Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[Dmaster]

Camille turned her head toward the apple salesman, expression flat and clearly not moved by his words of wisdom. "My views are not stained. Those I hunt are not innocent - and I will not stop until the world is free from their terror." she replies with a roll of her shoulders. "I won't be like Velin, or any god. The world is burning and they sit idly by, entrusting their followers or completely independent people to do what they refuse to."

With that she turns her attention to the newcomer, stance still straight as her patience thinned. "The inquisitor is Valeria Witlock, likely on the outskirts of town at the moment." the huntress answers, yet her expression grows stern. "Yet if you only wish to come along to sate your sadistic fantasies, you are better off bringing apples home to your wife."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister barely knew what to say to Guy. He spoke some wisdom, certainly, but it was all so... distant and even hollow. How could he guide or help those that were as stubborn as mountain goats. Camille would never change. This newcomer didn't sound like he would ever change. He was surrounded by people who were all so... unyielding. At least Rose seemed to have a good mind to her, and as much as he hated to admit it, Theo was relatively normal outside of his academic mania.

"I doubt this one would be of any use, come now, Camille. The village zealot with a shotgun? We are hunting something far greater than measly vampires and werewolves. Far beyond purebloods."

 

[Infab]

"Won't be like Velin?" asked Guy, looking immediately to Camille as she finished. There was a sudden rush of emotion in his words, his voice filled with sadness. "You sound exactly like her when she started her damned crusade. I pray that you're never granted divinity, and I pity every one of your victims. Past and future. I pity your children because I know you'll teach them to be just like you. And I pity the world for having people like you walk it." He paused for a moment, gathering himself. "...Adona was always right..." he muttered, before taking the basket from the top of the stall and placing it down next to the other two. Once he straightened back up, he looked back up to Aleister. "...Please. Be a becon of light and love. Don't succumb to this...this madness that consumes the heart." he said, before gathering up all three apple baskets. He reached into the red apple basket and pulled out three, before handing them to the other man with the shotgun. "Here. For your wife." he stated softly.

"...You three should find shelter. The rain is picking up." said Guy finally, before turning and walking off down the street towards a small house at the end. Behind it, rows of apple trees swaying in the wind of the coming storm.

 

[Dmaster]

As the rain picked up she pulled her hood further down, not looking at Guy as he dumped his feelings upon her. "Pity is all you have left to offer, isn't it..?" Camille muttered, taking a few steps and turning her back on him. "Sit atop your crumbling throne of moral superiority. In the meantime, I will save those in need of me."

Without another word she walked off toward the inn as the rain poured down harder.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil stayed silent as Sazak spoke, seething in hatred before Valeria returned to speak. Wordlessly, he went about back to his original position under the tree and sat himself down, focusing on the river ahead of him.

Elise... Gabriel... One day, I will avenge you both. Even if it takes eternity.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister could hardly believe Camille's audacity to speak in such a way to a god, but in a way, she was the only one he could imagine doing so. Not even a shred of humbleness or grace. He knew he had been rude in retrospect for arguing with Camille before Gyasis, and for that he felt like a foolish child. Hearing that she sounded like Velin, however, was... disturbing to say the least.

He glanced to the man with the shotgun. "If you find the inquisitor, be careful not to shoot her. You may find yourself surprised," Aleister said in passing as he started to walk away, also heading for the inn at a brisk pace. The last thing he needed was to have his clothes get soaked.

 

[K0mori]

The man in black looked on, dumbfounded, as Guy, the man at the fruit stand whom had been around the village since before he moved to town, spoke to these two strangers as if he were a totally different person. This man he had conversed with numerous times was now suddenly claiming he had once loved a parasite? That he knew Velin and the other gods personally? It made no sense; perhaps Guy was simply drunk. The man frowned, heavily, as Guy walked away and the rain began to come down, looking at the trio of free apples the salesman had left him. Annoyed, he picked them up, slipped them into his bag, and started toward where he believed the Senior Inquisitor might still be. Aleister gave him some parting words, to which he replied, flippantly, "if she's like you, maybe I will."

Down the road, he spotted a young woman, another strange face in his quiet town. She had set up a campsite, it seemed, which was odd considering there was a decent inn down the road. He had no idea that there was a lich nearby sitting in the shade of a tree by the riverside. "Oi, ma'am! You wouldn't happen to be Valeria Witlock, would you?" he called out, his gun resting up on his shoulder where it wouldn't appear threatening.

 

[Infab]

Valeria moved back over to where her tent was, sitting just inside it as she gazed out at the grass. Rain began to fall, as expected, soaking the grass that wasn't under the trees. Eventually, she heard a man's voice and she glanced up. A tall man in black, with a bag and a shotgun resting on his shoulder. He reminded her of a priest, but he lacked the other markings of a Church affiliated priest.

"Oi, ma'am! You wouldn't happen to be Valeria Witlock, would you?"

"Yes, sir. Valeria Witlock, Senior Inquisitor of the Vigilant Order." she said, with a nod. "And who might you be?" She raised a brow, glancing to the shotgun. It appeared to be a typical double-barreled shotgun, used as a coach gun or as a hunting shotgun. I wonder who this might be?

 

[K0mori]

"Well," he said with a smirk, "the kids call me Mr. Adams, but you can call me Francis. Don't mind this," he said, nodding toward the gun. "Just trying to put food on the table. I'd buy it from the butcher, but you wouldn't believe how little they pay teachers... but I digress. I just met a pair of your 'associates' in town, having a hell of an argument. You got a bloodsucker working for you," he added, matter-of-factly. "Last time a vampire was seen around these parts, three years ago, I tracked it down and killed it and three others. Before that, there was a ghoul in Aaron MacAfee's slaughterhouse. I got that one, too. My point is, I don't much appreciate a parasite showing up on main street calling himself an honorary inquisitor, but I figure, if that's what it is, then you must be in a bad way...

"I've been waiting a long time for something to come along like this, ma'am. If you need an extra hand, I'm sick of that damned schoolhouse and all those delinquent kids. I'll drop everything and come along as long as you can match the pittance they would have paid me for being here."

 

[Infab]

Valeria looked back down for a moment. She remembered what happened to Jakob, now crippled for a while and having been pulled away from his family for weeks. Having been cursed to be a werebeast for the rest of his life. Then she thought back to Mariette. Volunteering for the inquiry in hopes of convincing others that vampires could be good people, only to end up committing suicide after making a deal with a demon over her. A life snuffed out, just like that. Thankfully both Erwin and Sergey left before they suffered horrible fates...and now this man wished to join them.

She sighed, and looked back up to Francis. "...I need to let you know of a few things before I ask if you really wish to join us on this inquiry...because I don't want to put you through something you might not come back the same from. We...We're after Duke Ashwood, whom we've discovered to be a pureblood vampire. He intends to do drastic things to the world, using a ring left behind by our Lord Adona...and in order to stop him, we have to use this weapon which was left behind by our Lady Velin." she explained, before reaching over and patting the executioner's blade next to her. "...In order to acquire this weapon...I had to do something dire but necessary, which I immensely regret. And it will cost me my life in the end. With me in this endeavor are the vampire you already met as well as a female hunter, another recently turned vampire, a banshee, a lich, a dullahan, and another inquisitor like myself. If you are alright with these things that I've explained to you...and you still wish to join this inquiry...you may do so. I'll make sure that you receive proper compensation from the Order for assisting us."

She finally paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Do you still wish to join this inquiry? I understand if you need a moment...its a lot to take in, and you will be put in grave danger." she stated.

 

[K0mori]

Francis burst out laughing. It was only a moment later that he realized that Valeria wasn't laughing with him, at which point he straightened up. "Ma'am, that is the most far-fetched case of lunacy I've ever heard of. A banshee, a lich, and... and what was it? A dullahan? Are you just collecting a menagerie of monsters? Wait," he said, his expression suddenly changing as he spoke through clenched teeth, "are you telling me you brought all of them here!?" He looked over he shoulder, back at the town, now clutching his gun as if he intended to use it. That was precisely when he noticed Ethraeil from afar. "Gah!" he yelled in disgust. He looked back to Valeria. "The hell is wrong with you, woman?"

 

[Infab]

"The hell is wrong with you, woman?"

"...Quite a few things, honestly." she stated softly, looking back to the grass. "None of them will harm you or anyone in the village...we're just passing through. We're on our way to Castle Ellisgate, in the mountains." After a moment, she looked back up. "As I said...take your time in deciding. Its your decision to join or not, after all."

As she finished, Rosanna walked around from behind a nearby tree, leading her horse Rayham behind her with one hand and carrying her lever-action in the other. Her clothes were damp from the rain, but not soaked through. She looked as though she didn't seem to care, though. She simply glanced over to where Valeria and Francis were, gazing upon them for a moment, before quietly sitting down under the tree she was next to and letting her rifle sit next to her with Rayham.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Aleister hurried into the inn and up to his room, concealing himself within to enjoy some time away from the outside world. He truly was at his wit's end. The anxiety had turned to irritation, and feeling this way furthered his discomfort and unhappiness. He had never felt this way for so long before, and now he simply couldn't shake his discontent. Camille wasn't worth thinking about - she was simply too much to handle. Valeria was in a terrible position, there was no doubt to that, but the entire deal with Sazak was still mind numbing to him now, days later. How the others didn't see that they could all be puppets to shrouded hands was beyond him.

He collapsed into an old armchair, sinking into the cushion and staring at the wall. There was an old and faded painting there, likely made by a friend of the owner of the inn, or perhaps a long gone local artist. It was little more than a painted sketch of a small schooner on a cresting wave, the once bright blue sky faded into a muddy dark hue. The sails were once painted white but the paint had yellowed, and the figure standing at the helm was a grubby brown smudge with an angular, feathered hat.

"What seas do you travel, friend? Where are you off to?" Aleister murmured to himself. He had always been partial to the lure of the ocean. Perhaps, had he not gone to church school and lived closer to the sea, he may have managed a life on a ship. As a nobleman's son, he could purchase an officer's commission. That would avoid the more miserable aspects of a larger ship. Still, there was a promising adventure there. Away from the perils and qualms of the land.

That thought gave him pause for a moment as he remembered a conversation from long ago, back when he was lodging in Whaler's Point some years ago before the war. There was an old vampire there who was a captain of his own ship and had been sailing for a little over a century. He was married to the sea. The conversations were extraordinary. Idealistic. Especially the one about a home for vampires. Across the sea and far away. A colony in another land. It had been little more than an idea mixed in a tall tale, coupled with the excitement of an old sea dog and his crew to express their hearts to a traveler. Partially a pirate's haven, but that could be altered. It wasn't entire impossible, but no easy task. And yet....

"Sail far away in hopes of a better place, or stay behind in this miserable land." An escape. Was that what he wanted? Or should he remain and take a more active lifestyle in preserving the respectability of the church and people here.

"And what am I supposed to do?" He asked the thin air, nearly oblivious to the fact he was talking to himself now. "Start killing? Gods, then I'd justify all those hateful fiends out there because they don't understand the reasons for what I do. And yet a cleansing would be.... therapeutic. And perhaps I could start with the fiends...."

Aleister shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, feeling defeated already. What am I to do?

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil gave a small glance over to Valeria and Francis, the yelling having caught his attention. It seemed as if the schoolteacher was arguing with Valeria over something, perhaps he had noticed that a lich was here and now Valeria was talking him down? He didn't know as he really wasn't paying attention. He looked around and saw Rosanna sitting nearby also by her lonesome, and opted to sit next to her as to not be alone in the rain. She looked like she needed someone to speak to. As he got up to walk, the rain pattered onto his armor and bones and didn't really care about Francis seeing him. Wordlessly, he made his way over and sat next to the dullahan and stared out at the river again. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking up: "How are you holding up?"

 

[Infab]

Rosanna didn't move as he sat down next to her, and they both gazed out at the river. "A friend of mine is crippled from the waist down, and had t' go home...another friend of mine...killed herself in front of me..." she said softly, "...all because of a fuckin' deal Red over there made with an abyssal bastard." She paused for a moment, before continuing. "...I've been havin' more dark thoughts lately...Have been since...since those witches tortured me. I took in far too much dark magic...especially after fightin' that knight...and its takin' a toll on me." She then turned her head a bit, looking over at Ethraeil. There was a look of worry in her eyes. "...I ain't in a good place. Not at all."

She looked at him for a few more moments, before looking back out at the river. "...I'm...gonna go with you guys till Black Hollow...I'm gonna kill that damned knight...after that, I'm leavin' the group. I don't...I don't want to put y'all in danger. I care about ya...all of ya. I don't want to hurt any of ya." She then reached down and patted her revolver on her hip. "...Gonna...end it somewhere far away from here...so nobody gets hurt. So I don't cause any o' you any misery."

 

[Dmaster]

To think that so many deem such beings worthy of worship. While it was true that Camille was quite unfamiliar with their past achievements, a past pedigree is only all the more useless when they are unable to act in the here and now. Just as well, as the huntress was far from the type to accept a victory through divine intervention. A victory made without being shackled by her human limitations was no victory at all. Constantly she was reminded of her mortality throughout this journey, and she fought so much harder because she had to protect it. To protect others that were too fearful to act on their own.

She didn't need validation from deities - Velin was truly fanatical, a woman lost in the goals of her mission rather than the reason she undertook it in the first place. Gyasis had proven far too passive, hoping to pretend that the world could be healed through goodwill alone. Between both sides stood the Marquess, confident that her cause was noble and proactive enough to see it through. The world needed mortals to have faith in, people who would end suffering without hesitation. That would be her legacy.

Camille sat back in the inn, seated at a table near a roaring fireplace with her hood pulled back as she dried herself from the rain. Her index and middle finger tapped at a brisk pace on the furniture's surface, her eyes narrowing as she looked into the flames. One of his most loyal followers came to him in his time of need, but Gyasis only had hollow words of encouragement. The god was too wrapped up in 'fixing' her to see how much guidance Aleister needed. No advice on how to kill Valeria's possessed form once the Duke fell, no miracles or offerings of assistance, just a flimsy analysis of her own character and words that boiled down to "keep your chin up" to the vampiric priest. Her hand balled into a fist before relaxing again.

It was not the time to doubt herself, and that went for every member of the inquiry. They all had their reasons to confront Ashwood, to stop Sazak. If they lose sight of ambition now they may as well not stand and fight in the first place.

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil listened to Rosanna's worries and thoughts as the rain continued to patter down onto them. The tree provided some cover, but some drops continued to hit the two of them. "I won't try to stop you, if you feel that's what needs to be done to protect others from yourself. I'm sorry this happened to you."

"Too many people have been hurt by Sazak and his machinations, far too many to count. And if he gets the sword, that number will only continue to rise. I have my own doubts if I will be able to stop that demon from taking yet another slave when the duke is slain. But in the end all I, or any of us, can do is to do what we can in the moment." Ethraeil said before looking at Rosanna.

"What matters is how you choose to spend your moments and to do what you can for the good of all, no matter the cost."

 

[K0mori]

For a moment, Francis hesitated, looking critically at Valeria, and then back to Ethraeil, and then back to Valeria again. He couldn't believe the morbid novelty of the situation, and he definitely couldn't believe the Senior Inquisitor's promise that the disgusting flock of undead creatures she had brought to town would do Westerly no harm. He took a deep breath to calm himself, eventually putting his gun back up on his shoulder where it had been. "I don't like anything about this. It's not like there's a shortage of human beings out there who would rise to the occasion if you told them vampire heads would roll. Must be some devil of a man, that Duke, if even the godsdamned monsters are clamoring to fight him, though..."

An idea appeared to cross his mind. "I'll tell you what. I have a little shack on my property- a workshop, if you will. I'm something of an inventor, and I've got lots of tools for fighting the sorts of creatures that don't belong... I'll take tonight to consider whether I can stomach an expedition with your unholy friends, and tomorrow, whether I decide to go or not, I insist you come take a look at what I have to offer. Maybe I'll walk away with a bit of cash to spend on my beloved Dorothy, and you walk away with a gadget that'll save your life down the line. We'll see, eh?"

At the very least, once he had calmed down, Francis excused himself from Valeria's company gracefully. He soldiered on up the road as the rain picked up, getting him drenched by the time he returned home.

 

[Viper Actual]

Galina nodded. "A better place, yes..."

She then looked at Wesley. "Several... I lost a great many brothers and sisters during the war." Smirking, Galina shook her head. "A lover too."
Just then the rain started to pick up. The sound of raindrops shattering on the wooden roof above was quite relaxing. "He was the best man I've ever known. Kind, compassionate and brave. Artem was his name."

"He died leading a rescue mission behind enemy lines. I was there with him but there wasn't much I could do."

 

[Breadman]

"Despite being worlds apart in many ways" Camille could hear Theodore's voice next to her as the scholar came closer to her table. "You and Aleister have this common trait to yell, shout, scream and holler in such a way that half the population of a small town like this could hear you." Hi finished with a slight smile on his face. He had taken the opportunity to clean himself somewhat after the trek. He had made the mistake of leaving his window half open, allowing him to hear shouting in the streets. The very familiar screech of the priest was not as silent nor elegant as he liked to believe. Her own yells were also familiar at this point. Tho he could not make out what it was about, it clearly upset her.

The inquisitor didn't wait for an invitation to sit on the table. Pulling the chair and making himself comfortable.
"So." He said as he let his hand rest on the table "What did the fanged saint say this time?"

 

[Dmaster]

Despite her solitary position in the inn she was quite open to more company. After all, Camille was prioritizing trying to make a plan for Valeria's possession. Making proverbial walls would be counterproductive at this point. She offered him a glance of acknowledgement before sighing gently, letting the claims of the argument prior waking the town wash past her.

"The same disagreement, more or less." the huntress states flatly, attention still turned to the fireplace. "So long as I put down crazed parasites I can do no good in his eyes. Yet both him and his god are mistaken if they think wanton compassion is the key to fixing this awful world."

"I shall forever stand by my convictions, and the words of a god fading into nothingness will not cloud my judgment." Camille declares softly.

 

[Breadman]

"I said this before. They are creatures of emotion first and foremost. Their own drawbacks being deeply rooted within what was once that made them human." Theodore said once Camille was finished "That is the new belief among scholars anyway. To hunt the 'parasites' would be to hunt for murderers and thieves among our own number. But emotion can cloud that into persecuting the entirety of them. You can blame the church for that. They set an image he's projecting on to you. But he would never admit to that. As far as I've seen and read of your own exploits, you're more merciful than some of our more decorated hunters. A position that would be at odds with all the god's teachings teachings."

"Wouldn't be surprised if he's having a crisis of faith around you."

He looked towards the flames for a moment. Having said what he thought of her situation. Though it surprised him that she brought up the gods and their relevance to the world and how it dissipates with each passing day. When did she pick up philosophy? Or is this just another hidden trait the marquise hid from others.

 

[Dmaster]

She had chosen to be rather vague about her interactions with both Velin and Gyasis, as there was no use talking about them given how uneventful they were. "Perhaps you are right." Camille says after his explanation, adding to her words with a nod. "Still, in the end I do not care what people perceive me as. I know that what I fight for is right, and in times like this action is valued more than anything. Aleister has gone for quite a long time without his viewpoint being so thoroughly challenged, and this journey is testing its mettle. Even I can tell he's falling apart now, and I fear for the worst if he loses that pillar of faith he has leaned on all of his life..." She appears distant and vacant in those few seconds, but soon another glance at the scholar shows she is still there.

"Over reliance on the gods and faith simply means that you cannot stand on your own. As their power wanes many will begin to realize that."

 

[Breadman]

"Good thing I'm a man of the sciences then." Theodore answered while glancing back at her "As sturdy as a pillar when it needs to be, but subject to change and adapt when evidence presents itself. Show's life beauty" His gaze shifted again towards the fire and his tone changed to a more distant one "but exposes every ugly truth bare for you to witness. Every...dark...corner." He snapped back out of it, realizing where his mind was drifting off

"Eh..hmm" A cough to distract from what was said and he continued "I did not expect you two to have a philosophical debate regarding the gods, I must admit. But I suppose that when you spend so much time on the hunt, you would need to find something to occupy your free time to keep your wits sharp."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille sucked on her teeth as Theodore got the wrong idea of her, head shaking from side to side. "The subject of theology is quite readily apparent in the presence of a god." she finally explains, not expressing too much concern over the scholar's thoughts. "Science and ambition are far more concrete, they do not offer empty words in a time of crisis, or lay your soul to bare in flimsy judgment you never asked for or even needed."

She sits up a bit more in her chair, turning toward him fully. "Gyasis resides in this town, hiding as a mortal. I can confidently say his presence only served to unravel him further."