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

[Emperor Sagan]

["Grab that idiot and help him back to the others,"] Inari said to Takato, holding steady with her sword and engaging any who got near to them. ["He's going to get himself killed out here by himself, like the fool he is. If he dies, then we have no chance of killing his shadow and we are really fucked."]

Inari kept some sense on their furthest surroundings, still concerned about the appearance of her shadow. At any moment she could envision herself sweeping in to deliver a crushing blow to the enemy. On the other hand, her knowing this was enough to make her slightly tense, which meant just the nature of her shadow existing meant she could enact some mind games without even being here.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Luck seems to be favoring the group as the company of hollowed soldiers is going down quicker than Loque thought, but there's still a few more about causing problems, plus there's Shadow Jakob who has been striking down hard on the real Jakob. There's also the gas too, which has been festering in the air long enough that Loque's using every nerve of hers to keep her hands on her rifle and not around her neck. Just what the hell was this gas? Why does it make her feel like she's been swallowing pieces of jagged glass of which are now lodged in her throat? What did Hudson mean about hoping it wasn't 'the real thing'? Whatever it is, it doesn't matter for now. What does matter is cleaning up the rest of the hollows so the group can focus their efforts on saving Jakob from his shadow-self.

She reloads, and again she tries her best to aim her rifle and shoot at the remaining hollows to put them down quickly so she can switch to the more dangerous target.

 

[Doomevil]

Senya suffered a few injuries from the hollow soldiers, causing minor inconvenience when she needed to deal with the shadow demon. Nevertheless the others needed to keep the pressure on the soldiers. She kept attacking the shadow demon using quick attacks and making sure this can distract the demon from hurting the real Jakob.

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson once again cut Riberta a quick look as she pulled him out of the brawl, figuring that he was quite fine being in the thick of it. If he was surrounded by several bodies that meant that the soldiers' gunfire wouldn't be able to hit him all that well. Still, there was no use arguing over it as he used the space he gained to twirl his chains again, thinning the gas around him as he strategically took a few more labored breaths to keep himself standing. "Get back!" he ordered the hollows, casting one of Velin's Tears at the group of damned soldiers he was just pulled out of.

---
​

"Oh you know how they've got their convictions." commented the other figure, that pistol in his hand being carelessly twirled about by a single finger in the trigger housing. Some of his other digits would sometimes grip the slide to apply more force to keep it spinning, showing both skill while also showing the treatment of the firearm like some mere toy. "Maybe she's scared that she won't be able to tell who's who when she changes. And he just doesn't care what happens to him. Any demon he takes out before croaking is just a bonus, apparently."

The shadowy figure shakes their head, chuckling lowly to itself before it clicks the mag release of the pistol mid-twirl. The container of bullets falls out unceremoniously yet is caught by his off-hand during its flight. Without skipping a beat the silhouette flips the grip of the pistol skyward and slams a new magazine into its place, another rolling motion and he pulls back the hammer with a satisfying click.

"Consider yourself lucky. When the time comes all I can do is fuck with him before putting him down. Easy as can be with a great payoff sure, but your fight's bound to be more exciting."

 

[Viper Actual]

Even though she could ignore most of the pain, getting struck was incredibly annoying in Seriphine's eyes. The fact that the Hollowed didn't drop dead in the presence of her and her furious onslaught added to the annoyance.

After taking a deep breath Seriphine continued her charge through a series of strikes. Slashes, cuts and stabs- the Hollowed would soon meet their final demise.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato nodded as Inari suggested he get Jakob to safety. He turned towards the man, and approached him while fighting against those approaching.

"Sir Phillomon!" he began, "It would be wise to move closer to the others and avoid getting hurt any further by the shadow! You may be the only one that can truly beat it, but consider what might happen if it kills you!"

"And consider your anger, your rage! You're only proving your shadow true!"

 

[joshuadim]

With Jakob tended to, Venextos noticed a few wounds being collected by the others and most noticeably himself. As such, he began to recreate his improvised healing ward he used at Sheol in order to heal those around him and used his staff as the vessel for the magic to be spread around.

 

[Breadman]

Henderson grimaced as one of the shadow soldiers struck him again. He reached out to grab the thing by the head and lift it up. Jacob was got himself in a spot of trouble and if his worse self would win, they would have to deal with that specter for the rest of this trip. Bollocks to that. He tossed the shadow towards Jacob's evil self.

 

[Infab]

Azgon's Territory - 'The Battlefield' - Shadow Demon Battle - TURN 3
Inari = 8. Does 1 DMG to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers HP = 7.
Loque = 5. Does 1 DMG to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers HP = 6.
Senya = 10. CH Roll = 4. Does 4 DMG (Dragon Knight) to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 77
Hudson = 4 + 1 (5, Velin's Tears.) Does 2 DMG (Velin's Tears) to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers HP = 4.
Seriphine = 6. Does 1 DMG to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers HP = 3.
Henderson attempts to hit Shadow Jakob with a Hollowed Soldier. D6 used. Chance Roll = 2. Misses Shadow Jakob. Does 1 DMG to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers HP = 2.
Takato = 5. Does 2 DMG (Butoo Style) to Hollowed Soldiers. Hollowed Soldiers dead.
Venextos attempts to heal the party. D6 used. Chance Roll = 4. The group regains 3 points of HP. Venextos and Jakob HP = 9. Rest of Party HP = 10.
Jakob = 8 + 2 (10. With Badge & Gun.) CH Roll = 7. Does 16 DMG (With Badge & Gun, Only a Copy) to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 61.
Vincent = 8 + 2 (10, The Huntsman) CH Roll = 3. Does 2 DMG to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 59.
Riberta = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 6 DMG (Ruthless Warlord) to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 53.

Azgon's Territory - 'The Battlefield' - Shadow Demon Battle - TURN 3 (ENEMY)
Shadow Jakob = 10. CH Roll = 9. Does 8 DMG to Inari. Inari HP = 2. Chance for 'Execution'. Rolls = 8, 2. Chance Roll successful. Inari has been KO'd.

------



​

The group quickly finished off the hollowed soldiers, as some of the others began to focus more on trying to take down Shadow Jakob before he could put down Jakob for good. Inari and Takato engaged any hollows around Jakob, as Jakob opened fire on his shadow counterpart once more. With ease, Inari cleaved through a soldier, while Takato's palms obliterated the chests of two soldiers. Forcing them down into the mud. Jakob fired off several more revolver shots at the shadow, bullets ripping through its clothing. Still, the shadow wasn't going down. Senya, nearby, drove her sword into the shadow several times, the flames scorching the copy's uniform.

Elsewhere, Hudson and Seriphine continued to slay soldiers along with Loque and Henderson. As Henderson grabbed one of them and threw it at the shadow Jakob, which avoided the incoming body, Loque's rifle shot ripped through a soldier's head, and Hudson's flail smashed through two of the walking corpses. Seriphine's blades sliced through one, and soon they found that all the soldiers were now on the ground. All fifty of them. The air was still toxic, making it hard to breathe and see, so most covered their mouths with whatever cloth they could find. Meanwhile, Venextos attempted to heal the party as best he could, which proved successful.

Vincent changed targets, as all the hollowed soldiers were dead, and opened fire on the shadow variant of Jakob. Hunting rounds ripped through Shadow Jakob, forcing him to shift a bit due to the higher caliber rounds. He'd remain standing, turning his attention to Takato as Takato attempted to get Jakob to calm down and focus. He chuckled, lifting his shotgun to point it at the Oni. Before he could pull the trigger, however, Riberta's claymore slammed point first into his shoulder. She had thrown it as hard as she could from where she was, running towards them, as if it were a spear instead of a long, two handed blade. The impact forced Shadow Jakob to swing about, yelping in pain and pulling the trigger as he turned. The slug in his shotgun burst forth, hitting Inari in the left side of her chest. She was sent backwards, landing hard in the mud as her blade slid away from her.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

The shadow fired off its shotgun, and seemingly took out Inari. The realization hit Jakob hard, as he saw her fly backwards and hit the mud. As much as he disliked the woman, she was part of the mission. She was a comrade in this journey through Hell. The shadow was right. Jakob was still failing the people that counted on him. Jakob raised from the mud despite his wounds. His eyes glowing yellow as he reloaded both his revolvers. "You motherfucker..." he said, firing off both his revolvers at the shadow after reloading. "...you don't know me! You don't know the shit I had to go through! DIE ALREADY!"

 

[Dmaster]

Hudson retracted his chains and brought the flail back to his hand, holding it in place as he inverted his sword and sheathed it. From the amalgam of linked steel about his waist he pulled on another line to bring out a second flail. Moving his arms about slowly, he spun them as the trails of fire become bright circles that keep gaining centripetal force. The hunter sneered and cast them both at the shadow, thrown at an arc to constrict the demon in chains to weaken him.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

The soldiers were dead faster than she expected, all cut or shot down. So much for Adonian infantry. They may have had guns but they died like levy peasants on their first field experience. Maybe it was because they were some twisted Abyssal creations, but it explained their reliance on explosives and guns. They couldn't fight worth shit. ["Just grab him, quick,"] Inari said to Takato as she repositioned herself to focus on the remaining foe - Shadow Jakob.

Something glinted in the dim light of the swamp and she saw the claymore surge through the air and hit Shadow Jakob, but the next thing she realized was being lifted from the ground by a bright flash and invisible force until she landed on her back in the mud. The sudden pain in her chest was excruciating, far worse than any stab wound she had taken over the years. It was worse than any gut stab, any heated iron spike. She had been touched by other spirit possessed weapons and the immense biting pain was the only thing that surpassed the shot to the chest, but only by a little. The damage near her heart and lungs stole her breath away and she lost all feeling in her body. She wanted to put one hand on the wound, but her arm wouldn't move, and she tried to bring Kyoshi close towards her, but her right hand was empty and her fingers twitched at the empty air. Even during some of her worst moments, that sword had never left her grasp. Dropping it now not only angered her - it terrified her.

Still, she had barely any time to realize this as wisps of smoke emanated from her skin, her features rapidly changing in an instant. Her legs transformed, as did her arms and hands into those of a white furred kitsune. Gone was the human face, replace instead with one of a fox. There was, however, no trickster beauty to behold. Her snout was a mangled mess, with a serious burn stretching from the tip and along the side from immense damage by fire. Several small scars lace their way up her snout, and even the long fur of her cheeks did not hide some longer, deeper scars. At her neck there appeared to be an old puncture wound. Both ears were clipped and notched - but one was cut half off entirely. Her once pale, glassy blue eyes grew to far greater intensity to the point of nearly glowing, but her lids were heavy and her eyes closed as her breathing grew shallow.

["Kyoshi,"] she gasped with a deep, ragged voice, pawing uselessly at the mud in search of the sword as she finally fell unconscious.

The sword itself lay in the mud nearby, subtlety vibrating and twitching by itself. There was a thin veneer of malevolence surrounding this seemingly inanimate object.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato, as he spoke to Jakob and heard Inari's suggestion, noted from the corner of his eye the aim of the shadow's shotgun, and quickly realized that he was the one being aimed at. He realized that he wouldn't be able to move out of the way quick enough, but if he shifted his weight, he could at least push Jakob away to ensure it was only him hit. However, before he could accept that this was where the Dou had led him, out of the blue, Riberta's claymore had flown over them and right into the shadow's shoulder. The shotgun's aim shifted away, and the shot hit elsewhere - turning around, he could see Inari landing hard in the mud, her blade loose. A subdued ringing could be heard in Takato's tuned ears, coming from the blade... he already had his suspicions regarding that katana she calls Kioshi, both from what he has noted her doing with it and the fact that he could sense an aura from it, though manifest in such a way he couldn't exactly recognize it. Now he knew, however; this blade possessed a Gashadokuro in it. He cringed slightly at the thought.

Takato began rushing over to Inari, as to get her out of harm's way, and to put some kind of bubble around Kioshi, and prevent anyone from touching that blade. Gashadokuro are ferocious, with items containing their spirits likely inspiring others to be just as bloodlusting as they are. Only someone like Inari would have the interest to control such a sword, in this group at least, and he'd have to make sure he gets to it before anyone else.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Loque raises her head after finally putting down the last remaining hollows along with Vincent and Henderson, only to see Inari take a lethal shot right in the chest which sent her flying backwards and to drop that shiny sword of hers. That weird sword is supposedly magical according to Inari, meaning it'd be a very very bad idea to let Shadow Jakob take it considering how he nearly came close to beating the real one down. For the sake of everyone, she charges out of her position to punt the sword away from the shadow demon to prevent him from taking it and using it against them.

 

[joshuadim]

Venextos started to move to Inari, but Takato beat him to the punch as he moved to get her out of harms way. As such, the wizard could focus his efforts now on the shadow itself. As such, a few strands of orange energy were summoned and sent towards the shadow to try to bind it in place.

 

[Infab]

Azgon's Territory - 'The Battlefield' - Shadow Demon Battle - TURN 4
Jakob = 8 + 2 (10. With Badge & Gun.) CH Roll = 7. Does 16 DMG (With Badge & Gun, Only a Copy) to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 37.
Hudson attempts to bind Shadow Jakob. D6 used. Chance roll = 2. Chance failed.
Venextos attempts to bind Shadow Jakob in place. D6 use. Chance roll = 3. Chance failed.
Riberta has a chance to pick up Inari's sword. D6 used. Chance roll = 1. Chance failed.
Loque has a chance to kick Inari's sword away from Shadow Jakob. D6 used. Chance roll = 6. Chance succesful. Takato automatically encases sword in bubble, and moves Inari out of the way.
Senya = 6. Does 2 DMG (Dragon Knight) to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 35.
Henderson = 5. Does 1 DMG to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 34.
Wesley = 6. Does 1 DMG to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 33.
Seriphine = 10. CH Roll = 4. Does 3 DMG to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 30.
Vincent = 7 + 3 (10, The Huntsman.) CH Roll = 8. Does 4 DMG to Shadow Jakob. Shadow Jakob HP = 26.

Azgon's Territory - 'The Battlefield' - Shadow Demon Battle - TURN 4 (ENEMY)
Shadow Jakob = 8 + 2 (10, Warborn.) CH Roll = 10. Does 8 DMG (Warborn) to Riberta. Riberta HP = 2. Chance for 'Execution.' Rolls = 5, 9. Chance failed. Riberta regains 3 HP. Riberta HP = 5.

------
​

As most of the group continued their attack on Jakob's shadow, a few tended to Inari and her cursed blade. Riberta, still charging towards where the shadow was, darted past Inari's body and her cursed blade. She ignored the sword, finding it far too small for her. Loque, deciding that it was best to get the sword away from Shadow Jakob, kicked the weapon far away. Takato went ahead and enveloped it in a protective bubble as it sailed through the air, before lifting up the unconcious kitsune and moving her.

Shadow Jakob, spotting Riberta charging him, smirked under his mask as he pumped the shotgun and fired at her. The slug hit her in the chest forcing her to stumble a bit and slow to a stop. She grunted loudly, straightening up and looking at the open wound on her chest. "WEAK." she spat, shifting her attention back to the shadow as Hudson and Venextos lept into action. Both attempted to use different methods to try and bind the shadow, so that it couldn't attack. Both failed however as the shadow simply seemed to fade out then back in a few feet from where he was. Hudson's chains fell to the ground, along with Riberta's claymore and most of the shot that had embedded inside the shadow's form.

Then, the rest of the group set upon the demon, slashing and shooting the demon as much as the could. Determined to put it down. Henderson even put his two cents in, hitting the demon with a cannon ball he found in the mud.

 

[Dmaster]

His chains going wide was a bit of a sore spot for Hudson, and he grunted in disapproval as he quickly righted them and spun them again. It was clear that the hunter wanted no part in even trying to kill the demon, and he was questioning why the group was fighting so viciously when they knew only Jakob could kill it. When the shadow re-materialized, Hudson squinted at it in attempts to see any visible damage on its form, but the wisps of darkness meant staring at the thing was like looking into black mist at times. There was no telling if any of their blows were making a difference, which unsettled the hunter some even as he went back to his initial plan. One toss of his flail followed by another, Velin's Tears sailing through the air and using their weight as anchor points to twirl those binding chains around the demon.

---
​

"He's not looking so good." The shadow said flatly, still twirling its pistol about as it looked to the other figure standing near them. "This is what happens when you're too overconfident. Not sure what he was thinking by bringing a bunch of damn hollows to do this job. Now for that overconfidence he's getting a trip to oblivion. Shame." It finally stopped playing with the gun as it reaches for some heavy chains at its side, tugging on them gently as a heavy ball of some kind shifted near its legs.

"I'm thinking isolation is the name of the game here. We have our targets, just sneak up on them when they're alone and it's easy pickings..."

 

[joshuadim]

With his efforts to bind the shadow in place having been in vain, Venextos instead refocused his efforts on damaging the creature enough so that Jakob could have the oppurtunity to finish it off when the time was right. As such, he sent a disk of orange energy flying straight at the shadow at a high velocity and hoped it would find its mark.

 

[Damian0358]

Takato rushed over, seeing Riberta run past Inari, breathing a sigh of relief as she ignored Kioshi. As he got closer, he noted Loque kicking the katana away, presumably to get it away from the shadow. He couldn't be more thankful, as he got to Inari's body, crouched down and quickly enveloped the blade in the same kind of aura he had enveloped the dynamite he had with him. Looking over Inari now, Takato could only look at her in a saddened fashion - no matter his own personal thoughts, her true complexion revealed a life damned by conflict. Remembering stories of warriors, martyrs and heroes during the Age of Darkness, he couldn't help but feel for her, no matter her personality, as he picked her up in his arms. He quickly rushed away, Inari in arms and Kioshi floating behind, getting her to safety.

Laying her down on a less muddied surface, Takato looked over her shotgun wound - not having seen such a wound up close up to now, he looked rather worried at the sight, both due to the damage and because of the mud present. Takato pat the bubble Kioshi was in when he noted the blade to be twitching slightly, before turning back to the wound. He would have to take this on as a two step procedure; firstly, get rid off the mud on and surrounding her wound, and secondly, heal her as Venextos had healed the others so far. The former would be easy enough to do using magic, but the latter, he was more used to doing it on himself, and in a passive nature, so this will require concentration. At least they weren't close to the fighting now.

 

[Doomevil]

Damn, Senya thought as she immediately saw Inari go down by the shadow demon. After a number of sword strikes she went back in order to keep her distance. She turned to Hudson who was attempting to bind the demon into submission. That sprang up a good idea. Although this was a copy of Detective Jakob, perhaps she could intimidate it somehow. She holstered her weapon, gesturing a short hand sign that might distract it. Heat grew within her hand, shooting a continuous flame circling around the demon shadow in an effort to block its attack.

 

[Infab]

Riberta's shadow nodded to Hudson's. "Oh, our little skirmish will be a bloodbath." she said, responding to his comments about her fight being more exciting. "I just hope she gives it her all...unlike what she's doing here. I want a fucking fight. Not a mercy kill."

As the tide started to turn for Jakob's shadow counterpart, Hudson's spoke up once more.

"I'm thinking isolation is the name of the game here. We have our targets, just sneak up on them when they're alone and it's easy pickings..."

"Yeah. We divide and conquer. I know Irin really wants that demon Loque over there all to herself. And the Redonians will want theirs to themselves as well...I don't know what Vincent's copy wants. He disappeared as soon as we manifested. Maybe he's drawing up some sort of elaborate scheme..." she muttered in response. When it looked as though Jakob's shadow was about to be taken down, Riberta's shadow grunted. "...Let's get out of here. I've lost interest." she said, before turning about and moving deeper into the yellowish fog.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Now that the sword's out of the way, time for Loque to plant her foot in something else this time. She backs away from Shadow Jakob as she really doesn't want to take a buckshot point blank as Inari did, and instead aims her rifle at him and squeezes the trigger as soon as she gets a clear shot.

 

[Dmaster]

"Trouble is some of them are here because they're looking for death. Not all of them have the liberty of that chain-throwing sad sack to be so open about it." was all he had to reply to the other shadow demon's bloodlust.

As Riberta's shadow commented on Vincent and the group's plan, Hudson's shadow simply gave a shrug and began holstering his pistol with a twirl. "Best keep our eyes on our separate prizes. We'll be complicating things if we work too closely together. And if we go for grand shows like Jakob's shadow there - well, this is the result." he muttered, shaking his head as he began to step back into the fog.

"So long, Shadow Jake. Seems like you're every ounce as smart as the original." the shadow demon said with a low chuckle, lazily saluting by casting two two fingers away from the side of his helmet. Just like Riberta's shadow he slipped back into the fog without another word.

 

[Breadman]

The cannonball was alright, but didn't slow Jacob's shadow that much. Perhaps a more hands-on approach was needed. Henderson moved to get closer to the shadow. He wasn't interested in killing it or harming it too much really. Merely holding it in one place would make things easier to put it down.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

The shadow demon, somehow, was still alive. And Jakob had run out of ammunition in his revolvers. Instead of reloading, the detective rushed his demonic copy, punching them several times and attempting to strip them of its weapon. After a bit of struggling with the demon, he managed to rip the shotgun from his shadow's hands. Without wasting any time, he attempted to drive the shotgun's long bayonet into the creature.