Graded [Isekai Hell] The Nightfeeder

[Lucius Cypher]

​

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I'm sure you have many questions, so allow me to fill you in on the situation."

The sun began to set, the forest blanketed by mist and shadows. In the distance the sound of beasts made themselves known, warning off potential predators... Or crying out for help in their final moments. This was the Primeval Woods, part of a large island known as the Eania wilds. It's a nature preserve guarded by not just powerful beasts and creatures, but a covern of druids, knights of an ancient order, and a clan of rangers dedicated to dealing with anyone who would threaten the sanctity of these lands as well as control the beasts within from terrorizing the world outside. They've recently begun allowing people to come to the island for exploration and research, in order to strengthen bonds between nations. And as part of this project they have begun allowing adventurers of all stripes to come work these lands and ply their trade alongside the warriors that defend it.

"Recently we have began finding an unsettling amount of remains of many different beasts and animals, some as small as rabbits, others as large as a house. It's not unusual for beasts to hunt and kill in these lands and such savagery is dark, but necessary to maintain the cycle of life here."

As the group would travel through the woods they would spot a pack of wolves on a hunt, chasing down a family of deer. The male stag attacks the wolves, goring one, but is shortly after taken down by the rest of the pack who begin to tear away at it with their teeth. Soon after the wolves took the stag down, smaller pups come out and join the feast and some of the wolves even go to tend to the wounded, dragging the stag's now decapitated head over for the wounded wolf to chew on. Meanwhile the remaining deer managed to survive, the doe leaving with her children to safer pastures. Such was the beauty of nature.

"However... These beasts are simply killed. No signs of their bodies being eaten, nothing had been taken for parts. Just slaughtered and left to rot. So far we have found over three hundred different creatures killed in this brutal matter, and the only consistent pattern is that these killings are happening at night. It's like they're cut apart but giant blades... This surely has to be the work of some sort of monster."

Soon the party would come across the grisly scene. The smell would hit them first before they saw a pack of large horned creatures reminiscent of triceratops, the smallest of them being at as big as a horse, butchered into gore on the forest floor. The only thing eating them were flies and maggots. Despite this abundance of carrion, the sheer slaughter seemed to scare off even the most desperate of scavengers. It was impossible to even tell how many of these beasts were killed, as their limbs, bones, and flesh were scattered throughout the area.

"You all are tasked to find this monster and kill it. If you don't think you can, you're free to leave and let us handle it. But if you succeed, not only will we pay you a hefty sum for your help, but you'll always be welcomed to our land."

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| Lucius Cypher |

Spoiler: Theme - "Dusk Hunt"

​

---

As dusk fell upon the Primeval Woods, with the fiery sky slowly dissolving into the bluish-dark hue of the night, Jebidah Boone sauntered down the main dirt path that lead him deeper into the shrouded forest. Whilst many might find themselves shuddering at the mere thought of coming here at this hour, the rugged undead gunslinger - draped with freshly laundered thick clothing wrapping around his body - braved the nightly venture unscathed by the surrounding ambience; his shadow lengthening further on as the sun began dipping below the tree line. The songbirds that sung their final melodies had since ceased, being replaced by the gradual rise of light chirping from humble crickets and the deep hoots of owls huddled within the forest canopy. The unique high-pitched call of an elk buck could be heard echoing in the distance, followed by other spastic sounds of unseen fauna residing in the bush. In most cases, this nighttime ambience would be welcoming, if not a little unnerving to any folk unfamiliar with forest life. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad time to go on a camping trip here...

But Jebidiah wasn't here to set up tents and cook hot dogs on an open fire. He was on the hunt... for a cold-blooded killer.

It wasn't his first time on a hunt like this, but it had been a long time since his last. First hearing of this on a quest board in a town near Redcliffe, Jebidiah would meet up with a fierce-looking dragon born at a dock; where it would take him to the island of Erania. There he would be debriefed by several overseers telling him of the ghastly situation. There was no given depiction of the target; only a description of the the eviscerated and butchered corpses of the victims it left in its wake by what must've been caused by a pair of giant claws. From the sounds of it, this thing wasn't killing for food, but rather for sport. A sick twisted sport at that. The only other information he gathered was that it was a nocturnal creature; which is why he left the safety of the coven camp right at sunset. Not that it really would stop him though, as he had keen dark vision himself. He could see it just as well as it could see him.

There were supposedly several other fellow hunters that were to accompany him on this monster hunt, but he had decided to hit the trail early to get a head start. Jebidiah made sure to have penned his name as "Cassidy B. Flint", a name he borrowed from a fellow gang member from in his previous life. His attire was fairly similar to what he normally wore, only this time he emphasized on wearing dark colored clothing throughout. It was best to blend into his surroundings rather than standing out like a sore thumb. On his face, he once again wore his trusty black pair of sunglasses, covered with an equally dark-colored bandana and sporting a thick "Van Dyke" beard. He had a dirty matted wig, fastened onto his skull by his wide-brimmed hat adorned with three sharp gator teeth. He also wore a dark brown poncho and brownish-green pants, that blended roughly with the ground below him, alongside his spurred leather boots.

And in his holster was his magic revolver, ready to see active duty in its first proper engagement. He'd already tested a few shots on it just before departing into the woods, ensuring its condition was more than adequate for the job ahead. For a faulty weapon is a useless weapon. While he certainly wished he had his hands on a meatier and stronger gun - like a double-barreled shotgun or a .600 nitro express - he'd have to make do with what he had on him. Had it not been for the fact he had others joining him, this mission would mostly certainly be a whole lot more difficult. Not impossible perhaps, but enough to make it feel like a suicide run.

He takes a quick moment to light a cigar in his mouth, before puffing out a large cloud of tobacco smoke into the pristine air.

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa
​

After the adventure throughout the “Fae Lands” where Tupu literally spawned into the world from he found himself into a town named Ryke finding going his separate way from his first ever companions in this new world. Slightly disappointed that they seemed to doubt him more than trust him he decides to just find his own way instead of continually looking for assistance. He quickly was drawn to become an adventure since he found its the line of work is what he’s mainly used to and gets to work quick finding a rather attractive hunting job located in the Primeval Woods. He luckily finds a merchant that helps him guide him across the land all the way to a dock which makes him realize just how far this job is making him pray he isn’t getting himself into some suicide mission of a job. After some days of travel he arrives as one of the last of the few hunters who showed up. He listens to the briefing and realizes that they’re hunting most likely some freak of nature that evolved into a deadly nocturnal beast and starts to take mental notes of all the habits and methods of killing. Realizing he’s getting a nice run for his money he sighs at the stressful situations to come but nevertheless doesn’t falter and actually cracks a smile thinking “This’ll be a damn good story to tell”while heading to the hunters camp stationed outside the target area.

Walking through the forest Tupu is quickly rushed by the smell of blood and decay which makes his beastly instincts settle in and him to start spitting in large amount on trees and bushes throughout the path he walks scaring away smaller and medium sized animals that might travel through it with his beastly aroma. He soon finds the hunter’s camp and settles in quickly as sunset is when he needs to start preparing the hunt. Throwing on a large set of black clothes he was received from traveling with the merchant that helped guide him to ship to Eania he then sighs and thinks “I should’ve asked for armor instead but I guess it’s not cheap to get armor my size”. He then wraps a black bandana around his head to cover his hair and goes outside to find a random patch of mud and start rubbing it on his clothes including the bandana. He sighs at the dirt on the new and well-made gear but better it be dirt than blood especially his. Seeing as the sun was barely letting any light over the trees Tupu decided that it was time to get set up the killzone that he was planning and starts to walk into the forest where he saw a fellow hunter enter earlier. It doesn’t take any longer than maybe a minute of walking to catch the other hunter which reminded Tupu of a old gunslinger of sorts and he knew he was the real thing when he saw the big iron on his hip which gave Tupu a sense of nostalgia as his mercenary years made him develop a respect for firearms. Trying not to startle the gunslinger he steps heavier on the ground making his footsteps rather easy to hear in a small radius of him and the gunslinger. Then walking past the gunslinger and putting his back to a tree to face him he says in a low tone “As fine as that firearm is I hope you don’t plan to hunt this yourself” he cracks a friendly smirk and finishes with “Cause then I would covered up for no reason” he motions to the still somewhat wet mud that was on his clothes before realizing the man had little to no scent. He scans the man for anything that might cover his scent but he sees nothing and doesn’t smell like any nature around them which made Tupu think a single thought “Dead man” as he gazed at the man. His lack of smell reminded Tupu of the smell of a long dead corpse but he decides to ignore it for now as a cowboy zombie on his team is the last thing he should worry about.

Develius Lucius Cypher

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris had heard about the island that had requested help; it was a place full of mystery one she intended to explore, unlike most times where she happened to stumble upon things. This was one of the rare occasions that she knew exactly where she was going and what she was going to be doing or, well, mostly. When she saw the request and the part about unlimited access whenever she wanted, she couldn't turn down the offer. So she pulled the paper off the wall and rushed toward the location where they were going to board the ship.

Upon arriving at the island, she looked around, not really sure where to go after being directed toward a group and a man someone speaking about the situation on the island. Glancing around at the group, she noticed there was a man with a pistol and the familiar hulk of a man which she awkwardly smiled, Oh wonderful my serial kill strikes again it seems, I didn't expect to run into him so soon again." She thought to herself as they were led further into the jungle which the situation was explained. She pinched her nose as the smell of blood got stronger, and she was curious as to see what was causing this whole situation.

Upon the completion of the 'tour', Eris cocked her head to the right as she was confused slightly but she knew the task at hand. "So do you have any clues on where this creature might be at? I mean we could follow the carnage but it seems like you want this resolved now," Eris stated as she waited to see if they had any more information.

mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher DSLIX

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa
​

Tupu seeing the priestess arrive while he was addressing the gunslinger surprised him to the point where his jaw dropped slightly. After looking in awe for a few seconds he snaps back to reality and says in a concerned tone “Priestess? Your really participating in this hunt too? Well I do have a plan and the only part you have in it is sitting pretty out of the way” his concerned tone turned into a cold one at the end. He likes her fearlessness but if would encounter the beast in close quarters before anyone else he doubt she’ll be able to even make move. He looks at her again in a serious and deep tone with unwavering eye contact and says “I hope you know what your doing Priestess as this beast is intelligent enough to use human-like ways of hunting and will hunt for the weakest link first. I will do what I can to protect you but it’s very real that you will be the main target of the beast this hunt”. After keeping eye contact for a few more seconds he turns away and sighs but leans back upon the tree he was originally resting against and waits while saying “Tracking an apex predator in it’s own territory is courting death that’s why I’m making a kill-zone“.

saxon Develius Lucius Cypher

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| DSLIX (Tupu) | saxon (Eris) |

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As Cassidy would turn a corner down the path, his shrouded face would glance over to meet a ragged figure leaning against the side of a tree. He knew he heard some rather obvious footsteps sneaking around him; being almost considered unloading his revolver into the dense bush. Alas, good thing he refrained. He'd pause to study the man, noticing the scars on his face and mud-covered clothing, as the individual would speak friendly to him. He remembered seeing him briefly during the debriefing session - Tupu if he recalled correctly - but the gunslinger made little attempt to talk to him or the other hunters at the time. Taking out the cigarette in his mouth, Cassidy chuckled briefly before tipping his hat to the man in friendly recognition.

"Ohh, don' ya worry, Scarface," Cassidy replied smoothly, in a deeper, more rugged drawl befitting his looks. It was no doubt a proper southern accent, yet it was a bit more "refined" compared to some of Jebidiah's other personas, "Jus' gettin' the lay o' the land is all. Wouldn't dare to start it proper without ya'll in the picture. Just plain bad manners n' all."

Shortly after, he'd notice the arrival of a young-looking woman in a clerical priest outfit; with pure snow-white hair, pale skin and had unusually gray-colored eyes. Aside from streaks of red, yellow, and black loosely adorning her outfit, she seemed to be nearly devoid of color; like something Jebidiah saw straight out of those fancy television sets he'd heard about. She'd ask about the potential creature's whereabouts before the man gave her the cold suggestion to sit this one out and warned her the potential dangers she was in. Jebidiah wouldn't necessarily blame him for his honesty here; for a lass like her going on a dangerous hunt seemed very out of place. If she wasn't careful, she might see herself snatched by this nocturnal hunter and it would be a life taken away oh so soon.

Nonetheless, she's here now. Surely she'd know the consequences and dangers that she signed up for. If she didn't, she might already be marked for death from the moment he stepped foot here. But even so, they had a vital use. Cassidy glanced down at the priestess. "The sooner we take that sumbitch out," he explained in a calm yet quickened drawl, glancing back out into the depths of the woods, "The faster we can turn tail outta 'ere. O' course, we mustn't be too hastily to lure ourselves into a trap; exercise caution oughta be a no-brainer." He paused to have Tupu suggest making a kill-zone, "Exactly; best to lure IT to us rather it leadin' us. Take it on our terms."

As he turned to see the sun fall further down the treeline, Cassidy took an exhale before slowly taking another glance down the trail. "That bein' said, before we go searchin' for clues, I just wanna be clear on what we all bring to the table. Like for example," He quickly draws his revolver and spins it around his trigger finger before grasping it in his leather glove. "I got me a gun. Sure it aint no rifle or shotty, but a well placed shot in the noggin or organs outta this 'ere revolver can pack a whollop." Swiftly, he placed the gun back into his snug hostler as his stance shifts to one side with his hands clenching his belt. "I also got some pretty thick rope if we wanna set up some traps or nooses." he added casually. His gaze then bounces back between the scarred-man and the priestess, waiting to hear what they brought to the hunt.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

The ranger let the group talk amongst themselves for a bit. When Eris asked for more intel on the beast, they sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't have much reliable information. These killings just started a few days ago and we're still trying to narrow down it's exact hunting grounds. The carnage we've seen has been spotted all around the island, so there's a possibility that we may even be facing two or more of these monsters. Though we do got two potential leads: most of the killings have happened at night and near the rivers. Could just be a coincidence given how wide spread these attacks have been, but even so we're not ruling anything out." There was still some sunlight left in the day, maybe two or three hours. Enough time for the crew to do some investigation and maybe even setting up a trap.

When Cassidy mentioned what they would be bringing to the table, the ranger remembered to give them something. He hands each of them a key, a map, and a wooden tube with a red tip. "That reminds me. Your team will begin searching in the north-east parts, around the crags and sulfur pools. Not many beasts there, not too many forests either, but there's a river that empties out into the northern part of the island. There were two sites there we haven't checked out yet, we've already marked it on the map. There's also a few cabins we've set up there for emergencies also marked on your map. These keys can open them and contain supplies to last you for a week, if needed, plus medical equipment. Lastly if you find the beast or even better, slay it, this tube is a flare. Aim the red end towards the sky and pull the ring on the other side. Anyone nearby will converge on your position." There were two maps, one that showed the various paths, roads, buildings, and landmarks on the island, and the other which was a purely topographical map. The first map had multiple red marks on the map where the killings had happened and sure enough in the north-east quadrant there was only two.

"I won't lie to you, we've some suspicion that the north-east is it's newest hunting ground. The dead we found there were still warm. We're stretched too thin trying to investigate previous areas and securing as much of the island as we can, so we're relying on you all to follow up on this new lead. Maybe there's something there that'll lead you to the beast."

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris looked over the rather large man as he spoke; she continued her awkward smile, "Uh, you won't have to worry about that I knew what I was signing up for when I saw the request, but I couldn't really turn down a request for help now could I?" She awkwardly smiled, scratching the back of her head, slightly offended that he assumed she couldn't defend herself. She knew the risks well though she wasn't about just to turn around and back away from his situation.

Turning to the skeleton that spoke with a southern accent as he started to put out suggestions about how to deal with the creature. Eris was no monster hunter but she had fought creatures before though they were shades but none the less. She had been in combat before, she nodded her head as the Jebidiah mentioned luring the creature out of hiding. "Well I can buff my allies, do a little bit of healing, strike something with a divine smite, and use magic to make a light source in a dark place," She explained as that was really all she brought to the table, she might be able to fight but to say she is a front line fighter was stretching it.

As the ranger handed them the map with a direction, she glanced over the map for a moment. So they really don't have any idea what the creature is, though to say that it has human intelligence might be a bit off for all we know it might just be something that is territorial and will kill on site even if its not hungry. She thought to herself, pondering the idea in her head though she didn't have any evidence at the moment to disprove the other's theory.

mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher DSLIX

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa


Tupu smiles at the name the undead cowboy gave him as it brought him a sense of nostalgia. Then puts on a serious face again hearing Eris response and her uncomfortable looking smile he begins to smack his teeth but stops and replies with a quick “I can’t stop you now.“ before becoming silent and listening to the cowboys question. Seeing his other two companions talk about what they have to offer he holds a straight face until he hears “divine smite” and lets a chuckle escape before becoming silent again. When he sees they’re done speaking he smirks and simply says “I’ll be the one to snap the beasts neck if it decides to get to close“ he then pays attention to the ranger who approaches them and gives them more information as well as other excess stuff Tupu didn’t really care for except the flare which he quickly stashes in a easy to access spot. Hearing that the killings is widespread through the islands he tries to immerse himself in the beast shoes for a few minutes thinking about all the possible reasons for its behavior. “Widespread and excessive killing, no attacks on human settlements that we’ve been told, nocturnal, also possibly more than one beast though I doubt it’s anymore than 4 at the most, Bodies mainly found along main water source, and fresh kills found in the north-east area of the island“ he softly grinds his teeth as he thinks and decides he still needs more information and calls out the ranger before asking “Excuse me but do you have any bodies I can look at that isn’t as decomposed yet?“ He then looks at the others and says “After I get a good look at how the beast kills I’ll be more than ready to head off“.

saxon Develius Lucius Cypher ​

 

[Lucius Cypher]

"We don't have any bodies on hand, no, but your best bet would be the North-East area. That's our most recent sighting of more dead bodies so they'd be the freshest kill available." The ranger would give the group some directions. Reaching the north-east would be easy enough, as there's a stone path they could walk to get there. Reaching the bodies would be a bit more difficult since they're in the wilderness, and while the crags and pools make it fairly open, it's still a wide stretch of land. Notably there was no safe houses near that area, so if they were going to need shelter they'd have to improvise or make a run for it to the nearest cabin. There wasn't much time before nightfall, so the group would have to leave soon.

Another ranger approached to group to deliver a message. Seems like they were both needed to deal with some panicked beasts. "Dammit, these critters can't even keep themselves outta trouble while we look into this. Guess work's never done. Alright, I'll have to go soothes the beasts before they end up raising a storm in the midst of all of this chaos. Keep that in mind too: lots of animals out here are also spooked by these killings and might act irrationally. Do your best to minimize contact with any beasts, the last thing we want is to end up culling a herd of animals because of this panic." The rangers would go, leaving the group to head out to the north-east themselves. If they moved at a steady pace this would only take about an hour to reach the north-east area.

 

[Develius]

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"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| Lucius Cypher (Ranger) | DSLIX (Tupu) | saxon (Eris) |
​

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So here they are; a holy cleric, a martial artist, and a gunslinger walking into a bar that was a dark forest.- including a ranger guide that just so happened hop in. All of their bases were roughly covered, even if they were just a party of four, meaning that everyone would have to be virtually attuned to each other to keep themselves alive in order to successfully vanquish this vile beast. The ranger would provide more information about what they knew about the killer, showing them to the north-east as the creature's new hunting grounds and marking two un-searched sports on their maps. Of course, they would also be given keys to cabin stashes within safe-houses dotted in the area, in case they needed it, as well as flares to alert anyone within the general vicinity. All handy tools for the search at hand.

Another ranger would approach them, requesting the other ranger come to help with soothing some panicked animals. Before he'd leave, he'd warn them to make as little contact with the animals due to their erratic nature. Cassidy nodded with a tip of his hat, silently wishing the rangers good luck. With that he turned to the others.

"Suppose we'll speak more on our merry way there," Cassidy said, as he clenched his teeth on a newly lit cigar, "Let's giddy on up 'ere fellas while the night's young."

 

[PunkP]

OSCAR​

As the darkness began to set in, Oscar felt the surrounding temperature gradually drop. Though protected by the warmth from her woolen cloak, nightfall meant that it was time she returned back to camp.

Even if she lacked the appropriate skill set to facilitate an investigation, Oscar took on the opportunity as soon as she saw the job offer. Her need for coin took precedent over common sense. She realized how foolish her decision was when it was a bit too late. "I should have went with a group."

The eerie night usually did not bother her, but since she was alone in an unknown land, Oscar couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety. "Hello?"

The random sounds around her didn't help her feel any better. It just made her increase the pace she was walking at. Though exposed to a cacophony of ambient sound, they remained faint and muffled. What Oscar could hear most were the steps she took. They were rushed and hurried, but maintained a constant pattern. However, after a while, the rhythm her steps made were thrown off. "Huh?" A soft thudding noise was mixed in between her steps.

It was strange.

It bothered her enough to reduce her pace. And as she predicted, as she slowed down, whatever it was that was making the sounds slowed down as well. Though she expected the worst, Oscar still hoped for the best as her head hesitantly look back.

Spoiler

Oscar's expression remained unchanged despite the massive fowl behind her. You could say she looked apathetic. But behind her calm demeanor, she was clenching her teeth extremely hard.

Thinking fast - not smart, but fast - Oscar's initial response was spitting at the bird's eyes before making a break for it.

While the beast wailed and thrashed, Oscar ran as quickly as she could and caught glimpse of a familiar orange glow from a distance. The camp was just a few meters away. All she had to do was not die.

She wanted to scream her lungs out to ask for help, but she was afraid that she might call the attention of whatever else that could have been lurking in the dark.

Instead, she whistled as loud and fine as she could. "Help!" She whistled like her life depended on it. "Anybody, help!"

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa

Tupu sighs at the response of the ranger but listens to the advice he gives after and takes in every word of the directions he gives trying to imagine a mental layout of the path. He then takes notice of the ranger leaving seeing the beasts in captivation start becoming bewildered. He waves the ranger off with a "No worries just keep the reward warm for us" before turning to the others and looking at the line-up and puts on a confident smirk. This team might just be all they need and some to capture this beast or kill it if need be. He looks at all the materials they had given them and looks in the direction of the area they're supposed to cover with a determined look on his face ready to start the hunt. Seeing Cass was ready to go already he started walking in the direction agreeing with his statement and adding on with " Lets save the life stories for the cabin though to much talking can easily distract us".

Before Tupu could fully leave the camp though he heard the faint sound of a whistle and a voice which he didn't recognize. Though when he realized the voice was calling for help it didn't matter as his body sprung into action quickly rushing towards the noise to see a young lady running away from some ugly looking ostrich beast. He sighed knowing this isn't the beast they were looking for and scolded himself for getting his hopes up. Still focusing on the beast ahead he walks towards the girl running towards him waiting for her to pass him up so he can focus on disabling the beast. As soon as she passed him up and the beast was looking to charge through him he quickly kicked the beast in the leg causing it stumble and start to fall forward but before it could even get close to the ground Tupu wrapped his arms around the beast and twists his body around and slams the beast with a loud THUMP on the ground. The beast yelps loudly after hitting the ground being knocked unconscious from the slam before Tupu dusts his hands off and carries the beast back to the camp to leave it with the ranger. Seeing the girl who was running from it he walks towards her to quickly say "Be more careful kid" before returning back to his group without a word of what happened before simply strolling north-east to then turn around and suggest "Lets see if the Cabin has anymore goodies for us".

Skill: Earth Shaker (1 post cooldown)
Lucius Cypher saxon Develius PunkP​

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris scratched her head as the ranger gave them one final warning before leaving the group with the single clue on where to go. I had figured we would be given a lot more information than what we were we told before getting here......WAIT did Tupa just say he was going to snap necks!? She screamed in her head as she moved closer to the other member of the group with a pistol on his hip slowly shuffling over.

Letting out a sigh as the man she assumed to be a serial killer walked deeper into the forest. Reaching her hand out toward the gunslinger but stopping before grabbing any fabric and put her hand back down at her side. The man was right they could tell stories as they made their way deeper into the island. Though she was curious to see the animals on the island not really sure what was going to be found.

mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher DSLIX

 

[Coffeepot Giraffe]

Arik

Arik was lost.

Plain and simple.

He had arrived on this island primarily to assist in finding this strange being that was massacring all of the beasts. He knew he had no shot of defeating it alone, but instead he just wanted to find it. For you see, Arik was aiming to improve his reputation.

He desired a reputation as a monster that helped people. Maybe then people wouldn't attack him or flee on sight.

However, what he was going to rely on for tracking this mysterious being, wouldn't work. His sense of smell was all confused in this forest.

Navigating through the trees, with leaves crunching beneath his boots, Arik picked up the smell of decay nearby. Rushing towards it, he wondered if he would find a fresh corpse or something else. He parkoured up the trees, jumping from one branch to another, before coming to a stop above the source, a group of three adventurers by the looks of it.

"Might as well introduce myself." Arik mumbled to himself. An interesting fact about Arik: for an oni, he looks remarkably human. In fact, the only sign he isn't one is his horns. Therefore, he can typically pass himself off as some sort of horned beastfolk.

Arik jumped down from the branch he was on, and asked the group, "Heya! Got room for one more?"

Skills Used: Parkour (0 post cooldown)​

 

[Develius]

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"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| Lucius Cypher (Ranger) | DSLIX (Tupu) | saxon (Eris) | PunkP [RIP(?)] | Coffeepot Giraffe (Arik)|
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As Cassidy was going to giddy up on with the rest of the party, they'd suddenly pick up a sharp particular sound coming towards their location. It sounded like whistling; mad whistling in fact. Mad in the sense that someone was in a desperate panic. Jebidiah had heard of such whistling back in the old days; his gang having a system of various whistles that determined a variety of different moods and given orders. They weren't used too often, but usually in areas that required they keep their heads low and speaking down to a minimum. What he heard sounded mighty similar to one that was used to call for help. The gunslinger rose quickly, drawing his gun towards the direction of the approaching noise with a careful eye.

"Steady pardners." Cassidy stated slowly, as he heard the rustling of bushes getting louder and louder.

Eventually, the tension breaks and out came a smaller woman that was fleeing from what Cassidy donned to be the biggest bird he'd ever seen. "What in the'~?" So sudden was this appearance, that Cassidy would be just a second late on the draw; allowing Tupu the opportunity to knock the thing down and strangle it to unconsciousness. Swift and effective, if not a bit brutish. The cowboy recoiled his gun as he took a moment to inspect at this unholy bird. It had unnaturally-looking blue skin, with a smooth plumage of black feathers, and sported a large domed crest on its head. He couldn't forget the big bulging yellow eyes it had when it was rushing at them. Yet it didn't look like it could fly; making it even odder.

"Ain't that a creepy lil' bastard." Cassidy remarked plainly, while lightly prodding it with his boot. Alas, it didn't seem to be the creature they were hunting for.

As for the girl? Gone. Even as Tupu called for her to watch where she was going, the victim seemed to have nearly disappeared without a trace. Cassidy couldn't help but consider a few theories as to explain it. Did they perhaps see a ghost rush by? Did she get attacked while trying to get back to them? Hard to say really. The gunslinger gave a tired sigh as he holstered his gun. "Forget her." he growled as he turned to face the cabin, "Let's keep movin'. Either we'd run into 'er down the line or not at all."

And thus the party of three headed north-east with haste. The night had already crept into nearly pitch-black darkness, but Jebidiah's dark vision allowed him to see as if it was a sunny day at high noon. So when he heard unusual rustling approaching them from the trees above, Cassidy instinctually drew his pistol from his hip and aimed it at the direction it came from above. As his body swiveled into place, he'd lock eyes with yet another person atop a branch - a young man with two horns jutting out from the front of his head. Cassidy's own skull cocked curiously as the individual asked if there was room for another.

"Mayhaps." the gunslinger hesitantly replied, still aiming his pistol at him, "Just who might you be, devil-in-disguise?"

 

[Coffeepot Giraffe]

Arik
​

Arik raised his hands, looking at the cowboy cosplayer currently pointing a gun at him, something he wasn't even aware this world had, a bit nervously. He wondered if he got found out. No, there was no way... right?

"My name's Arik. I'm an aspiring swordsman, but more importantly, I'm a tracker, something you don't look like you have in your group." he introduced himself warily. "I heard about the beast on this island, and wanted to see what it was all about, but I didn't have a group, so..." he trailed off, looking over at the other two of the group and mentally pleading for them to step in.

Arik noticed something off. That decay smell was coming from here. Specifically, it was coming from the outlaw wannabe the was threatening him. But he couldn't figure out why that was...

Mentions: Lucius Cypher Develius saxon DSLIX

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris watched as the gunslinger pulled out his weapon and was now pointing it at a new arrival. She noticed the person had horn on their head and several races had that feature. Who is this guy? I mean we probably shouldn't turn down help but, there are a lot of people on this island, is seems. She thought to herself as she ran her hand through her hair for a moment pondering the issue. At the moment, he didn't seem hostile so she let out a small sigh.

Clearing her throat as she saw the look of the stranger, "Come one let's all play nice, he didn't attack us. So I don't think you need to keep your weapon pointed at him," Eris stated as she walked up and stood between the two hoping that it would at least calm things down a little bit. Glancing at the stranger again for a moment before looking back at the group.

As Arik introduced himself she shrugged her shoulders for a moment. "Well I mean outside of tracking by the smell, you might be right," She stated as she knew Tupa had a good nose though she didn't know what other senses he could track with. Nor did he really want to know all that much either.

mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher DSLIX Coffeepot Giraffe

 

[DSLIX]

Tupu Maa​

After walking some time Tupu became fairly used to the smells of the forest. Even be able to isolate smells themselves but soon was caught off guard by a new smell and quickly took attention to the new creaking and rustling trees above him. Seeing Cassidy quickly draw his big iron and take aim as well he felt no need to take the offensive especially when seeing it was just some strange kid with horns looking for a group to be with. Tupu was a little dumbfounded at the super suspicious approach but just decided to let Cassidy do the talking as he was busy trying to figure out what exactly the kid was as he didn’t have the smell of a beast but of steel and blood making him rather curious to openly approach him about it but chose to wait for a better time. Once everybody seemed to be on board for him to join he just simply shrugged his shoulders in agreement. Seeing Eris attempt to deescalate the situation was kinda funny to Tupu mainly just because this kid was a swordsman afraid of getting shot showing he probably has not a lot of sword experience.

Deciding to focus on the main task at hand he butts into the questionnaire with “Yea yea he’s a sword guy that has good sense we can ask our questions when we get to the destination yea?“. Tupu did his best to not come off in a rude way but he had little interest in anything outside of the hunt as his beastly instincts and money were heavily influencing him to get quick and get gone to where they needed to be as a premature attack from the beast right now might ruin everything he had in plan. He then walks up to the kid to stare down at him with a cold look before smiling and putting his hand on his shoulder before saying cooly “Arik right? Lets take good care of each other kid, also you can for sure be a tracker if you can actually prove your abilities though that can wait till another time as we have places to be right now” a slick smile still on Tupu face as he puts his arm around the kid and makes him start walking towards the cabin.

Develius saxon Coffeepot Giraffe Lucius Cypher

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| Lucius Cypher (Ranger) | DSLIX (Tupu) | saxon (Eris) | Coffeepot Giraffe (Arik)|
​

---

As Arik - the tracker - made his case regarding his motives and capabilities, Cassidy's expression continued studying the young oni for just a bit longer. He couldn't help it. While not a strictly religious man by all means, he still had a fairly strong belief in the devil and his dastardly deeds. Surely would explain his cursed skeletal form, that's for sure. And this Arik individual seemed to have unintentionally struck a cord within him. Thankfully this perception would shift as Eris calmly suggested he lowered his gun; for that he eventually complied. With a sigh, his arm recoiled slowly, before planting the persuader back in its holster. If they were cool with him around, he might as well mosey along. Though his grip on the trigger would remain ready, just on the offhand if things go south quick.

"Peskily sorry for the misidentification." Cassidy apologetically grumbled while his stance loosened slightly, "We'd loss track of anotha' potential fella a lil' bit ago. No idea where it scampered off to - that whistlin' bugger. Sworn for a moment you were somethin' foul, though's clear you aint what I initially thought. You poppin' in so sudden had me a bit on edge is all."

The others would seem to accept Arik's presence, as well as his skills as a tracker. They'd need someone like him to track down this vile killer, or the very least keep both nostrils out for it once they made first combat. He reminded Jebidiah of an Indian folk he once met in eastern Arizona, one who also happened to also be a tracker of various animals to hunt. His services would be much appreciated after all. Though as Tupu said, the boy needed to prove himself as an adept tracker before they become fully confident in him. As they walked towards the cabin, Cassidy asked the boy simply, "So how've long you been 'ere? Seen anythin' suspicious before runnin' inna us?"

 

[Lucius Cypher]

For the most part, the walk towards the cabin was eerily quiet. Occasionally there may be a flock of birds flying erratically in the skies, but aside from the noise of their own footsteps, voices, and the wind itself, it was quiet. No bird song, beast roars, or even insect noises. By the time they reached the cabin the night was just beginning to settle. The wooden shack was locked, but looked fairly undisturbed. It had a thin layer of dust on the window stills and the doornob, with a complex looking lock on it. Fortunately it was still a simple key-based one, so it was just a matter of unlocking the door while pulling it so that the lever could drop and the door open. Sure enough, inside there was some amenities and supplies.

However their time to check the place out would be cut short. Soon after arriving, there was a great roar nearby. The group could hear the crashing and falling of trees, and it seemed like there was some sort of fighting happening near their location. And whoever was doing the roaring was losing, given how loud and desperate it's screams were.

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris let out a sigh as the gun was lowered, though she was shocked at the amount of people they had let on the island itself. She figured that it must be bad with this many people here. "Good, now that we averted that crisis." Eris stated with a nod of her head and then took a step back from the two as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"Seems like this thing is a lot more dangerous than we thought if this many arrivals are on the island," She stated with a shrug of her shoulders as they continued to walk toward the cabin that they were told about earlier. Every now and then she would stop to look at the plants along the path they were following.

When they reached the cabin she smiled as the sun was now gone. Unlocking the door she stepped inside and sneezed from the dust. "Well I didn't expect this much dust in here," She stated before sneezing again as she brushed some dust off the table as the roars were heard. Stoping what she was doing she looked at the others, "Think we could have found the beast?" She inquired looking at the group.
mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher DSLIX Coffeepot Giraffe

 

[Develius]

---

"CURRENTLY DISGUISED AS 'CASSIDY B. FLINT'"

Mentions:
| Lucius Cypher (Ranger) | DSLIX (Tupu) | saxon (Eris) | Coffeepot Giraffe (Arik)|
​

---

Cassidy couldn't help but feel the tension in the air as they made their way back to the cabin. It was quiet; way too quiet. Aside from the sounds they themselves produced and the occasional fluttering of rogue birds, not a single peep could be heard emerging from the entire forest. It was as if they were bracing for what was about to come. And with night time now settling in, the gunslinger was now more on guard than ever. The real event was about to begin.

Looking back at Eris, Cassidy nodded at her statement regarding the many arrivals. "And all the more for it to slaughter~" he commented grimly, "Pray their damned souls make it through the night alive and in one piece."

Once reaching the cabin, the cowboy took a moment to inspect the room and take note of the supplies at their disposal. Food and water wasn't of any concern for the bone-man; although some ammunition or special magical bullets would benefit him nicely. Suddenly, he turned to hear a wild commotion coming not too far off from where they were. A roar pierced through the silence in a sickened abrasive manner. Whatever that was, it was in real trouble. Readying his big iron, Cassidy made his way out the cabin and motioned for everyone to follow.

"Lez move; c'mon yall," he called in a hushed manner, as he utilized his [Dark Vision] to socur through the thick brush while listening intently for where the action was taking place.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

As the group proceeded forward, the commotion would have died down. Wasn't long before they came across yet another ghastly scene of dead animals. These however looked still whole, a mixture of strange beasts with metallic shells battered, ripped apart, and scattered around the area. Young and old alike, nothing was spared, no one escaped. But there was still one beast alive, howling and writhing in agony. It doesn't seem to have noticed the group just yet, but it lashed out. It's tail smashed into a large stone, shattering it like glass. Anyone who saw this beast could see blood coming from every orifice, it's eyes dead and yellow, but still moving around as if it was looking for prey. It would tear into the beasts around it, but not eating it. Just tearing their corpses apart. Strange worm-like creatures were wriggling within it's maw, digging into the flesh of the fallen as the beast continued it's blind rampage.

 

[saxon]

Eris Granstone
​

Eris saw as the beast tore into the other creatures around it. Biting down on her lower lip she gripped her staff tighter. That stuff is truly made of nightmares it seems. Though it seems to only kill for sport or at least that is how it looks. She thought to herself taking a deep breath. Something like this reminded her of a horror movie, though she couldn't think on a particular one that seemed to fit this situation at the moment.

Glancing back she saw that at least now she wasn't alone, though she knew that something needed to be done about the creature. This seemed like the best opportunity since it was already injured from the previous fights that it was engaged in. This seemed like the best chance that they would have to take care of it in one spot.

"I think we should aim for the legs and take it out once it can't move around. That seems like the safest bet." She stated taking a deep breath and moving into the fray as there wasn't much else they could do at this point. It was do or let the creature continue on with its rampage. "Book of Evitius verses 3-9. For those who do not look upon the light, there shall be fire. A fire that will cleanse the soul or remove it from the cycle. For it is us the clergy of our goddess' faith that stand at the bearers of the torch. For that torch is the salvation and the executioner, for I sentence you to be judged by her holy flames!" Eris chanted as a beam of light shot out of the sky aimed at the creature's legs and would ignite the leg on impact.

Spoiler: abilities/cooldowns

• Holy Flames - Religion E, Magic E, Magic Area of Effect F, Divine Affinity F, Magic Range F, Spell Duration F - The caster can call down a beam from the heavens causing radiant damage to the target. Upon impact, the target burns with divine flames for 1 post. The target must be within 10 feet of the caster. - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown

mentions: Develius Lucius Cypher