon Icon sound bad, so maybe I be careful. Could be messy. Messy can be fun but not always, messy can be... ah, messy!" Spells, tributes, blood sacrifice - all little trifles to her. Who knew demons came so cheap? People should have been doing this years ago.

When Wesix spoke of fun, she laughed again, slamming her hand against the side of the bath. "I big fun! Other party people, not so fun, but maybe queen elf. And funny talk werewolf lady.... and Senya! Senya! She nice but need more fun, she too quiet, very serious! Maybe some others, too." Inari snatched up the sake again and took a swig, realizing it was already empty. She tossed it into the other end of the bath water and let out a loud exaggerated sigh, bringing up a white furred paw to clasp to her face.

Wait a second... She looked at her paw and groaned again, louder. Ah, shit. She did it again.

 

[Damian0358]

Soon enough, Takato finished his morning chanting, recited thousands of times aloud as no one was in the cabin anymore, and he sighed. As a result of his wandering status, he had been forced to split his evening chanting into two, one for during the middle of the day, and one for night, as to be always on the move, and that likely wasn't going to change very soon, considering the mission at hand.

He packed his things into his sack, and stood up, doing some customary stretches and quick physical training, before he considered what he could do next. By his native bathing customs, he bathed and washed his hair every ten days, generally with different towels, kerchiefs and mats, utilizing a soap made from either purified ashes or from ground-up peas mixed with herbs, and generally cleaning would involve some sort of chanting too. He had bathed prior to the group leaving for the Abyss, so he was good for now. Instead, he'd just do his daily ablutions, washing his hands and face, rinsing his mouth, and brushing his teeth, though he didn't know if they had a willow branch he could chew on for that. Ordinarily, he would do so using a deep bowl or basin, in a special washing area separate from the bath house, before the chantings, but in his nomadic nature he had been forced to abandon such practices, instead trying his best to emulate it. He'd have to find where he could do his ablutions though, so he departed from the cabin and began walking, unaware there was a bathroom with a sink and toilet in the cabin.

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos stayed in his own little corner and somewhat detached from the festivities of the people in the dining room. Perhaps to most this amount of food is indeed quite satisfying and impressive, but the sorcerer felt that this was nothing more than a play on people's gluttony. He didn't need much to eat anyway, as his previous meal was quite filling and would remain so for some time. So, he resigned himself to observe everyone as he smoked from his pipe. It seemed people were getting into their own little cliques with the werewolves forming a pseudo-pack of sorts, revolving around Riberta. Fitting, since she was indeed an alpha. And so, he sat there and watched somewhat absent-mindedly as he pondered and observed in his corner with wisps of smoke coming from his pipe and his breath whenever he took a puff.

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine nodded once more towards Vincent and seemed to be fairly positive when fat from a roasted goat leg is splashed on her cheek. Turning to her other side Seriphine eyes Uloth with nothing but pure disgust. "You," she says. "Brute. Would you mind eating that food in a proper manner or is that too much to ask from a barbarian degenerate such as yourself? I figure that you could muster the intellectual power seeing as your speech is at the very least somewhat coherent unlike that guttural native language of yours."

Once she finished speaking Seriphine wiped off the fat using the napkin next to her plate. The Elf then looked at Uloth with arms crossed as if she was anticipating an answer or an apology, if not both.

 

[Infab]

"Well regardless, it's a shame they didn't teach you. He requested it often and he enjoyed it every time it was served to him, and it'd be even more shameful if it was forgotten."

"Indeed. I so wanted to learn it, but alas. I wasn't allowed to." responded Cat, with a sigh. Cooking was perfect for a succubus, since a great way to earn someone's affection was to prepare a wonderful meal for them.

Vincent looked to Uloth, as Seriphine berated her for splashing a little fat on her. "A good idea would be to probably not insult your allies, Seriphine..." said Vincent, glancing between them.

------
​

Wesix chuckled lightly, as he noticed that Inari's human appearance was reverting back to her natural kitsune one. "No worries, my lady. I can assist with that. Its an ability that some of us demons born of lust learn overtime. Especially those leaning more towards ascendancy." he said, as one of his copies retrieved the empty sake bottle from the end of the tub. The real Wesix leaned in and gave Inari a kiss on the cheek. It only lasted for a brief moment, but Inari was suddenly filled with renewed vigor. Her outer appearance shifted quickly back to her more human appearance, her white paw reverting back to a human hand. "There we are." he said, with a smile as he pulled away. "Succubi and Incubi normally strip one of mortal energies...but we can learn to grant them too. We can also learn to control the ability to take and give energies. Both Cat and myself have learned over time to do these things."

He then leaned on the edge of the tub next to Inari's head, and glanced to her. "Now...if you wish, I can fetch more sake. Or I can simply continue." he said, his black and gold eyes studying her expression. "Whatever you wish me to do. Though we shouldn't take very much longer...I'm sure the others are wondering where you are, and we'll be arriving at Sheol soon."

 

[Frankafurter]

Uloth straightens up and sets the food down, swallowing the mouthful she had after chewing and looking at Seri, "Yer a reet bitch, aye, maybe ya should mind yer manners an' maybe I'll oblige, yeah? So far ya been eyeballin' me, insultin' me, an' frankly I dunnae give a feck what ya think of me, but jus' ta make a point tha' I'm the bigger person 'ere..." Uloth trails off and goes back to eating, being much more mindful of the mess she makes.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Indeed. I so wanted to learn it, but alas. I wasn't allowed to."

Loque takes a deep breath, her posture adjusting to show that something's not sitting right with her. She looks at the empty space in front of her and Anya before looking back at Cat. Perhaps, this is one way she can get back at Thorgran.

"Say, you really want to learn it, yes? How about... I show you?" she makes an effort to say those last words as low as possible, not wanting to give Anya a migrane.

 

[Doomevil]

Senya finally left her cabin, sword by her side while everyone is chowing down at the dining table. The room was pretty much similar to the estate dining room, without the etiquette and Rena feeding Milo under the table. She simply sighed, wondering if this place was too good to be true. She noticed Venextos stood there observing people like he always did. Maybe Senya could just ask how he's feeling at the moment. The Warden walked up to Venextos by his side, crossing her arms.

"How's your morning, Grand Magus? You seem detached from the rest of the group." Senya spoke as she viewed the dining room.

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine cut Vincent a look as Uloth spoke. She frowned and balled her fists before looking back the orc. A resigned sigh escaped her as she looked down into the table briefly before looking back up at Uloth.

"Forgive my manners, I meant no disrespect. Thank you for...listening."

Seriphine glanced at Vincent once more. Almost as if she was looking for confirmation that her words were more polite.

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head when Senya spoke, slightly startled before giving a smile. "Ah, Warden. I was just pondering a great many of things." Venextos replied before taking another puff from his pipe. He then motioned to a nearby seat politely. "Please, sit. There's no need to stand and tire your legs already." he said with a chuckle.

 

[K0mori]

Anya tilted her head in Riberta's direction with a simple glare. "Yob tvoyu mat. I say I do not want wolf, I mean it." She dropped her fork on her plate and swept out of the dining room in a huff, headed for the shower room. She would take a moment to bathe (and use soap, for once) before they resumed their journey. As she walked, a dark cloud hanging over her, she realized that Inari had not joined them in the dining room. Perhaps she really had eaten in the bath. Strange woman. Anya made a note to be quick about her hygiene to avoid wasting time, since she was likely to get dirty anyway shortly after leaving the train.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari blinked several times after the kiss, realizing nearly instantly the dull edge the sake had brought on was sharpened again. She still felt... warm, and tingly, but the veil that held her back from more reasonable decisions had been lifted, if at least momentarily. She was delighted to see that it jolted her failing shapeshifting-illusion and she suddenly stood from the bath, the water cascading off her.

"Ah, no, no, I have good mind for the second, I need to make good mind decisions. More sake and I might, ah...." she trailed off, not wanting to imagine the mess that could make. "I need cloth to dry."

Once she was finished drying off, she pulled her kimono back on but only very loosely fastened the front. The cabin wasn't far away and she was going to be changing this one out for a new one, anyways. She turned back to Wesix and gave him a wide grin. "We take train again, I have fun again. But have more friends next time!" Inari said. She rolled her shoulders and stumbled out the door and into the hall, yawning and doing some little stretches with her arms as she sauntered back towards the dorm.

She turned one of the corners and nearly ran into Takato. Her kimono was... less than presentable given it was open to the air now, and she eyed the monk with some amusement, and she blew a raspberry sound. "[Pfhaa, its the two-face oni! Done with all nine hundred and fifty of your morning goat-chants to be let loose?"]

 

[Damian0358]

"[Projecting yourself onto others isn't good,]" Takato said, uncaring for Inari's open kimono in terms of appearance, "[though recommend would I that you close your kimono, for you'll catch a cold like so,]" he finished, before just walking past Inari into what he presumed to be the bath area. He didn't like the thought, but unaware of the bathroom in the cabin, he would have to do his daily ablutions here.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

["Projection? Ha! I have far more faces than merely two!"] Inari laughed. She didn't bother adjusting her kimono, hoping it annoyed the monk as he walked past. ["Ask for Wesix! Maybe he might open your mind a little bit. Monks are supposed to be enlightened, right?"]

She turned and kept moving as well, heading back to her cabin, only to again run into another member of the group. Anya. "Ah hah! My favorite wolf lady! You eat well? I eat well, too, demon bring me many good food!"