Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[Radley]

Having spilled the little that was left in his soup bowl as he darted up to meet Camille before Rosanna got in between them.

As Camille dropped the hostile intent, so did Erwin. He noted that the lich was heading out on patrol and decided to accompany him. As he dressed and collected his gear he listened to Camille reason.

"You'd do a much better job if you'd keep your mouth shut, your exellence." He japped quietly, almost to himself, as he picked up his rifle and followed the lich.

 

[Infab]

Valeria finally spoke up from where she was sitting, closing her saddlebag and standing. "Aleister is right. We are all adults, and we should act as such. Please, pray for us so that we get along long enough to survive this inquiry." she said, looking to Aleister. "We'll need the gods before this is all through, and I usually only pray to Velin and Adona. You're more qualified than I." she said, before taking her bowl of stew. She looked to Ethraeil finally. "...I am sorry for your loss. I know the feeling of having those you love taken away from you." she said finally, before moving off to a spot by herself to enjoy her meal.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Hey, boneman! Erwin!" Jakob shouted from the distance, holding his lantern and shotgun "mind a third gun? I... don't really feel like sleeping after that." he said with a slight smile. "Maybe we can talk of our stories like I promised you." he said while looking at the Lich.

 

[KRIY]

Finishing up his meal and having a bit of small talk with Galina, Wesley bid his farewell to her and stood up with crossbow in hand and rushed over to Ethraeil.

"I'm up for some patrolling. you wouldn't mind a fourth guy coming in?"

 

[Radley]

Erwin turned back to see two men following him and the lich.

Oh no. The copper AND the rookie?
In the secluded confines of his own mind, Erwin sighed deeply. But his face retained an air of a curious mix annoyance and resignation.

"Come along." He said, as he motioned for the two additions to follow suit.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil only shrugged as he got more people than he expected into his patrol. Apparently it seemed that everyone wanted to get away from the arguments, and he wasn't really one to be capable of turning them away. "...what exactly do you want to hear, Constable?" Ethraeil asked politely, though with a hint of exhaustion.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Well..." Jakob said, looking around at his surroundings while thinking of a possible topic. "...you fought dragons, right?" he finally asked, with a smile. "Mom always used to tell me stories about dragons and knights. Elves, dwarves, orcs...but...I keep wondering most about dragons. How'd they look?" he asked, with a clear curiosity. "I want to tell my daughter stories of the dragons... heh, maybe a story about a blue skeleton fighting them!"

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil thought for a moment as the group walked on patrol in the area before speaking up. "Imagine a beast the size of a castle flying about that can spew hellfire from its gaping maw whenever it pleased, as well as sometimes having the intelligence to be able to speak and converse. Along with this, cover said beast with scales harder than steel and teeth sharper than the sharpest swords. Then you get an image of what dragons were. Beautiful creatures. Until they were eradicated because the Church saw them as a nuisance."

"I fought dragons not because I wanted to, but because I had to. In that sense, I suppose, I was directly involved in their extinction. There was an ice drake that I had befriended many centuries before that however, we both thought highly of each other. Auriel was her name... though my memory might be a bit fuzzy. Funnily enough, the dragon was an aspiring poet. And rather than burn villages and kill livestock, the dragon hunted wildlife and instead asked for tributes of books from the surrounding regions. And when the Church sent me to kill her, I had no choice but to do it with a heavy heart. Turns out I didn't have to regret it in the end, because she was dying of old age. When I saw her pitiful state, she asked me to kill her out of mercy, and so I did. And on that day, I lost a friend."

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina spent most of her time at the campfire. When Aleister asked to bless her weapons she politely declined as they had already been blessed by Tsavanian priests of all seventeen gods ("house gods" as the church called them) prior to embarking on the mission.

This was routine within the Brigade, one which had not failed her in the past.

When Jakob offered her stew she was happily surprised. It reminded her of the food back in the military not because it tasted bland or bad but rather that the meal was perfect in its simplicity.

Galina then chatted a bit with Wesley. At first it was out of interest but then to try and ignore the angry discussion.
Once the patrol headed out Galina sighed and breathed easy.

"I will take the first two hours of watch. Rosanna will you take the rest?"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked towards Ethraeil for a moment, processing what he had just told him. "Doesn't surprise me... sometimes it feels like the church wants to get rid of anything that isn't human or an angel." He then let out a sigh. "...sorry for your friend. I'm sure she was a great dragon lady." he said, with a sincere tone to his voice. "I know the feeling honestly... being forced to kill people you cared for." He went quiet for a moment, looking away. "...I was tasked with shooting deserters, you know? Boys in my unit. Some barely eighteen." He cleared his throat. "But I think I want to hear your stories first. Mine are boring in comparison."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille nodded in agreement with Valeria and Aleister as they weighed in after the ruckus that wad the argument, only to scowl all over again at Erwin's comment in passing. She of course had a quick-witted retort at the ready, but she refrained to keep the peace. Shaking her head side to side, she sat herself back down, arm resting on a raised knee while she looked up at the stars. A sigh escaped her lips as she let the serenity of the crackling frame and crickets of the night wash over. With the vast majority of the riff raff gone, she would finally have peace and quiet.

 

[Infab]

Rosanna glanced over to Galina as she calmed down. "...You can sleep all night if ya need, friend. Dullahans don't really need sleep...its just kind of a habit for me." she said, heading over and grabbing her lever-action off her saddle. "Unless you just wanna keep up your skills."

 

[joshuadim]

"Like I said, most of my stories are not for the faint-hearted nor the cheerful." Ethraeil replied. "Unless you desperately want to know."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

The idea of asking more stories crossed Jakob's mind. He was certainly not faint-hearted, and currently he didn't feel as cheerful as he was before. He abstained. Memories are painful to remember sometimes, and he didn't want the lich to suffer for past mistakes or get lost in thought for past and forgotten glories. "Best if we just keep walking and looking around some more..." he said, continuing on to patrol ahead of the group. Silent, trying to forget the awful night they just had.

 

[Infab]

Eventually the night progressed onward, members of the group taking turns doing patrols or sitting watch around the camp. Galina and Rosanna took turns, while Ethraeil patrolled most of the night. Valeria found herself making another prayer to both Adona and Velin (after the argument earlier) before eventually getting some sleep. Soon enough, dawn came. Time to pack and move out towards Tresomin.

As the group began to pack their equipment back up and break camp, Valeria took the time to dress in more civilian looking clothing. No longer did she wear her large inquisitor hat or the armor of the Order. Instead, she wore simple black pants with a white blouse and black vest. Her auburn red hair was combed out, before being tied into a bun. For once in the inquiry, one could see both her ice blue eyes clearly. She slipped on her black leather gloves once again, along with her boots, and quickly gathered her equipment to put on her horse.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister watched Valeria do her prayers from across the camp. It was fascinating to see how others did so, as many had their own private little rituals. He wasn't particularly elaborate on the matter, surprisingly, unless ceremony dictated it. As she prayed, he did so too, simply crossing himself as he laid on the ground. He already prayed every night, though he made some extra... requests at the behest of the inquisitor. The group was sorely in need of some unity. He doubted the gods would take notice on pitiful fools like them, but he felt it was appropriate to make the plea regardless.

Aleister slept for a couple hours, doing it to pass the time as there was little he had to do while the inquiry camped out. He kept his eye on his pocketwatch constantly to make sure he wouldn't be caught out for dawn, but he was typically punctual and careful. It was fairly irritating to have to be confined to doing nothing during the night when usually he would be doing all manner of things. Out here in the country, there was little to do.

However, a couple hours before dawn, Aleister grabbed his small grooming bag from his suitcase and sought out a nearby creek or river to bathe in, waving to Rosanna on watch as he left the perimeter. He preferred a proper bath in a civilized tub, with nice warm water, but one had to make do when traveling like this. There was a stream not too far away, and thankfully not particularly filthy at all. A wide low bank stretched out between some brush and the clear, calm waters, making it a fairly peaceful spot to bathe in. He had to admit - sitting in the cold water underneath the stars was a rather delightful experience. With a few hours to spare, he took his time, relaxing and even playing around in the shallow stream a little. Once he was sufficiently scrubbed clean, he sat on a nearby rock to dry off as he styled his hair, carefully combing and twirling it with the help of his hand mirror.

"I wonder how the soaps are this far north," he mused to himself, taking his time with his hair. "I suppose whaling is common... must have some decent whale soaps in town. Oh, but it can be so harsh on the skin if made poorly. That would be positively dreadful... and what do these harsh northerners know of hygienic refinement? Oh, if only dear Abby was here. She always had the best advice on these matters.... Oh, chin up old boy, you'll manage. You always do."

With the time getting closer to dawn, and his hair properly in order, Aleister dabbed a little perfume on himself once dressed. It was an Escarian blend he had purchased at a shop in Airedale, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that it truly was Escarian and not some Atracan knock-off marketed to be as such. There blend of oils within was delightfully mild, and it had a soft flowery scent. Not unlike fresh linens that were left to dry on a fine spring day.

Spending time to bathe and style himself under the clear night was rather calming. He wasn't much of a country fellow, but it wasn't so bad. No wild animals accosted him, and there was even a gentle breeze which kept the air from feeling stale. All that hassle from last night with the arguing, and insults, and just general pettiness seemed like a distant memory now. He could only wonder how long that would last.

Shortly before dawn, Aleister returned to the camp and settled in until he loaded up into the carriage, ready to move on.

 

[K0mori]

The time had come again to introduce Camille more intimately to that which she hated the most. With the other members of the party either away from camp or sleeping, Mariette simply retrieved the vial which had contained her breakfast and poured the remainder of its contents, which she had saved special for this purpose, into her spell as subtly as she could manage. Sazak had told her that Camille had never felt true fear, and so the next nightmare would need to go even darker. Mariette wanted Camille to experience the lowest lows of being a creature of the night, in order to prove to her that she could, in fact, endure the indignities and terrible prices of immortality. It would be a necessary foundation upon which she could build the true argument: vampires aren't so different from humans, and if you were in my shoes, you, too, would seek to survive.

Have a sip, Gigeure. Not because you're a monster, but because you need it.

 

[Dmaster]

The infinite blackness interspersed with twinkling pinpricks of light that was the night sky put Camille's mind at ease. So much so her leaning seated position melted into lying on her back, and in time she quickly went to sleep. However outside forces dictated that her rest would not be as peaceful as her entry into dreaming, and the passage of time and consciousnes blended together into another, blurry scene...

-----

The huntress found herself stepping down a cobblestone road in the middle of the night, the packed-in buildings and nostalgic architecture coupled with the cool mist that hovered about suggested an Escarian city. Camille could not be sure of that, of course, her vision and grip on the dream world spotty and fickle as ever. She could only assume she was pursuing some kind of vampire, looking for traces of them amidst the sprawling infrastructure.

Yet as she crossed down the road, she came across a dress shop with its products in the windowsill, and for whatever reason she felt the need to investigate it further. Looking through the glass was met with an empty and lightly dusty interior, her focus turning to her own reflection atop the window's glass. Blood red eyes. The huntress gasped, giving her full view of her own fangs while she reflexively took a step back. Her mind racing, Camille was unable to see the encroaching figure come behind her in the reflection.

A cool piece of metal pushed against her back, and the familiar sound of a gun being cocked filled her ears as she finally looked to the man's reflection. It had been the faceless hunter from her last dream, his features obscured by his trenchcoat, hat, and scarf. The shot from his revolver rang out, and she was soon on the ground prepared to be staked yet again. He rose his arm with the sharpened piece of wood in hand, poised to strike...

A savior came in the form of another silhoutte from the night, soon tackling the man and viciously tearing his throat out with its hands. Slowly she rose her back up to get a better view, only to recognize the figure's clothing, her eyes going wide. Aleister turned from the hunter's corpse, offering her a wine glass he inexplicably procured while his back was turned, the chalice filled with what she knew to be the man's blood.

"Care for a sip, mistress?"

----

That had been enough to snap her back to wakefulness, Camille jumping up from her bed roll as she panted hard. Her mouth smacked against itself, the metallic taste of blood lingering as she balled her hand into a fist. This didn't make any sense, frightful as she was over being turned she never entertained the thought of what might become of her next. Was interacting with these vampires really bringing out such thoughts in her? No, her feelings on the subject were still the same, nothing would change that. If she succumbed to what she swore to hunt for the rest of her life, she would know what would come next.

Quickly she packed up her camping supplied and piled them onto her horse, ready to leave this bleak field entirely for Tresomin. As she hopped onto her horse she only thought of what she will do once they reached their destination. After that dream, Camille needed a bath. Badly.

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina grimaced and groaned as she woke up. She stretched her arms and legs properly, yawned and then got to making herself presentable.
She grabbed her jacket and boots followed by her boots as they were the only pieces of clothing she had removed. Her tunic and riding pants were already on her.

She got up and yawned again. The night had been calm. Despite not actually needing to Galina had taken the first two hours of watch, rounding off her sleep to about seven hours.

Because the Brigade worked in such small numbers it was common for each member of the squad to take the watch for at least two hours.

Galina didn't mind it, honestly. It was always a good opportunity to practice on the art of hearing.

Then after two hours she had tapped Rosanna on the shoulder to let her know that she was going to sleep.

It was at first dreamless but then she had appeared. Galina had been warned.

Death was coming.

Once she had collected her gear Galina went to pack them down in her saddlebags. She glanced at Camille. "Good morning, Raven. Slept well?"

 

[Dmaster]

Camille raised an eyebrow at Galina's greetint, finding such cordial behavior toward her to be terribly out of the boundaries of the woman's personality. "Good morning." she replied back, glancing toward her. She had the opportunity to say something at her expense but chose not to, the last thing they needed were more petty arguments.

With a twist of her mouth and a pause she answered the question. "Best as I could around undead, really." was all she managed, not wanting to dwell on that dream of hers. It hadn't bothered her that much, more so puzzled by its inaccuracies and deviation from what she was used to. A woman such as Camille saw no omens in such things. "And what of you?"

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina grunted as she fastened one of the saddlebag straps. "It was fine. Not a single dream."

She then turned to face Camille. "Excited for the party?" She asked with a slight smirk.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille chuckled at Galina's enthusiasm, shaking her head to herself. "Not for the reasons one would usually expect, but yes." she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Be they vampire or human, there will certainly be a reckoning for Cassandra and her thralls."

 

[KRIY]

After taking a bath and eating some bread that he packed with himself earlier. Wesley decided to practice more with his hatchet. his arm moving slowly to make a flow of his slashes. although during his exercise. his mind went to something else. A dream that he had last night, A dream that he'd never expect to see again after the years have passed.
------------------------------------------
The Highlands, Atraca, 2 years ago.

The young Wesley Wilch had been only hunting Ghouls when he started a few months ago. he was just strolling around the road when he came across a home that has been broken into. he quickly saddled off from his horse and ran into the home with his crossbow in hand. there, he finds the grueling sight of the interior.

The home invader was an actual vampire who had attacked a family of three. An old man with his wife and son. lying on the ground. The man seemed to be alive lying underneath the now dead vampire. who's decapitated head is now beside it. the other two family members weren't so lucky. they were both pale and had a bite marks in each of their necks, The vampire had seemingly feasted upon this man's family. leaving the poor man with nothing. Wesley knelt down to the man, judging from all the weaponry and an old, preserved uniform being displayed. this man was a retired vampire hunter. who had settled down and raised a family. all of which was taken away from him

"K-Kill me..." The raspy tone of the man breaks the silence. Wesley's gaze focused on the man. he stuttered a few times before getting a clear response

"Why? I wouldn't do such thing as to kill an innocent man" The old hunter then grabbed him by the collar and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"KILL ME DAMN IT. I'LL TURN INTO A VAMPIRE OR SOMETHING WORSE IF YOU WON'T KILL ME!" The man then pushed Wesley off and then grabbed the hatchet from the display and slid it towards Wesley. the man stumbled and crashed to the floor, faced-down.

"Maria... Johnathan.... I couldn't save you.. I'm so sorry..."

With hatchet in hand. Wesley's hands shivered as he raised the hatchet over his head. all of a sudden, the man started to spasm violently. and his voice becoming aggressive, similar to an animal. with that. Wesley brought down the hatchet with all the force that he can muster. shouting as he did so.

*CHUNK*
-----------------------------------------
Wesley brought himself to reality again. He was now back to where he was previously. his sweat runs down his face and drips to the ground. In front of him. his hatchet had struck the tree stump in front of him. he stared at it for a few moments before pulling it from the tree stump and putting it back to his holster. He went back to the camp. and upon seeing Galina and Camille. he said his good morning

"I see that you both are awake, I'd assume you all are ready for this party?"

 

[Viper Actual]

"Indeed there will," said Galina in response to Camille. She then spotted Wesley and smiled at him. "Good morning and yes, we are indeed ready. Slept well?"

 

[KRIY]

"I slept well, The dream however, was not. Don't worry though. it all in the past." Wesley went near Galina and kneel in front of her and bowing towards her with his hand balled into a fist and placed at his chest

"Whatever the mansion holds, I'll keep my word as a bodyguard to the fair Duchess Kholdova" Wesley said in a exaggerated and knightly voice. chuckling at the end