The Witch Hunt [Trompe lOeil and Maxwelle]

[Ariel]

Magic has long been banned in the kingdom. Perhaps it was the King felt threatened

or maybe he just didn't like it. Either way, those caught using Magic are to

be executed immediately. But, despite the rule, people still use it secretly for whatever

purpose they have for breaking such a consequential rule.

But what happens when you're caught and you flee?

The Witch Hunt.​

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Awesome! You somehow made this sound way cooler and dramatic than whatever I would've done. CS coming soon!

 

[Ariel]

(Lol, Random placing but okay xD Nice character Uhh, ready to begin then?)

 

[Trompe lOeil]

(You think? I guess I could've posted it in the conversation?


Sure, let's do it. Who's posting first?)

 

[Ariel]

(Theres a character tab o-o hehe. Since I'm being chased I'll just post quick)


Gwenith watched from afar, hidden in the shadows and cloaked pulled over her head. She'd almost been caught again. The men looked around for the witch they'd been told had been around and gave up after a few minutes and she let out a breathe she'd been holding in. Stepping out of the shadows and looked around uneasily.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

(I could make an amazingly long first post, but I'll keep this short so we can get started )


The city was dark, streetlights and lanterns and the faint light spilling from windows doing little to cut through the black. That was good. Sebastian liked the dark.


He'd only been assigned on missions in this city a handful of times, so he kept mostly to back alleys rather than risk traveling across the rooftops. Once he knew a city, he vastly preferred the rooftops for their safety. But a wrong step could lead to an unforseen ubstruction, or a sudden fall.


His father had only told him that there'd been reports of magic being used somewhere in the city. There were a few other witch hunters (it was a vulgar term, but he was told that was what the public called them) after the mage, but of course a Valori would be the one to bring it in. It was a matter of pride.


Not to mention the substantial bounty awarded by any lord to whom a mage was brought - dead or alive.


He heard footsteps, so he ducked into a dark doorway and pulled his cloak in front of his face. Two men walked past him without noticing.


"Could've sworn she was around here somewhere," one muttered to the other.


Sebastian smirked. If they were looking for the mage, they'd have to do better than that. They'd just walked straight past him.


After a moment, Sebastian stepped back into the street and headed in the direction the men had come from. If that pathetic display was anything to go by, the mage could have been right under their noses.

 

[Ariel]

Gwenith looked around again, swearing she could hear more footsteps, but it appeared she was alone. A feeling of foreboding settle over her as she looked around more nervously. It was there... the feeling of danger. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it saved her multiple times, so Gwenith took off running down the street, her feet tapping softly on the ground.


There were always Hunters, as they were often called, looking for her. She'd managed to evade them for awhile now and told herself this time wasn't any different. Pulling up her hood, she tried to listen again for any sound of alarm.


(Sorry, not notification ;-; @Trompe lOeil )

 

[Trompe lOeil]

(No worries @Maxwelle)


He would have missed it if he'd been facing the other direction. As it was, the few steps he'd taken toward where the men had come from were enough for him to hear the sound of running.


Sebastian grinned. This would be easy.


He took off down the street, sacrificing a little speed in order to keep his steps quiet. There was no covering up the sound completely, but with any luck the sound of her own running would cover up his.


Sebastian stopped at the end of the block, listened for the running, and then turned left, resuming his chase. At the next block, he spotted an alley and immediately turned down it. Now it was just one more turn, cross his fingers, step out into the next alley-


And a girl slammed right into him. The route he'd taken had cut her off perfectly, without a moment to spare.


He didn't take long to look her over. Instead, he took a step back and crossed his arms. "Going somewhere?" he said, mouth quirking upward.

 

[Ariel]

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Gwenith exclaimed, rising and brushing herself off casually. Maybe if she could play it off as getting lost... There'd been a couple times she'd outright lied to the Hunter's but then again this one looked a bit smarter.


Gwenith put on the most innocent and frightened face she could muster.


"Sorry, sir, I don't know where I am... Are you going to rob me? I don't have much to take..." She murmured, ducking her head pitifully. She smiled nervously beneath the veil her hair and hood created, knowing he couldn't see her expression.


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Sebastian's other eyebrow flew up to meet the first. "Are you going to rob me?" What kind of question was that? Who asked that when they were about to be robbed?


Now that it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere, he took a moment to assess his target. Or at least, his potential target. He didn't know if she was a mage yet.


She didn't look like much, actually, nervous and slight. It was difficult to tell in the darkness of the alley, but she didn't look armed. He thought her hair might be red under the cloak. He quite liked red hair, actually. Not that he could ever, ever, consider a mage, or even a potential mage, attractive in any way, ever.


"I'm not going to rob you," he said, and moved his own cloak so that his sword was clearly visible. "I'm looking for someone. And you know, I think I might have just found them."


With any luck, she'd give herself away. But she'd been on the run for this long, maybe she was smarter than that. That would only make this more fun.


@Maxwelle

 

[Ariel]

Gwenith remained as still as she possibly could when the man made his blade noticeable; she knew a threat when she saw one. She looked up at him with a frown.


"Excuse me sir, I don't tell usually tell a person how to do their job, but how can you say you aren't going to rob me and then threaten me so conspicuously? Just rob me and leave." Her tone almost took on a comical nervousness which could easily be mistaken for the same nervousness someone might feel when getting robbed.


If Gwenith centered all the attention on him, it was less likely she would appear guilty. But, in truth, she knew why he was here and that this "person" he was looking for, was her.


"Here, I'll make it easy for you." Gwenith took out a small bag filled with coins, a fair exchange for her life, she'd say and gave it to the man.


"If we're done here..." Gwenith turned and began to walk away.


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Huh. She'd not only refused to admit her guilt, she'd called his bluff completely. He would have been impressed if she weren't a mage, and therefore unworthy of the sentiment.


But he wouldn't be discouraged that easily. Sebastian fell into step with the girl, right next to her.


"I'm really not interested in your money," he said in what he thought was a rather intimidating way. Of course, no-one he'd intimidated before was still around to tell him if it had worked.


"No, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."


There was nothing else he could do. He wasn't going to kill her if she was innocent, and he couldn't get her to reveal her magic just by threatening her. There was only one thing he could think of: take her with him, and hope that somewhere along the way she revealed her true identity. If she turned out not to be a mage, well, all he'd have done was give her a tour of the countryside. More or less.

 

[Ariel]

Gwenith stopped in her tracks, not expecting it to take this turn. She put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look, figuring she was safe for now but didn't exactly like the idea of going with him. Not that he didn't seem to be a good guy and all but she had a feeling it wouldn't turn out so good.


"Is that how you talk to all girls?" She scolded him with a shake of her head. Typical Gwenith. "What makes you think I'll just go with you, huh?" She retorted with a smug smile. Maybe, he'd give up now but she highly doubted it. Knowing it was too late to hide her face, though, she pulled down her hood and waited for an answer.


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Sebastian actually paled at the reprimand. Seasoned killer, told off by the girl he was trying to kidnap.


He cleared his throat. "Um...no?" he said, pulling back his own hood to rub the back of his neck. "I don't- I don't talk to all that many girls." How had she taken control of this conversation? Why did he suddenly feel like he should be apologizing?


No. No, this girl was in all likelihood a mage, and if she was, she deserved to die. Sebastian swallowed and put his hands on his hips, looking down at her. "No, it's just you I talk this way to," he said with a grin. "You and your kind. And I think you're going with me, because if you don't, I might get violent. And I'm much better at violence than I am at talking to girls."


Maybe not the most sinister thing he'd ever said. What was wrong with him? This was supposed to be a straightforward kidnapping!


@Maxwelle

 

[Ariel]

Gwenith almost broke into a chuckle at his reaction. Almost. Knowing if she did, he might get a whole lot more angry, and the only thing that stopped her was that he might very well kill her then.


She took a moment to inspect him closely after he took down his hood. Not too hard on the eyes. But, rather rude she admitted. With a sigh and a shrug, she said, "Okay, fine. But only because I have nothing better to do. Maybe I'll teach you something about manners on the way too."


Gwenith started walking away in the direction she assumed they'd go, not exactly waiting for him as she had an anxious expression on her face and didn't want him to see it. How had she ended up in this mess?


"Speaking of, where are we going? And what's your name?"


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Sebastian bristled at that. He was supposed to be asking the questions here. He was under no obligation to tell her where they were going.


Besides, if she knew what the destination was, she might be able to plot an escape route. He glanced at her again. Not that he expected her to be able to escape.


"I don't have to tell you that," he said firmly. Then he sighed. He could tell her his name, at least. "But my name is Sebastian Volari." In fact, giving her his name might be a good idea. His family was well-known in certain circles. The Volari were famous for their Hunters.


He kept pace with her. She had actually started to walk in the right direction. All they had to do was get out of the city without encountering any guards before the sun came up. Scratch that, they had to get out of the city and well away from it without encountering any guards or any other passers-by before the sun came up. Easy.


(Sorry, forgot to tag you! @Maxwelle)

 

[Ariel]

(Nah, it's fine.)


"Well, surprises are nice then," Gwenith said, sounding slightly disappointed. How was she supposed to do anything when she was being carted off to God knows where?!


Volari. She knew the name as did all the mages in her little group. When the name was heard, they were told to avoid them and here she was going on an adventure with a Volari, an angry looking guy no less.


"Well, nice to meet you then, Sebastian, even if you are... you know, kidnapping me but that doesn't matter. My name's Gwen, though something tells me you don't care," she said with a shrug, showing it didn't matter to her either way.


"Oh, this is probably an overdue question, but... what exactly do you think I am?"


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Her reaction to being kept in the dark made him laugh. Surprises are nice, then. He really didn't know what to make of this person. She had been amazingly relaxed both in the face of robbery and kidnapping.


"That's right," he said skeptically. "Think of it as...an adventure." An adventure that probably ended in her death.


Gwen. It was sort of a normal name. He hadn't asked, but then, he hadn't expected that it would stop her.


Sebastian took a moment to decide whether to tell her. Then he decided that if they were going to be traveling together - more or less - he might as well get it out of the way. He'd just told her he was a Hunter, anyway.


"A mage," he said finally. "I think you're a mage, alright? And the second I do more than think it, I will kill you." She had flustered him quite a few times by this point, but now he looked at her with complete sincerity.


"Now come on," he said, steering her down a side alley. He didn't want to get anywhere near the main street. "We don't have much time."


@Maxwelle

 

[Ariel]

Gwenith watched him curiously when he laughed. This man was strange. One minute dead serious and the next laughing. Of course, she might laugh at her performance too. She absently wondered if he already was certain and was taking her to a place where she'd never be found again.


Pushing that thought down entirely, something told her if he wanted to kill her, she'd be dead already.


"An adventure? Certainly," Gwen agreed with a bit of sarcasm. She supposed it could be compared to in adventure when she thought her heart would hammer so loudly, she thought he could hear. Adventurers got anxious too right?


Gwenith skimmed right over the mage part becuase she knew if the topic was brought up so openly, she'd probably give herself away at the time.


"Much time? Why not?" She chuckled, following his quick pace.


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

"Because," Sebastian explained as they walked, "it'll be light soon, and this place will be crawling with people who could help you." He grinned. "We wouldn't want that now, would we?"


Ugh, he was starting to sound like his father. The man only talked in sinister cliches.


The alley opened onto a dark side street, which suited him perfectly. They were in the lower city, which was good - there was an inner gate between the lower and upper city, and that was monitored by guards. Sebastian was confident that he could have gotten around that if he'd needed to, but it would have taken some time.


"It goes without saying that if you call for help, you'll regret it," he said, peering out into the street to make sure it was empty. It was. Now they just had to follow the street to the outer wall, and walk around the wall until they found a gate. Simple enough, really.


"So, what were you doing in this city?"

 

[Ariel]

"It's not exactly like you're taking me away in shackles," Gwen retorted but knew if she tried to run, she probably wouldn't get too far. She looked around the street and saw exactly what he did. No witnesses. Just perfect.


When he posed the question about being in the city, the smooth lie just slipped from her mouth easily.


"I was looking for a place to buy some things." Magical supplies, she thought. "Some scarce pieces of art. I'm picky when it comes to those things," She explained with a shrug. Magic was an art after all. Magical supplies were about the hardest thing to come by. She heard deep within the lower part of the city, there was a black market for such things. Of course, all that she kept to herself.


@Trompe lOeil

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Sebastian scowled. "Don't tempt me." 'I'll have you know that many people consider me very intimidating,' he almost added, but it sounded petulant, even in his head. This was supposed to be so- straightforward. Find the mage, kill the mage, head back home. Routine. Why did he feel the need to defend himself?


He waited another moment, just to be sure the street was clear, before stepping out into it and gesturing for Gwen to follow. Their steps echoed faintly on the cobblestones, but Sebastian doubted that it would attract any attention.


"Oh?" he asked. "What sort of art? Paintings, or, eh-" what other kinds of art are there "...sculpture, or something?" He wasn't interested, really, didn't have much of an education in art, but he hoped that if he pressed further she'd reveal something. Fat chance, he supposed, but worth a shot. Besides, he didn't much fancy walking with his kidnap victim in awkward silence. Awkward conversation was far preferable.


(@Maxwelle Sorry for the delay! I lost track of whose turn it was to reply >.>)