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

[Infab]

"No offense intended, mistress."

"None taken...and please don' call me that." responded Kassidy, glancing to the elven warlord. "I mean, it was cute fer a while when I first started, then it just got creepy." She then glanced over to see Senya cooking and Henderson digging in her refridgeration unit. "That's minotaur yer eatin' there...oh, and that milk yer drinkin' is spider's milk. Come from the Zalmakul cult over in Sagath's territory." she stated.

She then turned to see Inari trying to cheer up Loque. That's utterly adorable. She watched them for a few moments, before cleaning off the coffee table and sitting down on the floor next to it, folding her legs.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Spspspsp... how foolish, standing creature. All can be fixed with hands, and for that, I hate you, those who walk on legs. For I have no hands, no feets, and I must endure. When drought come, I cannot run. When famine come, I cannot travel to eat. You who have hand and feet, you can run, or you can fix. When land flood, hands make boat, and I drown. When hawk in sky, I hide in grass, but you take bow and kill. How you say you cannot fix thing when you have hands and feet? Spspspsps...."

Loque became increasingly uncomfortable the more Inari spoke. Visibly too, as her posture started to sag. This woman wouldn’t understand. Everything’s just fun and games to her. Fun and games, and killing.

“It’s not that simple... Hands and feet can’t mend a soul... Hands and feet can’t mend what they did to me.”

The light fades slowly until it’s gone.

 

[Viper Actual]

With a grunt Seriphine nodded towards Kassidy. "As you wish."

Her attention then shifted to Inari and Loque. She didn't care much for either of them though the latter showed the same attitude she had seen in weary soldiers. She is a rampage waiting to happen and that is not what we need right now.

Seriphine suddenly grabbed hold of the rope, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. With a quick glance at Loque the Elf appeared to show some genuine concern as she looked to Inari. "When you are done with your childish games demon it may be time to let the Masked One rest herself."

A portion of one of her blades was flashed against the Kitsune. "I insist."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"Spspsps... they mend anything with effort, spspsps and-" She was cut off by the elf woman snatching the rope snake. Inari's expression twitched only slightly from the interruption, her eyes narrowing as she remained bent over towards Loque with the coil of rope in her lap, both hands near the end of the length she was puppeting.

Inari refused to break the act, even with the rope held still and the flash of the knife, and she turned her attention to the elf. "Ah... spspspsp... a foolish pointy ear woman come to take me away. Maybe she lost on way to bed with her lady master," she said in the voice of the snake. "Maybe she want me coiled around limbs, she look the type."

 

[Infab]

Kassidy raised her eyebrows as she heard Loque's statement, then saw Seriphine attempt to stop Inari. Only to have the kitsune continue. "I hope y'all ain't plannin' ta throw down in here..." she said, looking between them. Vincent decided to step in, gently taking Seriphine by the arm and slowly trying to pull her off the couch. "Let's not get carried away, now. We're guests and under cover." he said, looking to Seriphine before glancing to Inari.

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine narrowed her eyes at Inari with her ears twitching ever so lightly. When Vincent spoke she nodded. "Yes. Let's not."

Then, faster than the eye could see, Seriphine's right hand moved towards the rope and back. She sheated her blade and watched the rope fall into two pieces.

A sly grin appeared on Seriphine's face as she continued to look at Inari.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"Ahh... spspspsp... but the foolish woman not realize that once cut, there more snake... spspspspsp." Inari tossed one length of the rope at Seri, and the grabbed the other, coiling it around her hand and wiggling it. "There always more snake."

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine shook her head. "You are like a child. A murderous child."
The Elven warlord walked off and positioned herself near Kassidy with her arms crossed. She studied Vincent for a while, throwing long looks at his face before looking away.

She found a spot on the wall and focused on it. A faint sigh escaped her.

 

[Infab]

Kassidy glanced to Seriphine, then to Vincent. "Elf lady's taken a likin' to you, Vince." she said. It was spoken out loud, loud enough for everyone to hear. Vincent gave both Kassidy and Seriphine a bit of a shocked look. "U-Uhm..." he said, nearly whispering it. Kassidy shrugged. "I mean, there's signals she's throwin' out. Learn ta read 'em." she added, before looking to Loque. "...Who did it, and are they dead yet?" she asked quietly.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"...Who did it, and are they dead yet?" she asked quietly.

Once again a little life seems to seep back into Loque as she panics a little.

“...Why? So you can tell them I’m here?”

 

[Infab]

“...Why? So you can tell them I’m here?"

Kassidy glared at Loque. "No. 'Cause I wanted to know if ya made 'em suffer."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"No. 'Cause I wanted to know if ya made 'em suffer."

“...”

For a second, Kassidy’s question forced Loque to think about it all again. Irin is clearly still alive and pursuing her, but now she has severe doubts Karlel has been taken care of too and is very likely hunting her down along with Irin.

“I didn’t.”

 

[Infab]

Kassidy smiled. "When ya find them...make sure they do suffer. And give a little extra effort fer me, aight?" she said. She meant it, judging from the tone of her voice. She then looked to Takato. "Oni, come sit with me. I'll tell ya 'bout the last Oni I met down here."

 

[Viper Actual]

Seriphine widened her eyes at first and looked at Kassidy. As Vincent stuttered out a response she narrowed her eyes at the demon. No words were spoken.
Upon glancing at Vincent the Elf's ears betrayed her, twitching for a mere moment before her entire expression turned into stone.

Whatever it was that she felt Seriphine wasn't quite ready to announce it to the entire world and especially not in front of the group. Out of those who currently present Vincent and Senya were the least annoying ones but she'd hesitate to refer to them as anything else but associates.

She sighed. A warlord has no friends.

 

[Breadman]

"Spider milk tastes rotten then." Henderson said before gulping down the rest of the carton. "Not the worst I've drank."

 

[Damian0358]

Takato quickly turned his head towards Kassidy, surprised by the comment she had just made.

"The last oni you had met down here?" he repeated what he had just heard, as he approached Kassidy to sit with her, "You've met an oni?"

 

[Infab]

Kassidy nodded. "Yeah, met 'em while he was on some sort of pilgramage. He was headin' to the Land of Dead Kings up north. Visiting the tomb of the first and second Demon Kings." she replied. "Heard the second Demon King was sorta the original founder of some kinda religion yer's branched off of."

 

[Damian0358]

Takato nodded as he listened. "Zazriel and his time had a faith remarkably similar to that of the humans - his Divine Order to their Dou - at least from what has revealed to me so far. Figured that, perhaps, for those Southern Oni such as I, this Divine Order played a part in what would become our religious creole, adapting the Dou into it... so, if Zazriel predated those early humans that came to realize of the Dou independently, he could count as a founder, if not an honorary member at least, and a founding one at that," he concluded, before a thought followed on beat afterwards.

"You say he was on a pilgrimage... would not have thought the faithful to be in this realm, though," Takato tilted his head to the side, "there are those faithful who are true, but are otherwise damnable..."

 

[Infab]

"Apparently a lot of yer kind take pilgrimages there. Some famous one that Oni mentioned...uh...Abahai visited there a while back. According to him." replied Kassidy. "Might want ta make one yerself if ya head in that direction."

 

[Damian0358]

"A-Abahai..." Takato stuttered, not yet used to the idea of her being around. He paused for a moment before responding.

"...the Land of Dead Kings, was it? May the Dou have this journey head towards the north then," he said, with a determined look in his eyes for a brief moment. If the Oni faithful are heading there, then surely there must be a reason proper.

"Wondersome am I of the source of these oni... if they pilgrim, they must have a home, or have at least had one..." he casually added on to the end, not really expecting an answer.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Ahh... spspspsp... but the foolish woman not realize that once cut, there more snake... spspspspsp."

While the rope was indeed cut by Seriphine, Loque wouldn't let the smug, domineering elf get her way. Especially not when Inari's trying to cheer her up which is an undertaking hardly anyone else was concerned with, even in the face of certain permanent hollowification. With the ends of the rope that were cut, she ties them together with a nice and proper Escarian-style knot.

"...I can at least mend that."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Inari was, truthfully, somewhat exasperated. She wanted a little rest since evidently nothing was going to fix the demon, and she may as well be left for dead at this point. She gave a side glance at Loque when the woman began tying the rope back together and, once done, she wiggled it. "Ahh... spspspsp... I am made whole once more. Mended by hands, when all thought lost."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"Ahh... spspspsp... I am made whole once more. Mended by hands, when all thought lost."

Inari can’t tell, but a faint smile forms on Loque’s face.

“Maybe me too, little snake. Maybe in time...”

 

[Infab]

Soon, the group calmed themselves and began to talk over their ideas and plans to take down Thelyra. Kassidy was involved as much as she could be, as she'd be the one getting them into the palace in the first place. It would take a little discussion and idea chunking, which lasted well into the night. But eventually they settled on a plan.

------
​

Elsewhere in the Abyss, back in Azgon's Territory...

Hudson's group had been walking endlessly, occasionally coming across more wandering hollows or the ruins of old buildings and villages. Either destroyed through combat or through an Abyssal shift. Eventually, however, the group would come upon a rather interesting sight.

The site of an apparently recent raid on a convoy.

There were bodies scattered about, both normal and wrath demon corpses. Weapons were tossed about, along with shattered crates and wrecked vehicles. Some of the bodies bore some odd form of armor and clothing, bearing a strange sigil that they didn't recognize. Yet it was a little similar to the sigil that belonged to Sazak. Riberta stepped over and squatted next to one of the corpses, raising an eyebrow as she looked it over. "Infighting?" she asked, looking from the body up to the others that were scattered about.

Before she could get a reply, however, there were several audible clicks nearby. Hammers on weapons being cocked back. Shit. She slowly stood, and looked around. Emerging from the rocks and bushes surrounding the convoy were several demons wearing the same armor that some of the bodies around them were wearing. All with firearms pointed at them. Hudson's group prepared themselves, in the event they had to go down swinging.

One of the demons spoke up, as they all moved in a bit closer. "Mortals, eh? You picked a hell of a time to pass through here." they said loudly.

 

[joshuadim]

"...I can see that." Venextos commented as he looked around. The scene was gruesome indeed, indicative of the kind of fight that was being fought by anyone opposing the power of the icons. "We are travelling to the warfront. I see we are getting closer."