[hider=And the conclusion for the Events] The Missing huntress [hr] [@Pyromania99] Thankfully for the demon, lazhira was indeed, home. She didn’t seem to have been home for long, as it looked like she had just started cooking. “Vammy!” She’d greet the possessed elf with a friendly smile before it swiftly turned into a frown at seeing the woman she was carrying and Tallen. “...Vammy I know you have, uhm, urges, but kidnapping people is wrong okay? And oh gods, is that Tallen? What happened?!” Wanting to know a bit more about the situation before doing anything else, Lazhira would help Vammy tie up the still struggling woman, putting her in the houses store room and gagging her while she’d lay Tallen on the ground near the fireplace. After making a few basic healing salves and putting them on the mutt, she’d listen to what happened. She was extremely concerned for Atzi, but there was very little she could do now, instead she’d make sure to tell Akando and the other hunters in person tomorrow if Atzi hadn’t come back by then. As for what to do with their prisoner, Lazhira insisted they didn’t do anything yet and instead wait a few days. Not that Vammy had to listen to that, but Lazhira wouldn’t help her if she didn’t. [@ERode] [hider=Maira] Heaviness and heat. Like a blanket put over her head, suffocating her with every breath. Pain thrummed with heart throb, her body questioning always what her mind told it to do. A being that could not die. That grew greater and greater mass with no limit. That could call for tricks of the mind to intimidate. A monster then, guided by the grace of an unkind god. That [i]thing[/i] lurked within the Kyr Forest, seeking subjects to turn towards their perverted faith. That thing then, would have to be handled. And if she was thinking of all this…then she had to still be alive, no? Atzi opened her eye. A cavern, warmed by fire. She brought her hand towards her left eye, feeling for her eyepatch, only to realize, dumbly, that only a stump remained of it, bandaged up by rags. The left raised though, unsteadily. Pressed against the leather that remained. Good. It was still there. Just an arm. Better than expected. Praise the Gods that she lived still. Her gaze shifted towards the one that spoke up, her little savior. … [b]“Maira!”[/b] The pain didn’t matter, and wounds that reopened would reclose again. In that moment, after a day of sheer unadulterated bullshit, from Rimebeasts to cultists, Atzi could feel nothing but [i]relief[/i] that through it all, the little huntress herself hadn’t turned into a one-armed corpse collapsed in the snow. She half-stumbled, half-crawled, and fully tackled Maira, remaining arm wrapping around her waist as Atzi pulled her into an embrace. [b]“Gods above, you’re alright! I was so [i]worried[/i]! What even happened back in your cabin? Who [i]was[/i] that?”[/b] “Ahaha, Atzi! Atzi!” Maira responded with a lighthearted giggle as Atzi almost tackled her over. She’d help hold Atzi on her feet, hooking an arm under Atzi’s and pulling her into a hug. “You’re-going to crush me-” The huntress jovially teased her friend, pulling herself rather easily away from Atzi. “Now stop. You’re going to hurt yourself more.” She certainly wasn’t lying. Atzi’s entire body was begging her to stop. It was a wonder she was able to even move with the amount of blood loss and wounds she had. “I’ll tell you what I can, but really. Lay down or I’ll leave and you’ll be on your own. We don’t have a lot of time.” That probably wasn’t an empty threat. Maira was certainly known to help hunters and other that had collapsed or gotten lost in the forest either by patching them up or leading them to the village, but she didn’t have patience for those that didn’t help themselves. [b]“Yeah,”[/b] Atzi said, both jubilation and adrenaline receding slightly as she realized that her friend was indeed healthy, whole, and real. [b]“I’ll give it a break.”[/b] With some care, she settled herself down against the stony rock, wincing as uneven points pressed against her back. Slouching forward would have been even worse though, so the one-eyed, one-armed woman tolerated the pain for now. Her right shoulder shifted back and forth, a phantom limb grasping for the contents of her pouch. Then it stopped. Whatever, she could think about the adjustments later. [b]“Tallen’s alright, if you were wondering. Vammy got him and one of the cultists out. Girl’s got some arms on her, for someone so skinny.”[/b] A pained chuckle sounded. [b]“So, what’s the sitch?”[/b] “Tch,” Maira cast a glare to the side of the cave at the mention of Vammy’s name. “Why’d that demon help me, now I owe it a favor…” She’d settle down next to Atzi, quickly shoving the thought out of her mind as she’d grab a cut of dried, salted jerky and held it out for Atzi to eat. “Honestly…I don’t know…” Maira shook her head. “It started just as the blizzards started to die down…” The smaller woman would go on to explain what exactly had happened. She had been having weird things happening most of the blizzard. Tallen being on edge the entire time, flashing lights outside her house. Firewood being stolen - someone even breaking into her house while she was sleeping, but taking nothing and doing overall nothing up until the final day. “Those mask wearing cultists tried to…kidnap me.” She’d frown. “They took Tallen, too. Managed to kill one of them and escape through the window but…I didn’t get too far in the blizzard before they had me surrounded. Brought me to some altar. No idea where, I didn’t recognize it. Kept me in a cell for a bit.” The huntress looked away from Atzi as she’d snuggle up next to her. “I managed to get myself out, though not before making off with something that looked important to them. Some sort of…crystalline sphere thing. I ran off and hid it somewhere, and now they’re after me.” Atzi craned her head down slightly to bite the jerky, before pulling it in and chewing on it as she chewed on her thoughts as well. Cultist kidnappings reminded her of the disappearances in the village. Ones where no body was found, ones that had been presumed to be due to the Rimebeasts. But perhaps that was not the case. Perhaps… The larger woman leaned into Maira as she snuggled closer, the two sharing warmth in the cavern that dripped with the dampness of melted snow. It must have been hard, being alone in the woods, pursued by madmen driven by obscure goals. Atzi was all the more happy for it, that the little huntress was fine then. Someone else could figure out the crystalline sphere deal. For now though, she was content to nod along with the story that Maira told. “It’s good that you’re safe now though. Trust the little fairy of the forest to get out of situations that’d leave a big lug like me all mangled up.” She laughed at that, wondering how much of a lecture she’d have to endure from Achel after this. How long it’d take for her to adjust to having one less arm. How many years it would be before she could start working leather again. “But what’s the plan here then, Maira? We just make a break for the village?” “Mhm, I don’t think I’d be safe in the village, Atzi…” Maira frowned, glancing towards the ground. “I don’t think most in the village are involved, but…I’m safer out here where I can well…trap. Plan. Ambush.” There was the snapping of a branch outside, Maira’s head immediately swiveling to the cave entrance. “...and call it selfish but, I feel like if they get their hands on it it’ll be bad. Real bad.” Maira stood, walking over to the opposite side of the cave, gathering a leather pack full of what was likely supplies for her. “And I don’t want anything happening to anyone else in Dawn, and if they’re focused on me and this sphere, that’s less time they have to be focusing on…doing whatever else it is they’re doing.” “Ok, but,” Atzi slapped her leg, where the arrow had gone through, as if to emphasize her injury…only to let out a long, pained hiss. “Ok, yeah, that was a bad idea. Fuck.” She shook her head. “Still, point is, Maira, I’ll still need your help to get back to Dawn. Not going to tell you to stay there, yeah? But, like…” There was a part of her that didn’t like relying on the newcomers, but they were perhaps the best bet the village had in coming up with a solution versus psychotic cultists that didn’t die. “There were some new people who came in while you were gone. A huntress from Tamaln and a warrior-sage Raam. They’ve done good work around the village, y’know? And maybe, well, not telling you to [i]stay[/i] or anything, but maybe they’d have a better idea of what’s going on, if you tell ‘em what you’ve seen and heard? Don’t think an arrow or two will stop squid-face over there, if ripping his head off didn’t.” She bumped into Maira teasingly. Another bad idea, considering how her own body wanted to murder her for that, but this time Atzi was ready for the pain. “And may as well see Tallen before you go ghost, right?” Mira responded with silence as she’d watch Atzi try and move. Unreadable as ever, when she was lost in thought. “...fine.” Maira eventually relented after a few brief moments. “I’ll help you back to the village...but I’ll only be staying a few days, and I’ll be doing it at your place. After that I’ll be heading back to the forest.” That was good enough. “Been a while since we’ve had a sleepover then,” Atzi laughed. “Hope you won’t mind the mess!” “...the first thing I’ll be doing is cleaning and I don’t want any backtalk from the one-armed fool.” Maira retorted. “Come on. The sooner we can get back the better. The weather will probably be fine and I don’t want to be caught carrying dead weight out here.” Harsh words aside, Maira never left Atzi’s side as she’d help the larger woman through the forest. It was dark, and perhaps questionable that Maira chose to travel at night but she seemed insistent that it was for the best, especially after that thing got something to ‘experiment’ with in the shape of Atzi’s arm. No doubt they would be occupied for a while. Especially if that demon ran off with one of their own. No doubt they’d be either silencing said snitch soon, or making Vammy regret her life decisions even more. [/hider] [hr] [@Click This][@Crusader Lord] As the beast charged, Lissa would find her blade meeting its mark. The blade cut into its tongue, a painful bellow as this time, it was completely severed. This did not stop its momentum though, for it was far too large and not agile enough to perform such quick maneuvers - and it seemed to hope it could crush Lissa with its impressive body weight. Undeterred, Lissa would strike upwards, the blade sinking right into the beasts soft underbelly. If not for her more sturdy build, the beast would most certainly easily had crushed her, yet, that didn’t happen. The moment the blade sunk into its body, it’d topple over with a pitiful croak, blood spilling from the beasts wound and liberally coating Lissa as it’d roll over onto its side. The hunter that had been clamoring up its body managed to keep his footing, and with a swift spear thrust right where the beasts brain was…it’d stop twitching altogether. The two archers lowered their bows, a little cheer coming from the three of them as the beast fell. “Well, seems I need to thank you.” An unfamiliar fourth voice met Lissa’s ears as a huntress approached. Soyala, was her name she thought. “Luckily that was just an adolescent. Its scales hadn’t hardened yet and its poison isn’t quite as potent…still, taking one out isn’t a simple feat.” She’d walk over to the downed beast. “Well, this should help with the village food issue for awhile if we can preserve a lot of its meat. I’ll have Bolcha send someone out here to carve it up.” The huntress was brief, and a bit curt as she’d not even ask for Lissa’s name before walking back off towards the village. Well, now that was over with, she was fairly free for the rest of the evening, but it was getting fairly late in the day now. [hr] It was a tense, long, hour of attending to the Oni. Calra, though she was skilled in medicine, herbs, and pharmacological things, surgery and doctoring like this wasn’t quite what she was good at. Still, she was the best one in the village at it for now. Cut the Oni open. Remove the arrowheads. Stitch up the organs that were bleeding. It took nearly every bit of Calra’s focus to simply perform as needed. And the bones? How was she even walking! Her arm had been bent completely out of shape and her ankle was completely crushed! Not to mention the several fractures to her upper leg and waist. With a liberal application of healing salves to ensure the Oni didn’t bleed out what little blood she had left, the spider would eventually, do everything she could. She’d place the now stitched up Oni on a bed away from the other patients suffering from frostbite. “...mhm, I’ve done everything I can. I’ll ask Akala for some divine intervention later.” Calra yawned, stretching her arms and body. “Ehe, I don’t give out compliments a lot, Nylah,” She’d lean over and pat the Mothraki on the head. “But just for now, You did well. Go home and get some rest, okay? We’ll just have to trust in Haruno that she’ll pull through.” Indeed, the pair had ended up working until after nightfall…and it was likely time to end the day. [/hider] [hr] Dawn of a new day Days after blizzard: 7->10 [@VitaVitaAR][@Click This][@Crusader Lord][@ERode][@Pyromania99][@Cu Chulainn] [hr] And so three days would pass in Dawn. Following successful hunts and regulating how much the village hunted, they village for now, was well off enough as far as food goes. Still, though Seelay was guarding the storehouse and she would encounter no one trying to pilfer any fish in the interim, the creature itself continued to make itself known on the frozen shores of the ocean. It seemed like it was getting progressively more violent, too - one of the fishermen had been pulled under by it. Hopefully though, she could pull off this plan of hers without a hitch. Maira would bring Atzi back to the village, much to the relief of everyone to see Atzi alive. Maira made a point of not telling everyone she was alive, electing to find her way to Atzi’s home during the night at some point. She did exactly what she said she was going to do, too, cleaning up Atzi’s place whether she wanted to or not. Also cooking. And making sure Atzi wasn’t over exerting herself with her new lack of an arm. After a checkup from Calra and Akala though, they both said she was entirely fine and the wound was healing fine. Didn’t stop Maira from fussing over Atzi slightly, though. Achel was doubly concerned for her too, though in her usual ways of informing her to value her life more. She offered to make Atzi a new hand. Of the skeletal kind. She didn't sound like she was joking. Haruno hadn’t woken for the few days, though after the day had passed the color had returned to her face and her breathing was far more regular. Calra made a point to find and thank Lissa for her assistance as well, and that the herbs the two of them gathered would certainly be worth the headache. The spider also made Nylah work much harder, and the Mothraki would find herself incredibly busy in the past few days. Collecting herbs, stocking up on salves. Lazhira and Vammy would spend their time taking care of Tallen and also dealing with their new guest, who was proving to be quite resistant to interrogating and was doing her best impression of a rock. Lazhira had for now, prevented Vammy from doing anything to her, but it was becoming increasingly obvious they should probably think about something else, since she also had yet to tell anyone else about their…friend. Gideon would for the most part find himself being watched by a certain little spider constantly, with Akando asking him for assistance with a hunt again over the few days. Also helping to help forage for edibles and supplies from the forest for later use - mostly consisting of berries and the occasional fruit bearing tree. And so, another day would rise in Dawn, and as usual Enli would start the day by calling the villagers to the church. “I want to thank everyone for their hard work these past few days.” He’d begin simply. “As it stands, we have plenty of food for the next few weeks and Bolcha has informed me that we have a decent amount of wood to be used for fire and construction. With any luck we’ll be using it to rebuild some of the houses damaged by the blizzard and the Rimebeast. That monster stealing our fish and hurting our fishermen is still out there, but I’ve been assured it will be taken care of today.” “Aye, the little miss Elf helping us has come up with a pretty good plan.” “Just be careful with the harpoons.” Asvar grunted from the side. “Still runnin’ short on iron and any I’ve got is going to help repairs. I’ve been having Raezleth look into that vein I mentioned with her Stone-singing but we’re having trouble findin’ it.” He’d glance around for a moment. “...speakin’ of, looks like she’s run off again. If anyone sees her, give her a good talkin’ too will you?” “What about Mie? Any sign of her?” “Nylah and Lissa found Haruno gravely wounded a few days ago.” Enli responded with a frown. “She’s been in a coma since then, but judging from her wounds-” “I can speak for myself, Chief, thank you.” Opening the door to the cathedral and brusquely walking past some gathered residents, was a still injured Haruno. Her body was still covered in bandages and it looked like Calra had been in the middle of replacing them when she had got up and walked off. The spider in question was not far behind her, a none to pleased expression on her face though she seemed fine with letting Haruno be up and about. “Apologies for my rather sorry state, but you have my gratitude for looking after me.” Despite being a bit unsteady on her feet and breathing heavily the Oni seemed just as formal and polite as she ever was, bowing deeply to those present. “Mhm, I’ll get straight to the point since Miss Calra is exercising great restraint at the moment. We were attacked by the Yaga and Krysa - urk-cough-” The oni began, though was soon interrupted by a fit of coughing. “Yes yes, sit sit. Let me finish bandaging you. Drink this.” Calra would pull Haruno onto one of the pews. “And let me do the talking.” She’d turn towards those gathered. “Mie was attacked by the Yaga and Krysa in the northern snowfields Haruno barely managed to break their siege out of Mie’s camp and was hoping to receive some assistance from us...” “Apologies for imposing, it does not look like Dawn is in any shape to help…” The Oni lamented, leaning on Calra. “You hush. Rest. I’ll let you lay on my abdomen if you be a good patient~” “That is…not good.” Enli frowned. “Mie’s goods would be a great help now…though that still leaves the issue of not having too terribly much to trade with at the moment as well…I’ll talk with the hunters and other residents. I don’t know if we can help much without knowing more of the situation, though.” Haruno didn’t respond with anything other than a nod. Well, that was certainly something. “Oh…and before everyone starts their day, Achel informed me the crypts are currently off limits to everyone but Akala and myself.” There were a few questioning cries from those gathered. “I understand your concern, but Achel likely has her reasons. If there is nothing else, Akala and I shall be in the back. I have something to discuss with her personally.” The priestess had been present the entire meeting and gave a friendly wave to those gathered. Lazhira was currently standing off to the side, seemingly contemplating something herself. Of course, you didn't have to be attending this meeting at all if you didn't wish to be. There are plenty of other things to do in Dawn, or to have already started on for the day if you already had something you wished to do...but you may miss out on certain information. Maira of course, was nowhere to be seen. She was holed up in Atzi's house keeping a low profile, likely not to stay for more than another day or two if Atzi wanted to bring someone to speak with her. [hider=Current Happenings] [i]The moon goddess is watching a rat, a fox, and a hound chase each other in circles.[/i] Current location: Dawn Time: Morning [hr] Potential Events: [list] [*]Asvar has mentioned a lack of Ore and that he might know where more are. Apparently Raelzeth is having trouble locating it with her stone-singing. [*]The fish problem remains as of yet solved. [*]Apparently Mie was attacked by the Yaga and Krysa and is held up somewhere in the Northern Snowfields. [*]Enli mentioned not having enough coins or goods to barter with the merchant Mie, if she comes. Perhaps he himself have some ideas on this. [*]The Crypts are off limits. Did something happen? [*]What could Enli and Akala be discussing? [*]There could be a way to start diversifying Dawn’s food options aside from its usual fish, berry, and forest animal diet. [*]Perhaps there's something you, personally, feel that needs to be done? [/list] [/hider]