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

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari awoke feeling fairly refreshed, for the sleep had been deep and peaceful. Any prior memories of hurtful things had been thoroughly beaten with a shovel, decapitated, and tossed back into the mass grave where they belonged. Moping on things was what clowns did, like that Hudson, who needed a good beating over his head to straighten himself out. As far as she was concerned, Seriphine's story may not have even been told. She felt better now.

Shadow demons... now that was an interesting thing. And not a little unexciting, either. Who else could duel her with skill other than a copy of herself? She wondered how either could win, considering if they were both the same, then maybe they'd be at it for a long time. Shadow her probably liked to fight dirty. She had no qualms against it, but preferred holding back since a cleaner duel was more entertaining and crushing to her opponent. What a harlot! She'd have plenty of choice insults for a fake version of her.

The bickering of the group again was another small amusement, and Inari listened without word, content to be a listener as they traveled for the moment. It was a wonder how some of these people even made it this far without combusting. She eyed Takato for a second as he spoke up about the cooperation of their copies, and Inari considered it. "Maybe they hate each other more than we hate each other?" She chuckled. "They also seem force to fight together."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Ah, you would know something about brains, would you not?" She then licked her lips and sucked the tips of her fingers before giving a derisive chuckle.

Loque rolls her eyes, rather unamused at Anya's taunting. "Of course I do, since I use mine more than Hudson uses his."

"How certain is it that these shadows spoken of haven't shared the strengths and weaknesses, the memories inherited to the rest? Would these shadows not be more... cooperative among themselves?"

"Maybe they hate each other more than we hate each other?" She chuckled. "They also seem force to fight together."

Though riling up Hudson is quickly becoming Loque's new favorite pastime, her knowledge and wisdom of her native land was needed right now to help these two find answers to their weird conundrum.

"That isn't the case, unfortunately. While we're splintered because of our... *ahem*, hatred, they're unified in their 'hatred' of you gentlemen in particular, so don't mistake that for some weakness, especially since they've not inherited any of yours. They're more vicious and spiteful towards you than you think. As le patron said, they're all of the horrible and cruelest elements of you personified. For some of us here, that is fatal."

 

[Damian0358]

"Then almost certain it is," Takato said with a grim expression, "prepared we must be, for whatever we know individually, our strengths, our weaknesses, our most troubling memories, may be shared among and known by all these shadows," he commented in response. At the very least, he would anticipate his own shadow self to share his strengths at minimum with his compatriots, because if there was one thing that shadow would inherit, it would be his wish to maintain a 'fair' fight, to ensure it was a good, enjoyable one. Perhaps his shadow self only wishes for a good, enjoyable fight, fairness be damned.

Though Takato wondered - the two of them would be of roughly equal strength, and while that would usually be determined in combat by way of who has the most skill, who is the most dynamic, and so forth, the two of them would be equal in that regard too. The others might have shadow versions that might relish the thrill of such battle, but for some reason, he suspected that wouldn't be the case for his own shadow, especially if only the shadow could only be truly defeated by him. He could be wrong however, and he knew he would have to prepare.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Then almost certain it is," Takato said with a grim expression, "prepared we must be, for whatever we know individually, our strengths, our weaknesses, our most troubling memories, may be shared among and known by all these shadows,"

“Heh.” Loque grunts. “Prepared you people must be since fortunately, I have no shadow.”

 

[Damian0358]

Takato seemed to have a mixed, almost-surprised expression on his face - he didn't know how long she was out of the Abyss for, so she should theoretically count as an interloper, but on the other hand, she was also a demon, a genuine demon, so perhaps that didn't matter? He needed to press on that point.

"But how long has it been since the Abyss had last seen your being? Would you not too count as an interloper at this point?"

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"But how long has it been since the Abyss had last seen your being? Would you not too count as an interloper at this point?"

“Perhaps... two or three centuries? In abyssal time, anyway. Regardless, as Hudson really really loves to point out, I am as demon as any demon can be. Shadow demons don’t manifest for other demons, otherwise this entire land would be even more dead than it is already.”

 

[Damian0358]

Takato nodded as he heard Loque's answer, so his earlier hypothetical of a Shadow Loque is a bust now, though could unfortunately be swapped with his own shadow self. Still, he wondered;

"...then what if something else had manifested, to deal with demons interloping from the mortal coil? If not a shadow, then something must've come to fruition to deal with such a scenario. Otherwise, would that not be a possible threat to the Abyss?" he asked, "Of course, not considering the preventative measures for demons attempting to leave the Abyss."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"...then what if something else had manifested, to deal with demons interloping from the mortal coil? If not a shadow, then something must've come to fruition to deal with such a scenario. Otherwise, would that not be a possible threat to the Abyss?" he asked, "Of course, not considering the preventative measures for demons attempting to leave the Abyss."

Loque cuts Takato a look from under her helmet, baffled by his bizarre question.

“What, would you like there to be?”

 

[Infab]

Vincent ignored the bickering between Riberta and Hudson for the moment, listening in on Takato and Loque. "Tariun mentioned that a fallen angel was with the shadow demons, and was hunting Loque. I'm sure they recruited them for the endeavor." he stated, answering Takato's query. "Still, we can take them down if we work together. They obviously will be working together to slaughter us." They continued on, walking down the street back towards the train platform. The street was empty this time, the hollows that had been wandering it when they had arrived gone to some other region of the city. They walked up onto the platform, Vincent drawing out the discs and doing just as he had done before. He placed one of the discs on the short spike atop the square obsidan pillar, and soon it lit up just as before. And a whistle sounded off. The train was coming.

It arrived minutes later, slowing to a stop. And just like before, a voice called out to them. "WHERE TO?" Vincent quickly responded. "THE TERRITORY OF AZGON!" he shouted. The voice instructed them to get on, and the group quickly boarded the train via the ramp that deployed out of the side. Awaiting the group were the smiling pair from before. Cat and Wesix. "Welcome back!" they both said in unison. Cat was dressed in a black dress, just as she had been when they first met her, while Wesix was dressed more casually in a beige button-up shirt and black slacks. "I assume your work in Sheol went well?" said Cat afterwards, looking to each of them.

 

[Dmaster]

The hunter stopped entertaining Loque's berating or jabs at him, head hung low as they continued to walk back to the station. His mind was focused elsewhere now, the thought of his shadow demon being out there worrying him greatly. The one thing that he ever truly felt threatened by was his past, and now there was an enemy that could use it against him to great effect. Perhaps there was some fear to the hunts Hudson conducted, that instinct and self-preservation that warns him that every fight may be his last. Yet the idea of a death well-earned and meaningful was comforting to him, even if he had not fully absolved himself from his sins just yet. But this shadow demon would work to torture and break him down no doubt, and there was little he could do to create a strategy against that.

Once the train stopped and ask their destination, Hudson slumped his shoulders and began to board the train. He stopped just short as the two demons patronized them, all smiles as before as he looked on at them. "Fuck off." he spat, brushing his way past them as he made his way to the room he stayed in the last time.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked at Cat and Wesix as they welcomed them aboard once more. "Oh just peachy, nothing like being part of some demonic guerrilla warfare." He then let out a frustrated sigh as Hudson told them to fuck off. "Don't mind him... are the showers available? I really need to relax right now."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Tariun mentioned that a fallen angel was with the shadow demons, and was hunting Loque. I'm sure they recruited them for the endeavor."

'A fallen angel? Oh no. Could it be...?'

Loque's blood goes cold as she hears Vincent talk about her being hunted. Without paying any sort of attention to Wesix and Cat welcoming the party with a warm greeting, she jumps past them and stops right in front of Vincent before he can go anywhere else, seemingly sweating nervously under her clothes. "Wait, Vincent... What's this about a fallen angel?"

 

[Damian0358]

Takato looked on worryingly as he heard Vincent utter the words 'fallen angel' - a being like Cassiel, but vile?! It answered his question, sure, but seeing Loque's reaction made him wonder whether he should've chosen instead not to have pursued that line of thought he had. Still, it meant that even she was being pursued, even if she wasn't facing the same threat as them. But still, a 'fallen angel', they must be fierce if she reacted like that.

As the group boarded the train, Takato looked over at Cat and Wesix and just gave them a polite-but-silent greeting, before moving on to the room where he had stayed last time. He wondered how the rooms would be arranged now, considering they had another member now. He sat at the table in the room, as he considered what to do.

 

[Infab]

Vincent went to speak to the pair before them, but was interrupted by Loque. "That's all Tariun told me. There's a fallen angel among them, hunting you." he responded. Does she know who it could be? They likely have history together if she's acting like this. Meanwhile, Cat turned her attention to Jakob as Hudson rudely spoke and marched off. "Oh, yes. I'll take you to it." she stated, with a nod and a motion of her hand for him to follow her. As she lead him off to the bathing areas, Wesix remained with the group. He lead them all to their rooms, as Cat had done previously, and allowed them to choose which rooms they would be residing in. "If you need anything at all, just ask! I'm happy to be of assistance." he stated, folding his hands behind his back as he looked among them.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"That's all Tariun told me. There's a fallen angel among them, hunting you.”

‘No, no... It can’t possibly be them...’

Whatever the case is, it seems Loque would have to consult Tariun directly for more information about this. Vincent doesn’t seem to know much anyway, and she thinks it’s best to keep it that way.

Her breathing becomes labored as sweat visibly drips from her neck. “...I think I’m going to have a talk with Tariun.” she says, still very obviously worried.

 

[K0mori]

Anya gave a toothy grin to the train operators. "Home, sweet home!" she declared as she stepped aboard the luxurious train. Although the Abyss was oppressively gloomy and hopeless, their method of traversing it was undeniably pleasant and, somehow, felt safe in the midst of all the terrible creatures and eternal torment, as if its well-furnished interior was exempt from all the rules of the Abyss. She strode along with Wessix toward the cabins with her hands deep in the pockets of her greatcoat. When the incubus asked if they would need anything, she requested only a cigarette and to know whether they would be receiving another meal like last time. She was hungry, but assured him that she would take a modest meal as happily as the grandiose feast they were presented with before.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari wasn't sure how she felt entirely about their shadow copies. The fact that these alternate versions of themselves knew everything about them was indeed a little offputting, but what could be used against her? Maybe she killed a little more people than she sometimes let on. Maybe she used to be a little angrier in the past before she reached her current, proper state of mind. Those things had no hold over her now so she wasn't sure. She felt simultaneously intrigued and worried. The shadows were them at their worst. Would that be her days with the Toka or any of the other years as a warlord? Hard to say.

She was pleased to see the train and board it, and she gave both of the servant demons pats on the shoulder and a smile as she saw them. "Ah, Anya speak true, here is good home!" Maybe she should get her own demon train. Ride around the Abyss, stopping at locations to wage some war, and boarding up again to leave in luxury. It was like a mobile castle. There was some charm to it. For now, she simply settled into her cabin to rest a moment.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Looking for a proper room where no one would find her nor would anyone be able to listen in on whatever she wanted to say to Tariun felt like it took eons. The butterflies swarming around in her stomach and the weakness in her legs did nothing to help her. She did eventually find a suitable location though: a medium-sized storage room with old cleaning tools and boxes neatly arranged on a few shelves. She speaks the words to summon Tariun after removing her helmet, her coat, and unbuttoning her shirt just to get some proper ventilation due to how much she's sweating.

If this person hunting her down is who she thinks she is, she needs to start making preparations now to do anything to potentially throw them off her tail, just to avoid the sickening fate she knows she's in for should they find her.

 

[Doomevil]

And here it was, the same train they were on before. Senya sighed a load of relief knowing they were safe there, for now. The train operators Cat and Wesix greeted them by the entrance. Senya stared at them, eyes narrowed. They were awfully cheerful, but she supposed that was the point. The mission in Sheol is finished and they could all rest up and plan their next objective in Azgon's territory. Senya stood near the hallways, leaning against the wall so she can think about this shadow. Vincent suspected they were definitely the worst qualities of themselves by far, and only the real one can kill the copy. But if it didn't come to that, would the shadow counterpart become stronger and more experienced against them as they ventured in the Abyss?

Senya shook her head, thinking about it some more.

 

[Infab]

Wesix nodded at Anya, as he reached inside his slacks pocket. He then drew out a cigarette and a match, striking the match along the side of one of his horns to light it. He offered the cigarette to Anya, prepared to light it with the burning match. "Yes, ma'am. We'll be preparing a lovely lunch for you all soon. Is there anything in particular you'd like? Chicken, fish, beef...?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he smiled. Meanwhile, Vincent returned to the room he had been staying in previously. Loque had wandered off somewhere to speak with Tariun. Hopefully Tariun could reassure her that things were going to be alright. Riberta moved towards her room, pausing just near Anya and Wesix to listen in on when they'd be getting food. She couldn't eat anything they served, obviously, but it was still nice to know when the others would be getting fed. She could judge when she needed to drink from her canteens based around that.

---
​

It wasn't long before the spectral form of Tariun manifested itself inside the room with Loque. Tariun looked about after forming, then looked back to Loque. "Do you need something, Loque? And why are we in a storage closet...?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Do you need something, Loque? And why are we in a storage closet...?"

"Because what I am about to ask you and what I am going to tell you after needs to stay in this room." Loque takes a seat on a crate as she wipes her reddened brow with a nearby rag. "This... this fallen angel you told Vincent about that is hunting me... Who is it?"

 

[Infab]

Tariun tilted her head. "I do not know at the moment. My loyalists haven't pinned down their identity. Still, I believe it might be Irin. She's been particularly active lately, and even has some of the Icons' ears." she explained. She then paused, before speaking again. "...You two have history, don't you?" she asked. The scars, sweating, how she was acting in general. "...I know of Irin's history...an angel cast out of paradise and into the pit for acting against the archangel Raziel's wishes during the Age of Darkness. Conspiring with Sekath, and another fallen angel by the name of Karlel...and committing vile atrocities against angels, demons, and mortals alike." She went quiet afterwards, her gaze shifting to the floor. "...I'm...sorry for what she has done to you." she finally said, after a few moments.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Loque's legs shake faster and faster with anxiety the more Tariun speaks to her, confirming her worst fears. It's exactly who she didn't want it to be, the one person in the entirety of the Abyss she was deathly afraid of encountering down here. The one person that, along with her partner, in just one week had done her much much worse than Thorgran and his men ever wanted to in the centuries she was enslaved by them. A wave of freezing cold creeps up her back when their names, 'Irin' and 'Karlel', are spoken, flinching heavily and letting out an audible gasp of shock. She knows why Irin is hunting her, and she knows the sickening plans Irin has for her if she can get her hands on her again, and worst of all, knows Irin hasn't forgotten what she did to escape her and Karlel. If only she wasn't stupid enough to try to forget it. If only she could recall the two of them before Inari manhandled her, or even before she very stupidly agreed to go on this journey. Perhaps, poorly trying to forget her past life in this place so she could start a new one in the mortal realm was not such a smart idea, seeing as now the worst of it is hunting her down. If only she'd known that, she'd still be living comfortably at her home, drinking her wine and not having to worry about seeing her face again. If anything though, she at least knows now to keep one bullet saved for when Irin eventually catches up to her.

Though what she says after makes her instantly snap her head at Tariun, leering at her harshly with two burning eyes glowing in their sockets.

"...I'm...sorry for what she has done to you."

"No... NO! NO!" Like a frog chasing after a fly, she leaps off of the box and swats madly at Tariun's apparition in a feeble attempt to grab a hold of her. "GOD DAMN IT! GOD DAMN IT! WHO TOLD YOU!?"

 

[Infab]

Tariun didn't move, as Loque swatted through her spectral projection. "...No one told me, Loque. I assumed from your scars...and how you were acting. And you've confirmed it." she said, her voice soft. "...Loque, you need to calm yourself. Steel your nerves for what is to come. You will eventually encounter Irin again...and you will need to destroy her." She smiled. "I know you can do it. Purge this evil, once and for all. For the sake of all those that Irin has harmed...including yourself."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I know you can do it. Purge this evil, once and for all. For the sake of all those that Irin has harmed...including yourself."

Loque stops, and slumps back over the box. She rubs her hands down her face slowly as she tries her best to calm herself down as she reminds herself she's lashing out towards Lady Tariun, not a very good look for her to be yelling at a noble.

"Sure... whatever." she sighs. "Just don't tell anyone... especially not these knaves I'm traveling with."