Fandom The Hunter's Dream

[Flip Jester Boy]

"They'll hold. I've trained these people how to fight back against beings like these," Silas said as he also looked at the surrounding derelict buildings. "Now, then, let's see what we can find out in this cursed city." He gestured to Cosmin to follow him once more, leading her to a secret massage through the sewers. "Watch where you step. Who knows what lurks in these waters."

 

[spacient]

Cosmin looked back at all the hunters in the haven, wondering how long all of them have been at this. Nobody else seemed concerned about the huntsmen at the gate, so why should she be? then she saw Silas walking away, motioning for her to follow. She quickened her step, grimacing at the smell of the sewers themselves

"Ugghh," she held in a gag, "Mind telling me where we're going?"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Silas used his scarf to cover his mouth from the sewer stench. "There's a secret entrance to an arcane library from the sewers. I've been using it to research a way to end the hunt and cure those afflicted by the curse, though I'm not exactly welcome there," he said as he turned right at an intersection. "The place is crawling with Brainsuckers which can overwhelm me if I'm not careful."

 

[spacient]

"Brain...suckers?" Cosmin shuddered. Until now she had stayed away from the arcane library and focused much of her attention to the main streets themselves. She really didn't have the displeasure of encountering brainsuckers yet, but she could guess what they did based on their name. She supposed that's really where she came in with him, basically to be the bait so this guy could find the information he needed into ending the hunt

Suddenly she saw movement in the water, and she had to hop out of the way from a pair of reaching hands, and she saw an emaciated, zombie-like figure in the muck. Afterwords she quickly stepped forward with her cleaver and brought it down on the beast's head, its blood spilled into the water and fell silent

When she was done she retrieved her weapon with a sigh and returned to following Silas, "So... what do these Brainsuckers look like?"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Silas looked back as he saw Cosmin slay something crawling in the sewer sludge. He harrumphed silently as he continued forward. "Brainsuckers are people who have gone mad in search of knowledge. They sought out ways to summon otherworldly beings known as the Kin, which have transformed them to have appearances that are no longer human. Tentacles have grown on their face which they use to latch onto a person's head to steal their knowledge after they had paralyzed them with magic."

 

[spacient]

"That sounds...." disgusting, terrifying, otherworldly, sadistic, ludacris - take your pick, "intense." Cosmin had an intense desire to keep what she knew to herself, and would not like being around these Brainsuckers one bit. They just sounded nasty beyond belief, and she wished for an easy way to avoid or kill them. Judging by how Silas talked about them though, if he had trouble with them, she might as well die now

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Quite," Silas added on as the two approached a ladder. Ascending the ladder, Silas led Cosmin to a large building. "Here we are, the Grand Library. I go here as much as I can to research on how to end this world's suffering."

 

[spacient]

Cosmin followed Silas up the ladder and looked around the large room they found themselves in. She spoke now in a quieter tone, "Alright, I should've asked before, but is there anything else around here I should keep an eye out for? Besides the book you're looking for, or the brainsuckers."

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Not really, just find out as much as you can, but be careful. Some books may draw you deep into their pages with the knowledge they grant," Silas cautioned before walking off. "Meet back here in two hours. And do not take anything. Those that dwell here will notice."

 

[spacient]

"Don't worry," Cosmin looked around again at the the room and the obvious maze of books, "I'm more concerned about what hides in the dark rather than the books. I'll try not to get sucked in though." She paused there for a couple beats, waiting to see if he had anything else to say, before she split up and walked into the maze

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Silas walked slowly and calmly, making sure there were no creatures lurking in the dark, stalking his every move. He could hear clickings and creaks from Brainsuckers as he blended in with the shadows, waiting for one to pass. Silas had his weapons at the ready, but didn't want to start a fight just in case there were more nearby.

 

[spacient]

This was just like day one all over again. Cosmin was in new territory, she needed to be as calm and collected as she could get while taking in as much information as possible. Silas had seen her charge into the fray, and that was her usual mode of action, but that wouldn't work in a library and she wasn't stupid to ignore that. All around her were clicks, unlike anything she's heard before, so that meant something was close. She pulled herself into the darkness, holding her breath as she waited to see what these brainsuckers were.

Suddenly she saw it cross a hallway, its pale body looking skeletal underneath a large cloak that it wore. She didn't see its face clearly, but she didn't want to either based on the description that Silas had given while they were in the safety of the sewers. Though she had the opportunity to charge now, she waited until it had crossed the opening, and she crept out of the darkness after it with her breath as slow as she could make it despite her pounding heart. It hadn't noticed her since its back was turned, and she would take the opportunity for an attack she seldom had the chance to use. As she became closer, her stealthy intent and her desire to silence this thing unnoticed turned her hand beastly. When she was close enough, she plunged it forward into the brainsucker's back, then ripped it out. The beast crumpled to the floor, bleeding profusely and twitching as it was taking its last few breaths. She ended the torment and brought her cleaver down on its neck, and it fell silent.

She knew the rest of the evening would not go so smoothly as this. Wiping her bloody hand and forearm on her pants, she continued forward looking through the books that might be of use to them

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

A dark figure emerged from the shadows behind Cosmin. "Who's there?" the voice of an aged man called out. "What is your purpose here?" He held a lantern in front of him to try and get a better look at the Hunter. "Are you with that man with the red scarf?"

 

[spacient]

Cosmin quickly turned and backed a few steps away from the approaching man, unsure of what to think of him. She knew some of the beasts were tricksters, would say or do anything to get close to those who were important and slash them down at the free opportunity. She needed to be careful, "I'm here for information, and I am with him, is there a problem?"

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Do not trust him, for the answer he searches for will bring only calamity to this world," the aged man said beginning to walk away. "I would leave now while you still can. A dark force will engulf this place soon enough."

 

[spacient]

Cosmin narrowed her eyes at the man, thoroughly disliking his ambiguity. What sort of calamity will befall the world? And what dark force did he mean? Was there a cosmic dark energy waiting to destroy them all? Really, people need to be more careful about reciting their bad omens. No matter what she decided to do from now, she needed to be more careful of the world around her. She didn't move for a moment, but decided she would at least make her way back towards the exit, paying closer attention to the books on the shelves and hoping she found something useful

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Silas rummaged through book after book, trying to find the answers he needed. "C'mon, it has to be here somewhere," he mumbled to himself, quieting down after hearing something clicking behind him. He immediately turned around, leaping over the banister onto a hanging tapestry, sliding down until he reached the ground level. "This can't be good." All of a sudden, the heads of every Brainsucker glowed as they screeched in pain. Something was coming.

 

[spacient]

The air was filled with the screams of every brainsucker in the vicinity - the old man was right that something was coming. Well... what else was he right about? That was not the important part, the more pressing issue was the mysterious thing causing every creature to screech in pain. It was downright mind-numbing and ear-splitting. Cosmin picked up the pace, rushing through the halls the way she came and towards the exit, taking a shortcut by sliding down the banister to the main floor

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

Silas activated his trick weapon, causing an additional blade to spring forth from each ring. He noticed Cosmin running towards the exit. "Guess she doesn't wanna fight whatever it is that's coming," he said to himself, the screeching continuing on. Then, all of a sudden, the screeching stopped. The aged man appeared from the shadows, brandishing a saber.

"I told you never to return to this place," the man said, pointing his weapon at Silas. "The answer to your problem doesn't exist. You cannot stop the hunt."

"I will find a way," Silas said, taking a fighting stance. "I want people to live in a world without fear of the curse set upon this land."

 

[spacient]

When Cosmin realized the screeching stopped, she stopped as well. Without knowing where the Brainsuckers were anymore she couldn't just run blindly through the halls in case she would alert the creatures. But it also gave her the opportunity to look around. In her running she recognized Silas and just assumed he would follow - but apparently not. She looked up, trying to figure out where he was now, but then she saw a hint of the red scarf, and her attention was focused on him to figure out what he was doing. As much as she didn't want to, she started to quietly go back up the stairs, because if something were to happen to him she couldn't just live with knowing she didn't do anything to help. He had probably found the creature and he wasn't afraid to fight it - damn him

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"I have seen the truth, Silas," the man said, his eyes beginning to glow from behind his blindfold. "The Kin have given me great power!" He started to walk towards Silas.

"Your mind is clouded by then! Remember, you, too, wished for this curse to break," Silas said, standing at the ready as tables and chairs slowly began to lift from the ground. "The Kin have turned you into their slave."

"Slave? No, I'm afraid you're wrong, Silas. They have chosen me to purify this world!"

 

[spacient]

Cosmin made quick work of getting back up the stairs, luckily nothing was around her and she was still undetected. She could faintly hear voices, and she knew it had to be Silas, but then another vaguely familiar voice that she realized was the man from earlier. She tried to get closer, only getting blocked by shelves along the way and needed to go around

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Then I'm afraid that this friendship is over, Fariss," Silas said, charging at the aged man. His roar resonated throughout the entire library. He dodged and weaved through tables, chairs, and books thrown at him by Fariss' newfound psionic ability.

 

[spacient]

Cosmin eventually found her way through the maze of shelves to the point she could see Silas fighting the old man from earlier, who did not look nearly as decrepit now. Chairs and tables were being thrown, but Silas seemed to manage it. Cosmin wasn't the best fighter by any means, she was the weakest link in here, but she was agile. She died earlier because she was stupidly running into a pack of lycanthropes and forgetting about where everyone was in the fray. This was just like then, except there was no telling what would be thrown at her. Silas had his attention, so now the key was to get behind Faris - that's what she would try to do. She went forward, into the chaos, ducking under a flying chair and swerving around a flung book as she tried to get closer

 

[Flip Jester Boy]

"Have you manipulated that girl, too?" Faris said, deflecting strikes from Silas' windmill blades. "There's no ending the Hunt, Silas! The Kin have shown me that!"

"Maybe the Kin are manipulating you," Silas yelled, not letting up his attacks. "Your mind has been clouded by their parasitic thoughts!"

The two fought on and on, wrecking bookcases and tables. Faris was able to get a few shots on Silas because of flying books blocking his view. Silas was forced to inject a blood vial, something he didn't want to do this early in the fight. Blood vials were hard to come by these days, and he didn't want to waste his.