Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Cruel Choreography | A Side Story

[Damian0358]

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[K0mori]

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[rpg.veteran]

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[Breadman]

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[joshuadim]

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[Infab]

• Accept the offer. You could use the company.

Eventually, Claire nodded. "Alright. We can travel together." she then said, shifting a bit towards the door. "I'll need a horse, though."

Claude nodded in response. "I can have one of the horses from the Fort's stables loaned to you. That's not a problem."

Another voice soon chimed in, shifting their attentions away from each other. The brown haired inquisitor-to-be had somehow snuck into the room and was quickly approaching them. "Travel where?" she asked, rapidly looking between the pair.

Brassard looked fine, really, after the ordeal of the night before. She had mud and blood on her boots, but was otherwise clean. She's surprisingly agile on her feet. "I was wondering where you were, Brassard. How far did you make it into the forest before they found you?" asked Claire, folding her arms.

"About twelve kilometers." she responded, "I had to stop and rest at a river, and that's where the Musketeers found me. I slept most of the way to the fort."

"Impressive." remarked Claude, "The forest around Ditoise is pretty rough terrain."

"Nothing for a fit, trained hunter, right?" she said, flashing Claire a grin.

Claire chuckled in response, before motioning to the map behind her. "We're going to be traveling to Frérac. I got a letter with a job offer from there. Investigative work."

Brassard's eyes lit up. "Oh! An investigation? May I join you?"

Claire raised an eyebrow. "What about your work with the Church?" she asked in response, "Holloway being missing, Ditoise needing clearing out...?"

Brassard motioned a hand to the map. "There's likely a Church in Frérac, just like most other towns. I can visit the Church, speak with a priest, and have a letter sent to Eternis saying that I'll be patiently remaining with a freelance hunter and one of the Royal Musketeers until Holloway appears. I'll also inform them about the ghouls in Ditoise, and request a team of inquisitors be sent to clear it out."

Claude shrugged. "That works, I guess. I can send a letter with yours for confirmation. The Church seems to respect royal seals when it comes to documentation."

"...Alright, but you'll need a horse too." said Claire, who glanced to Claude a moment afterward. Claude simply gave her a thumbs-up in response.

"Then its settled!" said Brassard, grinning again. "I'll go freshen up a little, before our journey. Maybe I can get some of this crusted gunk off my boots." She soon departed, moving towards one of the other doors in the room as Claude shifted his gaze back to Claire.

"She's certainly cheerful, for a future inquisitor." he muttered, to which Claire chuckled.

--- --- --- --- --- ---
​

It wasn't too long before the trio were outside at the stables just inside the Fort's large stone walls. The wooden structure housing the horses was rather expansive, allowing men and women to tend to a cavalry regiment's worth of horses if the need ever rose. However, the only horses here that didn't belong to the troops of the fort itself were those of the Musketeers. However, the soldiers were more than willing to lend two horses to the Musketeers for Claire and Brassard's use.

Claire was given a more traditional brown horse along with a standard issue Escarian cavalry saddle. Brassard's horse was black, but featured a similar saddle. Quite different from the inquisitorial saddle she had previously. A lot less padding for its rider, but then again, soldiers were focused less on comfort and more on utility.

As the horses were prepared, Claire took a moment to look about the fort. Escarian soldiers moved about, tending to their daily duties. There weren't any trees in this part of the fort, allowing room for soldiers to exercise or practice formations and marching. It also allowed for more rudimentary buildings to be constructed, like additional barracks buildings in the event the fort was filled to full capacity in a time of war. It seemed some of the soldiers were still eating breakfast, sitting on whatever they could find or on crates and parts of the battlements on the fort walls. The stone structures seemed well maintained, even if they likely had been constructed centuries prior during a different, more feudal period.

If they were anything like some of Escaria's castles, they'd last for centuries to come as well.

Claire eventually glanced to Brassard, who was walking over from where their horses were standing. "So, did you see the other Senior Inquisitor on the way into the keep?" she asked, prompting Brassard to give her a look of confusion.

"Senior Inquisitor? There was one here?" asked Brassard, casting a look around her before looking back to Claire.

"Yeah. Senior Inquisitor Cassandra Bainbridge." Claire folded her arms. "Blonde hair, wears tinted glasses..."

Brassard thought for a moment, before raising a finger. "OH! Cassandra! Yes!" she exclaimed, before lowering her voice as she rubbed her chin. "I-I... must have missed her on the way in. There's several ways into and out of the Keep, so she must have left through one of the other routes."

"Eh." said Claire, shrugging. "Figured you would have talked her up for a moment, but if you didn't run into her, then it doesn't matter."

"Why? What was she doing here?" asked Brassard, raising an eyebrow.

"She didn't say. She was en route to Bastion for an inquiry into a witch coven, though."

"Huh." exhaled Brassard, before shrugging after a moment. "She seems like quite a talented huntress, from what Holloway told me. I've only ever encountered her once."

"Well, she's long gone now." stated Claire, as she turned about. "Maybe we'll bump into her somewhere else in the future. Who knows?" As she finished her statement, she moved towards the horses. They were ready to go, from the looks of things, as the soldiers had backed away from the horses finally. Claude was already mounted, sitting atop his own horse and quietly waiting for the pair to mount up.

Once Claire and Brassard were in the saddle, the trio set off. Out of the fort, and up the road in the direction of Frérac. As they road, at a rather brisk pace to keep up with Claude's horse, Brassard and Claude decided to chat. Claire kept quiet, simply listening to the pair converse, and only offering her input when asked something. It seemed Claude was an orphan, his parents having died of illness years prior to his enlistment into the Escarian military. He joined the army, working his way into cavalry before gaining enough prestige there that he was recommended for transfer into the Escarian Royal Musketeer regiment.

He seemed like a good man, beyond his military background. Honest, kind, generous. A man of quality, and decent moral standard. Brassard seemed to be taking a liking to him rather quickly, which earned a smirk from Claire before long. It was good, really. He was attractive, but a bit too young for her, personally.

The trip to Frérac would take a few days at the pace they were moving, the trio arriving in the farms surrounding the southern portion of the town around mid-day of the third day. Simple greetings were exchanged with the farmers and civilians on the path, either working in their fields or passing by on foot, horseback, or wagon.

The buildings of Frérac were an odd mixture of Escarian and that of the collective kingdoms to the north. Helmland, Daris, and so on. It made sense, with the town being almost right on top of the broder. As an additional result, most of the citizens spoke both the Escarian language as well as the collective languages of the northern kingdoms as well.

Claire knew some of it. Enough to pass for simple trade lingo and asking for directions, in addition to asking if they spoke Atracan or Escarian. She was sure Claude was more well versed. Brassard didn't seem to understand it at all. That would need correcting quickly, if she were to become a great inquisitor and huntress. The two spoke on the different buildings and such, as Claire herself drew the letter out and reread over where she needed to be.

Madamé Rousselot's Inn & Tavern. Once she was inside, she needed to ask for someone named 'Kromer'.

She looked about as she put the letter away, eventually spotting the inn in the distance. "Alright. I'm going to go talk with my contact. If I don't come out in twenty or thirty minutes, come in and get me." she said, her horse trotting up next to Claude's.

Claude glanced to her and gave her a thumbs-up in response. "We'll be down the street." he responded, pointing to a nearby clothes shop. Brassard wanted to look into getting new boots, after discovering that ghoul blood doesn't come out as easily as she had hoped.

Claire nodded in response, before flicking the reins of her horse and speeding up. Moving down the cobblestone street towards the Inn. Once she arrived, she swiftly dismounted and tied the horse to the hitching post outside. There were already several patrons inside, partaking of drinks at the bar or eating quiet meals at the other tables in the room. As she passed through the entrance doors, she glanced about before moving to the bar herself.

​

The bartender was a tall, bald man, sporting a wide mustache that curled at the ends and a small spot of a goatee beneath his bottom lip. A large scar cut across the top of his head, the point of it ending just above his forehead. As he noticed her, she soon found out he was Escarian as well. "Welcome to Madamé Rousselot's. What can I get for you?" he asked, his accent quite heavy.

"I'm here to see someone named Kromer. Are they around?" she replied, giving him a faint smile as she showed the edge of the letter in her shirt.

"Ah, business instead of pleasure. Well, before you see Mr. Kromer, I'll need you to produce your weapons. They'll be returned to you once you're ready to leave." he stated, "Its the Madamé's policy, you see. Helps to prevent violence between the guests."

• Surrender your weapons.
• Refuse.

 

[joshuadim]

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[Breadman]

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[Damian0358]

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[K0mori]

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[rpg.veteran]

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[Infab]

• Surrender your weapons.

"Alright... fine." breathed Claire, stepping around to the side of the bar (away from the other customers). She unhooked her sword and scabbard from her belt, placing it onto the bar top, before drawing her pistol and placing it next to it. "That's literally everything." she muttered afterwards. She felt naked without her sword.

The bartender nodded, taking the sword and pistol from the bar top. He placed both behind the bar, underneath the counter on a low shelf. "I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry." he then said, straightening up and flashing her a smile. He then pointed towards the stairs at the back of the tavern. "Up the stairs, follow the hall to the end. Last door on the right. Knock twice, state your name. Ask for Kromer."

Claire nodded, glancing towards the stairs before departing from the bar's side. Across the room she moved, passing tables with occupied patrons, before eventually scaling the staircase to the second floor of the establishment. Once she reached the top, she glanced to the right to see a long hallway stretching through the building before her. She moved quietly down the hall, glancing to a few closed doors when she heard movement inside, before eventually reaching the door she needed.

She stood there for a moment, looking the door over and wondering just what the hell she was getting herself into. Then, she did as instructed. She knocked twice. "Claire McLachlan. I'm here to see Kromer." she said aloud.

Silence followed. Maybe he wasn't in? She scratched her head, glancing down the hallway, before reaching up to knock again. However, before her knuckles struck the dark oak door, the door unlocked.

"Come in, Miss McLachlan. The door's open." called out a voice inside. Male, with an accent from the kingdoms north of Escaria.

She hesitated for a brief moment, before reaching down and twisting the door handle. A push inward revealed a rather nice looking room. Certainly some styling of the northern kingdoms in here, leaning towards the utilitarian, but it still had its fancy furnishings like brass for the bed frame and lamp fixtures. A nice table sat off to the side, some paperwork sitting atop it, and a chair sat on either side.

A man in a dull black waistcoat, breeches, and leather shoes stood opposite of the door, facing away from her. He seemed to be pouring himself a drink. His loose brown locks were tied into a simplistic ponytail, which hung low and allowed his hair to run down between his shoulders. As Claire stepped inside and shut the door behind her, the man glanced towards her. Bright red eyes, a handsome face. Stubble. His bangs framed his face on either side, curling ever so slightly as they hung down almost to the tip of his jaw. In hand, a wine glass with a deep red liquid.

He offered her a simple smile, before motioning to the chair next to the desk. "Please, have a seat." he said, his voice a bit deep but tone respectful.

Claire watched him for a moment, before stepping over and settling down into the chair. Surprisingly soft.

"My name--" began the man, as he walked around and sat in the chair on the other side of the table, "--is Simon Krantz, of Darisa, and I am currently in the business of coal mining. I own other companies that export coal to Escaria as well as Atraca and other kingdoms, per trade agreements."

He took a sip from the glass in his hand, before placing it on the desk and continuing. "I am also a vampire, of House Ossenfelder."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "...House Ossenfelder?" she asked, a note of confusion in her voice.

He nodded. "Yes. House Ossenfelder is one of the several Great Houses of vampire kind. Our bloodlines, and their offshoots, span the continent and perhaps even beyond."

"So... you're an ancient sort of vampire?"

"Not quite. I was turned only a hundred years ago. But there are some of us that are several centuries or even a few millenia old."

He then reached under the table, into a small compartment to his right, and soon drew a bottle out filled with an amber colored liquid. "Scotch whisky? I feel you may need a drink as we talk." he said, as he set the bottle on the table before her. He soon followed it with a small glass, which he sat next to it.

• Take the offer.
• Refrain. You want to stay sober for this.

 

[joshuadim]

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[K0mori]

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[Breadman]

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[Damian0358]

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[rpg.veteran]

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[Infab]

• Refrain. You want to stay sober for this.

Claire gently shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'd rather have a clear head for this." she stated, shifting in her chair to get more comfortable.

Simon nodded, before moving the scotch whisky to the side of the table. "Probably for the best." he said softly, before returning his gaze to her as he sat back in his chair. He then shifted through some papers on the table, before eventually finding one that appeared to have a small map of Escaria drawn on it. He took the paper, and placed it on the table between himself and Claire.

"To get right to it... there have been several ghoul attacks throughout Escaria, as you probably know. The Church and other hunters, from what I've heard, believe it's newborn vampires. I, personally, think its something else." he explained, "This is something far worse."

"There are certain individuals in high vampire society that do not like the current state of things. They do not believe that the Great Vampire Houses should exist, and that there should be a simplistic monarchy like the days of old, or that there should be complete and total anarchy with vampires doing what they please. The Great Vampires Houses, and the Sanguine Laws that we created amongst ourselves, ensure our survival as a species."

"...I believe that the ghoul attacks are a coordinated effort to rope the Church into things. If the Inquisition were to begin purges of vampires across Escaria, it would inevitably begin a war with the Greater Vampire Houses. The Houses would likely be erased, being replaced with either of the two choices I mentioned previously once the Inquisition's war is finished. A monarchy or anarchy."

"Certain high ranking members of the Church already know of our existence. We have maintained a... somewhat peaceful truce. We would mind our own business and follow our laws, and they wouldn't hunt us. If certain minds were to be convinced that we had decided to change course, then it wouldn't take long for the Church to mobilize for a war against us."

Claire listened quietly, paying as close attention as she could to Simon's explanation. Once he had finished, she finally spoke. "Why me?" she asked, "I mean, this sounds like an affair where one of your Great Houses should select someone of your kind to investigate."

"We normally would. However, there hasn't been... what we would call an 'Enforcer of the Sanguine Laws'... in well, over a century." he responded, "In addition, I believe it would prove more fruitful if a human was brought in to investigate. You are able to walk in the day, unlike most vampires, and you can speak with other hunters and the Church if the situation called for it."

Claire cocked an eyebrow. "What happened to the last Enforcer?"

"Suicide. They met the dawn with open arms." he responded. The way he said it, however, made it sound like he didn't believe it at all. "A suitable replacement, that all the Great Houses could agree upon, simply never came along. Thus, the Houses resorted to using their own enforcers to make sure those within their House were following the laws. Any incidents between the Houses are settled in a private gathering between House leadership."

"I bet that never really works out."

"Of course not. Each House protects its own, unless the damage is too severe to overlook. That, usually, is never the case." stated Simon.

He then drew out another paper from the stacks, after a brief moment of searching. "I have a short list of individuals that I'd like you to seek out. I believe that they may be involved in this mess, or may, perhaps, know who is. If you poke around and question them, and they simply don't know anything, then simply scratch their names off the list. Its best to be thorough and explore every potentiality."

He slid the paper across the table towards Claire, whom leaned forward and looked down at the names on the paper. The first one on the list stood out quite well, as it was a name Claire actually knew. Comtesse Mariette Desrosiers de La Cygne. She cocked her eyebrow at the sight of it, before letting her eyes drift down to the other names. Karine Savatier, Marc Messier, Symon Chauveau, Landgraf Samuel Steinhäuser...


Player's Choice: If you have any questions or comments, speak freely! I'll work them into the conversation.

 

[K0mori]

"What did these people do to end up on this list?" Claire asked.

 

[rpg.veteran]

"I suppose those who initiated these ghoul attacks will simply try to remove me from the picture. Not a very attractive prospect for me."

"How do you know all this? If the Enforcer of the Sanguine Laws is no more, who has the means to gather all this information?"

 

[Breadman]

"The enforcer just walked into the sunrise to great the morn? I don't believe it for a second. Judging by how you told the story, neither do you, so let's not play pretend. Who do you think had the guts to do it?"

 

[Infab]

Claire's eyes soon rose from the list, looking back towards Simon. "What did these people do to get put on this list?" she soon asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's a Comtesse here, along with a Landgraf. People of higher social status. It may be a bit difficult to get close to them to ask them anything."

Simon nodded. "Yes, it might be. I'll figure out a way for you to get close to both of those by tomorrow. As for the rest, they should be far easier to approach." he responded, before motioning a finger to the list. "Those individuals in particular I've had my eye on for a while now. The Comtesse purely out of curiosity, after all that's happened regarding the family over the past few years. Plus, rumors of her being turned into a vampire at some point. Fledgling vampires are definitely dangerous and difficult to handle, and if she's been freshly turned, then she might need to be checked in on. Especially with how close she is to actual royalty in Escaria."

"Landgraf Steinhäuser, beyond being a general source of difficulty in politics in Daris, is also a vampire of a descendant house of Visconti. Despite being descended from one of the more respected Great Houses, he's been known to involve himself with the more unsavory types and has had a hand in a few past incidents that have resulted in punishments among his house over the past few centuries. He doesn't particularly like the rest of us. He'll be the one that will likely give you the most difficulty."

"Marc and Symon both come from lesser houses, which are associtated with House Morgan and Konstantinov respectively. Both were involved in an incident some time ago, an attempted coup inside of House Ruthven. In order to meet with Marc, you will likely have to get in touch with members of House Saville, who are also descendants of House Morgan through House Ravenhearst. They should be in the town of Montclair, as they have an estate there. As for Symon, you might have to ask around. Konstantinovs are notoriously hard to track, but I'd suggest speaking to someone at L'Opéra Rousselle in the Escarian capital. Felix Milhaud would be a good one, as I believe he's one of the few Konstantinovs that have actually settled down long enough to establish roots."

"As for Karine Savatier, she's the sister of Sylvain le Rouge of House le Rouge. You might encounter a bit of trouble with that one, as she's notorious for being a sort of roguish type like her brother. le Rogues are often bad news in general, and Karine has always involved herself in things that would spell trouble for the rest of us. You can currently find most of House le Rouge in the city of Vierçon, on the border of Volusia in the provice of Au Gres." He took a moment, glancing to the list, before speaking again. "I'll get you the location on Steinhäuser by tomorrow. You should already know where the Comtesse lives, in La Cygne."

Claire nodded along, as she listened to the information that Simon gave, before speaking up after the mention of potential hostilities with those of House le Rouge. "I suppose those who initiated these ghoul attacks will simply try to remove me from the picture. Not a very attractive prospect for me." she said, "...And how do you know all of this? From how you introduced yourself, and how long you're going to be here in the country, you make it sound like you don't get out of Daris much."

"True, I don't. I go only when work requires it, or when I'm needed at a Great House event or gathering." he responded with a smirk. "House Ossenfelder has those we send out to gather information. Vampires, humans, it varies. We're one of the older ones of the Great Houses, so we're sort of forced to try and keep up with things and investigate sources of information. A friend of mine, whom you met downstairs at the bar, is one of my information gatherers."

He then smiled. "As for you being attacked, you're experienced. You know how to handle yourself, be it against humans, vampires, or even other creatures and entities. I'm sure you'll perform beautifully. Plus, I'm sure you have friends..." he said, the smile turning into a grin.

Claire glanced up to him, cocking her eyebrow again, before folding the list up and slipping it into her shirt. "I also wanted to talk about something you mentioned before." she said, shifting in her seat. "The enforcer just decided to walked into the sunrise to greet the dawn? I don't buy it. Judging by how you told the story, neither do you, so let's not play pretend. Who do you think had the guts to kill them?"

Simon glanced aside for a moment. "There's... a handful that would have likely tried. Ser Franz Aichhalden, Remero de Rojas, Salvestro Bernardo, Durant Lemoine, Cassandra Bainbridge..." he said, his voice trailing off as he listed off names.

Claire's eyes went wide in shock. "W-Wait, Cassandra Bainbridge?" she asked, "Like, Senior Inquisitor Cassandra Bainbridge?"

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes, but she's far from an Inquisitor. She hates the Church. Blames them for... quite a few things." he responded, "...You know of her?"

"...I've heard of her, yeah." responded Claire. Inside, her mind was now running wild. Cassandra's a fucking vampire!? Did she kill Holloway?! Is she hunting us now!?

"Well, better hope she's not sent after you. She's an assassin, and a pretty good one at that." responded Simon, "Some of the more unsavory types among the Houses like to hire her to take people out. Especially when it comes to members of the Church."

Oh yeah, she probably killed Holloway. She might kill Brassard too, now. Claire nodded in response, trying to calm herself. How am I going to deal with her if I get targeted!?

"Alright... I think that's all for me. I'll come back tomorrow morning, and pick up whatever else you have to give me." she said, standing up and moving around her chair. "I'll probably grab a room at one of the other inns."

Simon stood as well, moving around the desk. "I'm sure you'll perform exceptionally, Claire. Your payment will be substantial, believe me."

I fucking hope so.

It wasn't long before Claire was back out in the hallway, Simon closing the door behind her with a click. It was locked shortly afterwards. Claire simply stood there for a few moments, stunned by the revelation that she had just encountered a vampiric assassin days before. One that probably could have killed her, the Musketeers, and most of the men in the fort before they could mount a proper response or even defend themselves.

...I should go drown myself in rum.

• Go get a drink downstairs.
• Meet up with Claude and Brassard.

 

[joshuadim]

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[K0mori]

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[Breadman]

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