[IC] In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

[Savo]

-______ and Lillian : ???-

______ was bewildered by the strength of the young lady as she denied his offer to assist in getting her off the murky, repulsive ground which was stained with a few dead insects and filth. Even so, ______ pondered on if aiding her was the most intelligent choice as she seemed relatively unfazed by the transpiring events. It launched off a series of mental questions as he slowly began his ascent to straighten his spine once more. The mans arm was reclaimed as it began to lazily recline back to its former position by the torso, swinging in the absent wind upon arrival.

This young lady is... completely unperturbed by the events that recently occurred... I can't tell if she is just brave or oblivious, but it is kinda scaring me how mentally unstable some of these people are," he thought to himself, closing his eyes as if to ward off some menace causing physical turmoil to others around him. A sigh escaped the mans lungs as his posture began to lag downwards with his eyes coming into contact with the grimy floor. This was certainly a pickle he was in; a pale, physically attractive but horrifying woman who harbored little to no emotion, a kid with glasses pretending to be rough and tumble as a possible way of dealing with this whole predicament, some random stooge who looked like a predator grasping for meat (he was plenty certain that this guy screeched), the woman who looked like a half-hobo, half-noble, and a few other characters.

Turning his head, he noticed another man departing from the vicinity, and to be honest, he didn't blame the guy. Who would want to stay in a dank, noxious area with a cannibal who he was pretty sure succumbed to his wounds at this point and dipped his rancid body into the pool of insanity since he failed to distinguish fantasy from reality over praising some false god for delivering him a meal. At most, it was surprising to see so many dealing with this horrifying situation as if they were unaffected... ______ shivered as if a cold wind wafted and seeped into the underground, teasing his skin to get some reaction.

And all he could do was put up a failing false bravado... ______ wondered if he was truly ever sane with the madness around, seemingly consuming everything in it's glutinous wake. A perturbed frown took shape on his face, becoming ensnared by a mental trance, before undergoing an awakening by a familiar, cheerful females voice. His head shot up like a bullet as he rotated it to look at the shorter young lady who began to introduce herself. To him, this was kind of a life saver to his mental health, despite her possibly either being completely unaware or just mad - she had a welcoming attitude, like a kitten mewling at a dog caring over it. It left his with some reassurance...

And then he was completely positive that she was unaware. As he began to form a smile in response to the optimistic response, the girl immediately fell quicker than a large tree cut by a lumberjack. Eh?! Hey you o..." ______ was completely taken back by how she remained unaffected by the uneventful trip she took to the ground. A small giggle escaped as her face slowly moved up to look up at ______ with wide, upbeat eyes, as if they were to reassure him for her flop after she completely introduced herself.

"Guess you weren't ok as you said; don't overextend yourself kid as that can lead to ruin at unprecedented times," ______ said, extending both of his hands out, as if to embrace her, despite the tactfulness of it in such a room. The man stared, his eyes dull and unpolished from worry. The way he thrust both of his arms out was rather forcibly, as if he or her were devoid of any choice on the subject. "Here, I'll help you up this time, as I'm... unsure how well you might fare after that little descent and I prefer not to dare take any chances, especially with what is currently transpiring..."

A series of coughs erupted from Lillian as she lied on the floor but she merely wiped her mouth off and smiled. It seemed not even in a dream could she lose her clumsiness. That’s what Lillian chose to believe anyway, all of this, everything that had happened, was a dream she’d eventually wake up from. There was no point to sit around and cry about it, she would try her best to get through it, even if it meant pretending it was okay.

The man reached out his hand to Lillian, who gladly took it and once again attempted the impossible feat of standing. She wobbled a bit at first and latched on to the man, whom had yet to introduce himself, for support. Eventually, after jiggling her asleep legs for a while, she could stand on her own. Up ahead near the woman who had appeared from nowhere, she could hear the disturbing occurrence and smell the scent of death but she continued to stare at the man standing beside her as if it was the only thing keeping her from adjusting to this cold reality. It was just a dream. Everything was just a dream.

Lillian held out her small hand. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for helping me again! I'm kind of a klutz if you couldn't tell..." She said while ruffling her blonde hair.

With his extended reach towards the lass, ______ easily made swift work hauling the girl up to her previous position. As she ascended once more, ______ felt her grip tighten on his bulging arm. From what he discerned, the shorter girl still displayed signs of struggling to stand upwards without her legs jiggling as if they were jello for more than two seconds. With Lillian latching on to him, he began to squeeze her arm to assist in the girls endeavors. ______ was plenty sure that the lady should of recovered by now... maybe there was some unnoticeable thing going on within her lower limbs that he neglected to identify.

"I really do wonder what's up with her physique; I can't say it's hemophilia yet, but I know I can identify her as not crippled," ______ assessed as he began tipping his head to the side, as if he was nudging another being. With this dimly lighten room, it was baffling to examine the young girls legs to identify any signs that she might be a moderate or severe hemophiliac. The only thing he found were markings akin to tire tracks embedded in the mud.

So why did she reply that in a way that fabricated her as primed and ready for action? It was a simple puzzle to retort to, as in possibly stemmed from the will of the indomitable human nature... even though such spirit could lead such adamant people spiraling towards their downfall. Nevertheless, ______ stopped glancing at the girls legs thoroughly to avert the off chance of an accusation of a creep scouring for the flesh of others.

Eventually, the rock and rambling over the young woman's legs ceased, and her clutch loosened completely from the mans arms. ______ sought to perform the same action as he freed his own grip, and allowed his arms to droop once more by his torso. Once balanced, ______ noticed her extending a petite, delicate hand towards him. The girl then began explaining to her justification for such a struggle to stand for more than a couple of seconds.

It was rather surprising to identify her as clumsy, but she did timber over like a tree on her initial stride. ______ eyes widened slightly, his right eyebrow nicking upwards to exasperate his befuddlement. "Lillian is a klutz... well, I don't think that's a favorable trait in myriads of concurring moments... especially with the stairs, and the added benefit of being secured with loonies. At most, I anticipate Lillian having the impression of a regular young lady, but only time will tell..."

At any rate, he extended his right hand towards Lillian, and firmly grasped her hand, shaking it as a customary way of being polite. Forcing his eyes to ignite in a flame of affability, he began his assurance to quell the girl of her worries. "Hey, we all have our shortcomings Lillian, so try not to fret that much over it; I'm certain you can overcome it." As he finished his handshake and reassuring reply, he turned his eyes towards the exit of this disgusting room.

"I'm sorry, but is it ok if we continue introductions later when we escape this prison-like area? I do not believe this is a very sanitary place to continue conversing, plus that pale, almost lifeless lady is probably one who doesn't like waiting, considering a few facets," ______ said as he ceased holding the girls soft hand. He anxiously fidgeted as he approached the steps, beckoning the young woman to follow after him through waggling his left hand and fingers back and forth. He was of course also embarrassed to admit that he failed to recollect that name, but alas, all ______ was doing was delaying the inevitable.

---

Something about the man made Lillian feel peaceful and calm. He reminded her of someone..but the more she tried to remember, the more the aching pain in her head flared. Why couldn’t she remember anything? Did she hit her head or something? Lillian wanted to know almost as much as she wanted to wake up from this awful dream. Things could be much worse though and she had to be at least grateful that it wasn’t.

Lillian energetically saluted the man at his request to hold introductions later. "Roger that!" She called out and hurried after him to venture out of the dump they had been placed in. The graceful woman led the group where, at the sound of a soft grumble from Lillian’s stomach, she could only hope had food. The woman had introduced herself as Maria and spoke of the group as... hunters? She must have overloaded on candy or chocolate cake because this was one strange dream.

When Maria finally stopped, an elder appeared before the group. An endless wave of wrinkles covered his face and Lillian couldn't help but giggle. She knew it was cruel and that she should treat the elderly with respect but with , Lillian needed a laugh more than anything. Call her physiologically insane or just plain naive but Lillian truly believed a laugh or a smile could cure anything, even the most darkest of thoughts.

Soon after appearing, the old man gave an entire speech about their job of hunting monsters for him and an array of weapons were placed near them. Lillian raised her eyebrow and glanced back at the man standing beside her for reassurance. Weapons were foreign to Lillian. She would probably shoot herself should she even come in contact with a gun. No one as clumsy as her could possibly wield a weapon. Deep within the killing creations, a shade of deep brown caught her hazel eyes. Upon closely looking at it, she realized it was a bow. She hesitated again before taking a step toward it, waiting for the man’s approval.

As he gazed back at the young woman, ______ found the lady raising her arm up towards her temple, as if she was a new recruit within an army of sorts. Along with that, she spoke as if ______ had the qualifications of being a perfect guide, to say the least. At most, he felt a bit pressured by this thought since there was the forlorn fact of accidentally leading Lillian astray... maybe. ______ turned his head away, looking upwards at the steps above. He recalled the few minutes ago, and how Lillian claimed she was a klutz.

As she hurried after the man, he moved as swiftly with the wind beneath his feet, climbing until they met up with the rest of the group. Eventually, he emerged from the murky depths with the young woman in tow, finding that the group was down one figure. He pondered on the possibility as the ivory skinned woman began a fleeting, yet convoluted explanation which left the man lagging behind mentally as he became slack jawed from her tainted words.

They were dead.

Dead? No, impossible, that couldn't be it, it had to be a lie. ______ metronomic head began ticking back and forth, denying each of the woman's passing words. It had to be a mere trick of the mind; lucid dreaming perhaps? It was a slight possibility as the flesh he felt was too inexplicably real, plus he just acknowledged himself as dreaming. The two qualifications justified his belief as ______ further inquired quietly to himself. To further test this conjecture, he began gazing over the forlorn area for an object he could mentally manipulate...

...

Was that a... tongue on the floor with some crimson covering it? Ok, this was getting pretty frightening as his face scrunched up in a mixture of alarm and repugnance. He could seldom glimpse at the transpiring events, before snapping himself back to the real trial at hand. ______ eyes squinted, focused completely on that mans tongue... even though it was a simple item, it didn't transform into a tiny puppy who would bounce around gleefully before licking his face.

Eventually, the experiment fell short, which left the man even more frightened of the certain implications before him. As the woman continued on, he found each word tearing at the enigma before him, before creating another mystery in its wake. They were all to be acknowledged as hunter - people who slaughtered 'beasts'; whatever they might be in this... place. Or Jaegers - the german word for hunters... now that he thought about it, the corpses explanation was a bit misleading.

"No recollection of our previous life means we cannot even recall the words we speak, and rather, we would be reduced to mere children, newborn, etc. So this woman - Maria - she might be toying with us... however, we honestly have no choice but to obey since this area seems forlorn to the eye." The mans eyes shut for a second as he came up with a theory he possibly did not wish to accept - they were possibly dead... or maybe they (or ______, himself) was in a coma and within purgatory. He gleaned at the lesser hypothesis as it basked in the shadow of dread, yet it could be also gleaned as a glimmering hope within the sky. ______ did not really believe in any sort of religion, yet he felt the need to pick a god and pray - pray that it was the latter, pray that he wasn't dead, as if he was dead, he was fairly certain everyone else was.

Standing stalwart, physically unmoving as a rock, his eyes shot open as he heard the ruffling steps of the group being led away. Breaking from his position, ______ trudged onward with everyone else. With each grim step, ______ felt like he was walking through quick sand, and sinking at every turn. Whether it came from weariness or the revelation, it did not matter as they all found themselves before a chapel. All that was truly sinking now was irony as the group marched into the church, ______ going on from feeling the earthy below to feeling the floor in this window stained area.

Next came some growling from the man with the hidden visage, denying ______ the ability to properly identify if he was cut close to the apparition of death. Of course, all he found was his hands were mere sticks, and he was a withering flora with naught a single leaf or bud. The man continued to ramble on, speaking of a faith he was unfamiliar with - The Church of the Absolute; the absolute what? The absolute terror and lunacy of this place? The absolute nightmarish landscape and Victorian setting?

...

At any rate, the tree of a man delivered more information than the preserved cadaver, location wise, and gave a few hints to the coming storm. There was a possibility of escape, and from what ______ inferred - this realm known as The World of Wasted Dreams. How he perceived it as was waking up and returning to what former life he garnered before diving into such an ominous place. ______ was not to be deceived and torn away from what was truly real - he would escape this coma, all while keeping his morality and sanity. Of course, the next catch was understandable, and yet insanely demented to the point where this could be noted as the ultimate form of hazing.

Well, after the dying oak managed to bring back myriads of sharp instruments and strange baubles from wherever they were stored. The man began to complete his speech by commending them with an objective of accumulating a large body count of dead beasts and whimsical creatures. That sounded like something he did not want to involve himself in, yet ______ found himself powerless to deny this mission. If ______ did not accomplish seeking the way out, he might be permanently locked in this sleep and eventually be euthanized.

The pressure came as his foot slid back bit, a frown of disproportionate irritation seethed as he bit his lip to avoid breaking into questions of vindictive terror... before seeing the shorter woman looking up to the man, as if she wanted parental guidance, or someone just to look up to. His teeth no longer latched onto his lips, and his scrunched face began to form back to its regular shape. ______ remembered he was to save his sanity and his own morality as he resolved to do so that he could be freed from any absolution.

So he forced an awkward smile at the young woman to reassure her, even if there was a chance of Lillian being fabricated. Yellow roses all about, yet what rose would he be? This limit was to be tested within each passing moment as the man completely ended his little chat, before making the final request of seeking his granddaughter.

Then he was gone.

"... my my, such a peculiar man... and even more peculiar backdrop for this uneventful eve," ______ muttered to the girl in a calm, serene voice which clashed with the despair in the air. Of course, he noticed everyone was diving into a weapon, as if they were eager to satiate their hunger and devour each challenge, Lillian included. Of course, she appeared to be less sure as she wobbled like a top towards the dangerous items that could easily rend flesh, crush bones, or poke eyes out.

Feeling no choice in the matter, ______ joined with the others around the weapons as he searched for the perfect match for him... despite the lack of a firearm that could hold more than one bullet. Struggling to identify what he might wield, ______ gave up and procured what he believed was a crimson dueling pistol and blade that appeared rather ravishing. Engraved on the handle were the words 'Oblivion' and the gun... he had no clue what the name was... should he even give a damn?

At most, he brandished the shining blade and felt the weight of the blade as it attempted to take his arm downwards by force. ______ denied gravity its chance to fall the man as his arm wiggled while keeping it up... This was a solid blade, ornate, but could easily hack and slash through any fiend from what ______ discerned. It would take a while getting used to slicing with it before he was no longer encumbered... but he had enough time, right?

Next was the gun he grabbed; ______ attempted to twirl the beautifully crafted gun around before clumsily dropping it back into the pile. Putting the hardy and handsome blade down, he immediately retrieved the red firearm before practicing aiming as if he was a sheriff of the law. Securing his hands onto the grip, ______ aimed it away from another person, lest he might pull the trigger with something loaded within.

Setting the aged firearm beside the blade, ______ found a... book. Why it was here, who knew, but he could use it to record previous events and other peculiar instances. The leather was rough and fear was ever more imminent when he glanced at the title when opening the 'Crimson Sabbath.' Some of the pages appeared almost rust-like, which made ______ wonder if someone was beaten to death with such a mystifying and blood soaked book... that or it was dipped into some tangy tasting wine.

After making his selection, he noticed the same wide eyes begging for assistance, the same eyes you would identify with an adorable animal clenching at hope for a treat. Lillian was looking for some approval of a weapon. As ______ looked down, he assumed that she was talking about the bow near her well-being. Of course, as dangerous the weapon was, he honestly was torn between the truth and making the lady feel more confident about her choice in munitions. Glancing to the side, deep in thought, ______ returned his gaze to her with a positive nod, in hopes that might raise her moral.

Because god knows they all needed some hope right now instead of helplessness...

[TheWendil]

“Help! Somebody, help me!”

The natural melancholy that seemed to envelop all of Iredele was only slightly disturbed by the bloodcurdling screeches now ringing about. Some of the townsfolk turned to see what the commotion was that had spoiled their bleak existences, only to turn away when they saw the event for what it truly was. Nothing different, just the same thing.

A poor woman was being dragged by her arms and hands, her feet kicking into the dirt as she struggled in vain. The ones who held her were a group of five, each individual cloaked in darkened hoods and robes. Their motions did not waver or falter as the woman cried out for release, begged to be forgiven by these silent abductors.

Close inspection from a citizen of the town would notice that they were carrying the woman away from Iredele, heading out to the main road to where the wooden walls kept the mist away from the town. No one bothered to help the poor lass and no one seemed to care as well. It was merely the life lived in Iredele.

An occurrence only to befall the wicked as it were. To interfere now would be to embrace the life of a Hunter and to forever irate the forces that lie in the dark. Whether or not anyone would do anything about it was yet to be seen. But it would not be easy.

“Help! I don’t want to die! Help me please!”

---

@Zeroth@ClocktowerEchos@Lugubrious@Lucius Cypher@Savo@BlueAjah@Demarcus@harinezumikouken@KoL

[Lucius Cypher]

Donny ran as fast as he could. There were a total of about four buildings he had to cross, and it felt like each building was further away each time. but he didn't stop, and he couldn't stop. Someone out there needed his help. He wasn't going to be a passive waste and do nothing about it. A thought flashed in his mind. "Are you going to wait?" Donny didn't understand this thought. Of course he wasn't. But the thought continued. "Would you get what you want if you just waited for everyone else?" Two more buildings to go. This one was way further than Donny could jump, but he noticed a chimney made of solid brick. Taking out his rope and fashioning it into a lasso, Donny tossed it around the chimney tip, using it to help him swing onto the roof top. A solid jerk, and the knot undid itself and Donny continued forward. "What are you doing?" One more building. The last one, and Donny jumped down to look at the scene.

Five robed men (Or women, or even monsters in the shape of men) dragging away a screaming woman. What did they intend to do with her? The exact thing that Maria implied Donny could have done? Or something far worse? "You can't do it. You have no skills, no power, and you're alone. You'll die, just like her." Donny took a deep breath and murmured. "Shaddup. I'm already dead. And to answer your question, stupid voice in my head," Donny noticed a three below him. The sharp branches stained black, perhaps from others who sought to use the dead wood as a means to an end. But for Donny, it was the first step to new beginnings.

A lasso flew out towards one of the robed figures. When the noose was around his neck, it tighten, and Donny pulled it towards him. To generate more force, he jumped down towards the tree as he shorten the length of the rope, intercepting one of the branches with his rope. To the robed man the rope would have jerked upwards as Donny slowly descended onto the ground. While he didn't quite hang the man, Donny at least pulled him away from the others and the woman, and perhaps maybe even broken his neck, if Donny was that lucky.

By the time he landed Donny had tied a part of the rope to the tree, so that the only way the man could escape is if someone cut the rope that was digging into his neck. Once landed Donny took out his weapon, his guitar, and played a song from memory. As he played he moved towards the center of the road where he'd have more room to move in the event things turned violent, to dodge and run if need be, and fight back when the opportunity presented itself. Once he was certain he had everyone's agro, he spoke loudly, even over his own song. "I'm Donny Lee Yang. Hero of justice! Let that woman go, and crawl back to the darkness where you came from!" This was stupid of him, but the smart thing to do would be like the others and just watch what happened. But that's not what Donny does. He was scared, knowing that his death (Again) was very much possible. But it was a lesser of two evils between the fear of death, and the fear of failure. "This is my dream. I'll be whatever I want to be."

[Zeroth]

As Kenji watched the scene unfold from a shadowed corner, Highball coming up behind him, he frowned and ducked back behind the building. From the smell of meat--all kinds, fresh, grilled, smoked, rotten--he thought it might have been a butcher shop, but that was beside the point.

"This is heartless," he began, glancing at Highball, "but I don't want to jump in without more info. None of the townspeople have reacted to this. As depressing as this place is, it leads me to a possibility that maybe that woman is some kind of criminal, or other undesirable, and they could be throwing her out of town for a good reason. If the cloaked figures aren't human, Donny's attack--which was too pre-emptive in my opinion and lowers my opinion of his intelligence further--will probably cause them to reveal it. If it doesn't become immediately clear in the next few seconds what side we should be on..."

He peeked around, seeing that Donny had not only strung one of the cloaked figures up--Great, he goes for a kill right off the bat too. Don't they realize that a crippled enemy that can still talk may be more useful than a dead one?--but was now...playing a guitar...

First off, how is he making those sounds from one guitar. That's a fucking orchestral piece. Wh...where's the choir coming from?

No, more importantly, why did he pick a guitar out of all the other things in that pile back there?!

He shook his head and looked at Highball again.

"If it's not clear in a few seconds what we should be doing, let's try and cut the woman off when she goes for an escape and drag her somewhere out of sight where we can question her."

[BlueAjah]

Lillian

Lillian’s eyes stayed on the man as he fingered through the array of weapons, selecting three. To her disbelief, a corroded book was one of them. What was a book going to do against a pack of massive sized, rabies infested, man-eating squirrels? At least that was what Lillian pictured they would be facing. Perhaps if he smacked it hard enough it could do some damage? Of course the possibilities were endless and it might prove to be more useful than she thought. Anything could happen in a dream.

After he finished picking his weapons, the man gave Lillian a reassuring look and glanced down at the bow and arrows. All the others seemed to know which weapon(s) they wanted without much hesitation at all. A tiny voice in her head spoke ‘the weapon chooses the hunter’ but she mainly just ignored it.

Stepping up to the weapons, Lillian took one last time to look at all of the options. It was now or never. She snatched the bow and arrow quickly and threw it over her back, courtesy of a leather handle. Was that all she needed? Images of someone attacking her close up sent her digging through the pile yet again. Lillian’s fingers brushed over a razor sharp knife, causing a droplet of blood to escape her ring finger. “Ouch!” She cried out, her face rising with heat at the sight of the blood. Lillian tried not to look or even think about it. She could feel bile rising up her throat, feel the pounding headache. It’s only a little, she could handle it.

Now wasn’t the time for little girl tantrums anyway. She had to at least try to be a brave, courageous girl and fight whatever came at her. In order to do that, she needed a sword. Sucking on her finger and trying not to gag, she came across a small, silver sword. Lillian held it with her left hand. It was rather light and even, perfect for her clumsy hands to hold. The end was still pretty sharp though and she would have to remember to keep an eye on it.

Lillian’s head popped up at the sound of a high pitched scream. It hadn’t even been an hour and someone was already in trouble? This was one heck of a dream she couldn’t wait to tell...Who exactly? Lillian’s brain was still fuzzy and couldn’t remember anything at all. Of course Maria had said they needed to fight in order to find their lost memories.

Before she could think of a plan, Lillian raced toward the scream, not looking to see if the man followed. Part of her assumed he would, at least she hoped he would. Hut, two, three, four! Hut, two, three four! She repeated over and over again in her mind as she ran toward the scene. Five men dressed in shadows were dragging a screaming woman toward a place Lillian was sure the woman didn’t want to be. It wasn’t the giant squirrels she’d expected but like she said, anything could happen in a dream.

The man Donny who had untied her hands from earlier was already there, singing an adventurous song on his guitar and attacking the strangers with his rope. Lillian had never seen anyone fight like that before and she gasped in awe. Glancing down at her sword and bow, it finally dawned on Lillian that she had no idea how to even use a weapon. Standing right in the middle of the road, it was only a matter of time before they’d catch sight of her. Well, she might as well attempt to fight now. It might even be fun.

“My name is Lillian, champion of justice, and in the name of this strange place, I will punish you!” She called out, trying her best not to giggle. The saying felt so familiar and something she’d heard a million of times, but once again her memory was blocked.

Lillian held out her sword and walked up to Donny, taking a fighting stance. All she had to do was whack it right? It couldn’t be that hard. She could be a warrior if she wanted to, it was her dream after all. She eyed the hooded creeps with a fierce stare, although it might seem goofy to others. She'd wait for them to say something before she attacked though. It was only fair to hear what was going on.

[KoL]

~Maria~

---

"An ill omen, that's what you look like to me."

---

Maria spoke to the male part of the last couple of hunters to leave the catacombs, as she waited them by the temple's door. That sentence was true for two reasons, first that tome smelled of blood in a way that Maria was all too familiar with, thus nothing good would come of it. And second (and more importantly), is that he seemed to have reached a certain level of mutual trust with the blonde that has the target of Maria's gaze for the greater part of the past few minutes, worrying Maria that he could defile her with his mere presence.

Nevertheless, Maria was sure that she wouldn't lose to such wretched beings as long as she wished for something she would get it. She hasn't sold her soul for any other reason, in the end. As soon as she wanted to, Maria was sure that she could the klutzy blonde writhing under her bed's canopy.

Anyway, pushing away the feelings of lust that bubbled inside of her (specially after smelling the sweet fragrance of her blood), Maria regarded Lilian with a more analytical eye. In the end, the young blonde didn't looked that improperly fit for being a hunter, though she had the desperate need of experience. She seemed quite eager to acquire it, though as it was evident by her jumping straight in the action without even sparing a glance to Maria's side.

• • •

"Consider this your first hunt," Maria said as she finally joined the fray, or better as she arrived at the place of the fight and observed the whole engagement without interfering. "These creatures are known as God's Hand and they came here to take her away to be 'cleansed' of her sins. Feel free to murder them at your own leisure, I'll guarantee her safety..."

Maria drew her whip and cracked it against the muddy road, threatening the God Hand "Also, you have a pretty good taste, boy. It's really a waste you've been born as you are. You are commendable as well my pretty tournesol. Though I gotta say, you're not wielding a club, hold your blade parallel to the ground and when they come, slash diagonally upwards. That should be more than enough to take down those lowly mutts." Maria finally blurted out her opinion of Donny and how much of a waste is having being born a man while not losing the chance to compliment Lilian, for actually having the courage do something.

"Be my guest!" Maria drew a wine colored rose from... somewhere and threw it to Dony. Indeed, this group looked like it would be fun, while it lasted.

---

@Lucius Cypher@BlueAjah@Savo@TheWindel

[Lugubrious]

Through the side path Kenji and Highball crept, moving hastily but not impetuously. With anticipatory blood rushing through their veins they approached the source of the womanly shriek, but that noise's source failed to singly dominate Highball's attention. Through gaps in woodwork, cracked shutters, and warped doorframes she could peer into the innards of the buildings she passed, and no small amount of cold prickles ran down her neck and back to see movement within their shabby confines. Her initial sighting led her to believe it to be merely a trick of her paranoia, a demon entirely her own, but repeated scurries, flutters, and waggles glimpsed discreetly disillusioned her of that notion. Iredele was not as abandoned and devoid as she guessed: a ghost town only in the sense that sepulchral phantoms could very well lurk behind each window and board. Even more disturbing to Highball were the rank smells of gore, which offended her stomach as much as her nostrils and mind. Nevertheless, she proceeded, and she emerged along with Kenji to witness with wide eyes the five shadowy beings and the brazen lunatic who assailed them.

She chuckled darkly to see Donny use his rope to hang one of the robed specters; perhaps he'd been inspired by the dangling individual from early to contribute some decadent art of his own to the town. Her suspension of disbelief nearly shattered, however, when he whipped out his guitar and began to play. The 'music' the wannabe hero selected for the occasion must have been meant for more than a single player—or else, it simply sounded grossly incomplete. Donny's goofballish declaration caused Highball to double over, heaving, for want of breath, with silent laughter.

Kenji's commentary shut her up, though. Scratch what I said earlier about him seeming clever. Does this guy seriously think that people who look evil in a dream are actually law-abiding townsfolk? What does law even matter in a place like this? Then again, I'm treating this guy like he's a real person. She exhaled heavily before shrugging. “Ugh.” Clearly, she did not relish spending any time 'questioning'. When in any fiction remotely like this did anyone give straight answers, if at all?

Then Lillian showed up, and blew Highball out of the water. A stony, disdainful look overtook her as Lillian sang out her battle cry, brandishing a blade with such incredible ineptitude that even Highball, who knew very little of swordfighting, cringed. Bemused but nevertheless tickled by the sight of her and Donny posing together, Highball took a few steps over and scrambled onto the sturdy sloped top of a well to sit and watch. I'm calling it now. I thought this dream would be a grim, survival horror when I first woke up, but these two seem straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. She cupped her head in the palm of a hand and lay her hazel eyes on Maria, who just appeared on the scene. Like any good mooks, the 'God Hands' waited patiently for Maria to describe them, insult them, and then give moral support to the village idiots, all without performing the slightest bit of attacking. Looks like they won't need my help, if these things are pathetic enough for a chap with rope and a schoolgirl with a sword to handle. Might as well see what dollface brings to the table, aside from roses.

Like fog, waves of disdainful condescension rolled from the well, though visible only in Highball's bearing and expression and audible only in the rhythmic tapping of cane on wood. If this world is anything to be really feared, something that brings these cloud-cuckoos back down to earth would be just the ticket. Still interested despite her derision to see the fight play out, Highball did not notice the unstable creaking of the well-posts that supported the cover on which she sat.

[TheWendil]

The hooded figures would not stagger in their goal of dragging the woman away to some unspoken and grisly fate. The five of them were as silent as carriers of Death, their grip only tightening as the woman continued to scream out and barter for her life. However, fate would have different plans for them as Donny strung up one of the hooded five. The remaining four turned to watch their brethren up high before turning back to their goal. They would not be stopped in their mission of justice and even if one fell, more were to follow in their wake.

There was no use in silencing the woman either. Who would care enough to defend her? Who would waste their time on her well being when they had their own lives to deal with? Some of the townsfolk were even cheering the cloaked figures, shouting cries to kill the heretic and burn her blood for the crimes she supposedly committed.

The four remaining figures were near a large well in the middle of the town when the shoutings of the new hunters made them turn slightly. They would protest all they wanted but the figures would not answer nor would they concern themselves in dropping their quarry. Instead, one of their own moved away from the pack and shuffled to meet Donny and Lillian head on.

The others turned away and continued in their dark task while the one left behind reared back and pounced on Donny first, pinning him to the ground. The hood was wrangled free and what was thought to be a man was not. Or rather, the creature had the body and stature of human but the entirety of its head was that of a foaming, rapid dog.

Its black snout dribbled with snot while drool pooled around its hungry jaws. Its eyes were mad and parched, showing the slit pupils of a feral animal. The creature barked viciously as it wrestled Donny’s arms to the side, howling and snarling right in his face. Above, the first cloaked figure finally tore at the rope around its neck. With its hood parched it revealed a second dog-man, snarling viciously and eager to consume the flesh of these heretics. At once it pounced on Lillian, barking and biting out savagely in the attempt to punish her as well

The townsfolk watched on with placid silence.

---

@Zeroth@ClocktowerEchos@Lugubrious@Lucius Cypher@Savo@BlueAjah@Demarcus@harinezumikouken@KoL

[Zeroth]

Werewolves? Uh, what are those things in some games called...gnolls? In any case, they're human sized, but if that one can tear apart a rope with its bare hands, it either has superhuman strength or very sharp claws. Donny likely won't be able to overpower it.

The pale woman and the man in rags had acted as if Hunters were doing this world a favor, yet there were bystanders who cheered for the beasts. So were the newly awakened "hunters" simply being lied to, being used in some grander scheme? Was Kenji right in assuming that there was a possibility that the woman, the one being dragged off, was the one in the wrong and this "God's Hand" were instead the ones that were simply doing their jobs?

There were so many pieces to this puzzle that were missing. Kenji hated trying to make a decision when he didn't have enough information to know whether or not he was giving the right answer, but...but...

I've already tried to kill an old man. I've already decided to sit back and let others play the hero, sacrificing themselves. His grip grew tighter on his spear, the smooth steel of the slender staff cold against his sweaty palms.

I've already allowed that woman to be dragged, kicking and screaming, towards what has to be certain death. I've already started judging the people around me, rating them on how useful I think they'll be to me. He grit his teeth, felt every muscle in his body tensing, felt his breath growing sharper through his nostrils.

I've already decided that my primary objective in this world is to simply survive it, to make whatever decisions have the most logical and likely possibilities of keeping myself safe and figuring out the truth.

He started to run.

"So when am I going to start being a worthwhile human being!?" he yelled, his thoughts bursting forth, meaning nothing to anyone.

The beast atop Donny might have heard him, if its ears were as sharp as those of the animal it imitated. He didn't really know how fast it was. But with his sudden rush from the shadows, and the added length of his weapon, maybe he'd have the speed, the reach...

He aimed to plant his spear right into the valley of the creature's shoulder blades, gripping the cross spear with all his might and driving it forward with his weight...

[harinezumikouken]

Paul Delacroix - Fashionably late to the party

In no particular rush or hurry, Paul followed after the Lady Maria as she made her way towards the screams of a townswoman in need. Keeping a respectable distance behind the pale woman, Paul's senses took in his surroundings as he casually walked. His cane making a soft wooden clunk noise in between each of his deliberate steps. The smell of Iredele was terrible and made his nostrils itch. The very picture of the small town was bleak, drab, and dreary. Save for the prior screams and the howling winds, the town was graveyard quiet. It all had a deathly and eerie ambiance to the town. But, other than that Paul thought little of the place as vile and dark as it may be. In very short time, Paul found himself left behind and alone to himself as the Lady Maria had gone on ahead at a relatively faster pace.

No matter. He had a general idea and direction of where he needed to go. He held very little curiosity for the cries of the allegedly innocent woman whose screams pleaded for immediate release. Arriving shortly after most of the 'festivities' Paul observed the queer cheers of the townsfolk for the hooded creatures that were dragging a poor maiden to her doom. From what he could gather, the female had committed some crime that deserved her current fate. When the others took action, they suddenly fell silent. Were they not supportive and inviting of Paul and his supposed comrades? Hm. Dull eyes scanning the current situation, he saw Donny being pinned by one of the hooded creatures who he heard being referred to by the idly watching Lady Maria as a 'God's Hand'. As the hood of the creature fell back and snapped its frothing snout at Donny, Paul hesitated in his stride momentarily. Blinking, he couldn't help but wonder what a strange canine humanoid beast it was. Why was it called a 'God's Hand'? What God would think to create such a monster as their acting hands? Looking to a God's Hand that freed itself from a hangman's noose that Donny apparently fashioned for it, he watched as it pounced at the cheerful and bubbly girl from earlier. The bespectacled spearman spouting some nonsense as he rushed to Donny and the girl's aid.

Smirking, Paul felt a little inspired to take action himself. He had some questions for the lady being dragged off to be punished. Surprisingly, Paul found himself barely fazed by the whole hellish predicament. This was to be their first hunt? Very well. Paul thought to fire off a shot with his pistol but remembered he had no ammunition to load it with. Instead, Paul decided to steel himself by having a semi-private conversation to no one in particular.

"A hunter, unnerved by a few beasts? Heh. No matter. Enough trembling in your boots, a hunter must hunt."

The Lady Maria assured the safety of the poor woman in the clutches of the God's Hands, but Paul felt she had no need to intervene.
They would take care of matters, and they would all learn on their own. Paul felt she had no need to hold their hands.

Formulating a plan of action he figured while the other three were busy with the two God Hands, Paul would care to the other three still surrounding the poor woman. Confidently striding straight towards them, he lifted his walking cane and twisted the handle. Swiftly unsheathing the long hidden blade within and holding in his right hand, he kept the other blunt shaft in his left as a striking implement. His eyes focused on the lady in the God Hands' grasp. Slash at their arms to free the woman. Stun them with swift blows to the sides of their heads. Finish them off with the blade's edge at their necks. The idea of three on one seemed exciting. A refreshing challenge. This world appeared to imbue Paul with...something, and he desired nothing more than to be put to the test as he became part of its machinations. Picking up the pace as he walked more akin to a 'power-walk' he went through with his plan as he closed the distance to the other three God Hands. A sly smile on his face, a gleam in his otherwise dull eyes. In range, he lifted the pointed end of his cane-sword and moved in for the kill.

[Lucius Cypher]

"Okay. So this plain was quickly derailed..."

Donny's idea was to get the attention of all the hooded figures and book it. He figured maybe he could distract them long enough for the woman to escape, and with any luck Donny could lose the hooded figures, maybe even defeat them. If he was really lucky, maybe one of the others from the church might help him. But Donny wasn't so hopeful; he knew what he was doing was stupid, and he knew those people weren't so charitable that they'd help him.

Because the truth of the matter was, Donny didn't trust them. The moment he awoke in the basement, he knew he'd only expect the worse from people. This may not quite be a nightmare, but there was no reason to think anyone here was a good person. He was certain that everyone in that basement was as cynical and depressive as he was. Donny played up the part of the fool not just to tricks others, but himself too. He wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, there was some goodness in this world. It was just a matter of giving it a chance to show itself. Like right now, where Donny would try to be the honorable knight and save the damsel in distress. But things never went so smoothly.

For one, someone else showed up. A girl that Donny remembered freeing. She made a hammy announcement of justice, like he did, and drew her sword. Donny was no swordsman, but she looked quite the novice. While he certainly didn't mind the sentiment, he didn't know if he could protect this girl while also saving himself, and the woman in current distress. But things didn't get any better when one of the hooded figures revealed themselves to not be men, but some sort of dog/human hybrid. Donny nearly puked in his mouth at the sight of these horrific abominations. Maria explained that these things were the "God's Hand", though Donny wasn't certain if she means they were part of the God's Hands or if that's what the creatures were called. Either way they fancied themselves as s=the judge and execution of all that is evil. It would have been funny, if they hadn't started attacking.

Donny wasn't able to pick up on Maria's compliments when one of the beasts lunged at him, knocking Donny to the ground. he fortunately was able to keep his guitar between himself and the beast, preventing the monster from chewing on his face. But the monster's strength was greater than Donny's own, and he thought this was going to be the end. "Well! I guess this is the fate of a hunter!" Donny struggled against the beast regardless, trying to push and maneuver himself free. When all seemed lost, Donny heard the ramblings of another. He looked up and saw a fellow hunter armed with a spear, questioning his own humanity. Donny gave an answer when the spear plunged into the dog man's shoulder.

"This is a good start!"

Thanks to the hunter's attack, it gave Donny just enough room to move one of his legs between the beast and himself. With a mighty kick, Donny threw the beast off of himself and quickly got back onto his feet. He surveyed the scene and thought of a plan of action quickly. The hunter with the spear could no doubt handle the dog man on his own. The girl he was more concerned about; she didn't seem the type to be able to fend for herself. But there were still three more hooded figures, no doubt also powerful dog men monsters, dragging away the woman. Another hunter armed with a sword cane walked towards them, but Donny doubted that he alone could handle all three. Now was no time for silliness. Donny needed to act fast, and make every action count.

For starters, he needed to get this guitar out of the way. While it was helpful in getting everyone's attention, he needed a weapon now. But instead of simply putting it aside Donny chose to throw the guitar at the other dog man coming at the girl. Donny's throw was aimed towards the creature's legs, with such force and accuracy that it would cause him the beast to falter to the ground. Hopefully this will give the girl, or anyone else really, a chance to put it down for the count. Next, Donny needed to get his rope. Dashing back towards the tree, Donny also picked up a fist-sized brick. Once he had his rope in hand it was no hard task to fashion the rope and brick into a flail. Now with a somewhat suitable weapon, Donny now needed to fight.

Despite his actions, all five of the potential opponents were still standing. Donny assumed the man with the sword cane must be quite skilled if he was willing to approach the other three on his lonesome, so Donny left him to do his work. He needed to return to the other two, who were no doubt as frightful of the entire ordeal as he was, and help them with their opponents. Swinging his stone flail to build momentum, Donny brought the brick down unto the skull of the currently impaled dog man, and will continue to do so until his head was naught but a bloody pulp.

[Spriggs27]

Sinthe watched from the sidelines as everyone tried to save the woman and the townsfolk began cheering for the cloaked people. Sinthe sighed feeling ignored after trying to speak to the pale woman, he just kept silent and choose not to speak again, he felt like he knew how the whole situation would play out, he didn't need to show off that he could punch enemies with really heavy strength behind his punches.

The white haired man just looked at the cloaked figures and the other hunters fight against the cloaked enemies, seeing Donny hang up one of the enemies and seeing their face, Sinthe felt like he knew how this was gonna go he didn't bother stepping into the fight to save the woman, he knew the outcome of saving her and knew the people were horrible as well.

Sinthe crossed his arms and stood still as he watched the others, he felt that this place really was abysmal if the settlers were cheering for their own to be either executed or sacrificed or what ever the dogs were gonna do before everyone else jumped in to attack them, but Sinthe really hated the people in this situation, he didn't like how they acted, how they were or how they were just turning a blind eye to what these dog creatures were doing, Sinthe just sighed as the others kept fighting really. He was waiting for them to be finished so they could see their actions really.

The fight was taking a little longer than usual and Sinthe then put his hands into his pockets and just watched the fight, he felt like some things were missing or people, or things were missing as he looked around the town but kept his defense up just in case one of those dog things got too close to him and tried to attack him, he couldn't figure out why he had these visions, but he wasn't gonna share that he was having odd visions with the others, he didn't want to come off as crazy.

[KoL]

~Maria~

After her initial intrusion, Maria decided to merely observe how the hunters would fare in their initial foray against the Denizens of the Wasted Dream. The huntress crossing her arms bellow her chest and leaned against the old water well, taking in how Donny, Paul, Kenji and Lillian conducted the battle.

“Not bad for a bunch of rookies, keep it like that and you may survive your first moon.” Maria tried to encourage them with some words, before turning to Highball and Sinthe, who seemed to be content with waiting on the side lines. Their reasons, however, seemed to be quite different, judging by the contents of their faces.

“Don’t you think that you should be joining them? How do you two plan to live on this world without money? Even if you beg, the dry husks that live here have nothing to give.”

Maria shifted Pandora’s weight idly as she noticed that one of the God’s Hand had turned its obnoxious snot towards her. “If you’re not taking it, I guess that I’ll help myself. Come now, stinky mutt, let’s dance!” Maria beckoned the stupid monster in, as if she were calling back a stray dog.

BGM

“Rrr!” The God Hand pounced at Maria, revealing a crude meat cleaver from under his cloak, and trying to chop at her with an overhead attack.

Maria sidestepped it, spinning on her heels, before using the momentum she built to smash the monster’s shoulder blade with Pandora. “Take care where you swing that thing, or you might hit someone… just not me.”

“UGHH!” The God Hand howled as the sickening sound of flesh and bone being smeared and the fresh spurt of crimson on its shoulder finally registered on his mind, as well as that damn woman’s mockery. It swung its blade moving to hack her neck clean off her body, yelling unspeakable curses on those who dared defy the Absolute’s will.

“Tsc!” Maria scoffed, irritated, “Come now, that’s not even trying.” One more swing of Pandora, and she had all but severed the monster’s left leg of its body with the sheer force of the blunt impact. Blood splashed everywhere as the femoral artery burst and fragments of bone could be seen protruding off of the scraps of leather and tendon that still remained in place.

“GAHHH!” The beast cried, but there was nothing it could do now to avoid its fate as the specter of death loomed over it in the form of Maria’s purplish-crimson irises.

“The next time you try to kill someone, be sure to do it right!” As Maria said so, a distorted grin appeared at her face and she offed the monster sadistically, breaking its neck with her heel, after stomping it a couple times. If one didn’t knew better, they could think that the huntress was delivering some form of pleasure from the grisly display of violence.

Once Maria was done with the God Hand, its neck was but a smear on the muddy streets of Iredele and Maria casually ripped the beast’s head from the rest of its remains with one last yank of her hand.

“Come to think of it, I’ll give you this. Pay me back later, will you?” Maria said as she threw the severed head towards Highball, in an easy way to catch, before leaning against the well again, waiting for the other hunters to finish their, well… hunt.

[Zeroth]

Kenji put his foot on the small of the dog-creature's back and yanked his spear out roughly, tearing a chunk of flesh from the creature as he moved away. He had only done so because Donny had come in swinging an improvised flail, and he didn't wanna be anywhere near such an unpredictable weapon. But with the enemy already down Donny just had to keep it that way--Kenji grimaced as he turned away, hearing the first crunch, then the second, as the other man swung away repeatedly.

The pale woman had engaged another of the beasts, and it looked like one of the others was going after the three that were still dragging the woman. Kenji figured he must be cocky or just stupid, attacking when he was outnumbered with what looked like just a cane--then again, perhaps it was a sword-cane or made of something more sturdy than a typical walking stick. Still, the guy was going to get himself killed...but, yet again, these things didn't seem so tough, actually...

There was a strange rush coursing through Kenji now, and he was unsure whether it was fear, adrenaline, or...something he didn't want to think about. Nevertheless, he made another decision--not one he felt was a good one, but he didn't have many other options at this point. He took off at a sprint, holding his spear out away from his body in one hand and pumping the other back and forth as hard as he could while he ran. While this guy with the cane was on one side of the three dog-men, he intended to come in from the other side for a pincer attack.

As he closed the distance he took the spear in both hands and tightened his grip, before stepping down hard and thrusting forward. He slid across the damp stones, thanks to his momentum, but kept his balance and managed what he thought was a damn good piercing attack, despite not knowing any martial arts. One of the dog-men turned to face him, obviously hearing his footsteps, but by the time it brought the rusty looking cleaver out from under its filthy robes the cross spear took it in the shoulder, the center prong going all the way through while one of the side blades dug into the area between its collar and chest. Kenji knocked it off balance as it snapped at him, spittle flying through the air between them. Its free claw lashed out, but couldn't get to him thanks to the spear's length.

Use leverage and see if we can...

Kenji had his hands on the lower third of the spear's shaft, and held it close to his body while he grunted and tried to simply swing the weapon up and in an arc, using his weight as a fulcrum. It tore free of the God Hand's shoulder in a spray of blood, leaving gristly white bone and stands of torn muscle in plain sight, and the creature screeched in rage as it stumbled. The spear rose straight up above Kenji's head, some of the blood dripping down onto his shoulder and staining his uniform before he brought it straight back down in a chopping motion. The cross blade sticking out of the bottom side punctured the top of the monster's head with a thick "plup" sound causing it to freeze in mid swing, its cleaver falling from limp hands. Blood squirted out from beneath one of its eyes as its scream rose to a high, keening pitch. Kenji stepped back, yanking the monster forward until it fell, facefirst onto the cobblestones. Levering the spear again he pulled it out...but the creature was still struggling to get up, though its motions were uncoordinated and it spasmed at random intervals.

Even with brain damage these things don't give up, what the hell kind of world is this...

He turned the spear until he was holding its blade pointed down, the shaft extending up in the air and his hands closer to the middle. He drove it down like an ice pick into the back of the monster's skull, and the blade exited through the bottom of its chin, digging into the ground and pinning it down. Kenji put his foot on the back of the cross blades like one would the edge of a shovel, and pushed it in further. The creature's legs kicked wildly for a few seconds...then it went still, blood pooling beneath the corpse and Kenji's shoes. He gagged as the scent hit him, and jerked the spear out as he looked around to get another gauge on the situation...

[harinezumikouken]

Paul Delacroix - First blood

Smiling still as the spear-wielding gentleman from before decided to assist him, the man provided the perfect distraction. While only one of the God Hands turned away to face him, the brief glance to the side from the other two was all that Paul needed. Breaking forward into a sprint, Paul slashed at the hands that held onto the poor woman. Cutting them deep enough to gain their attention, the two turned to focus their gaze on Paul just in time to be greeted by the shaft of his blunt cane. Soundly thwacking them across the eyes with the blunt cane in his left hand, Paul wasted no time. Sheathing his cane and twisting it locked, Paul ducked forward and wrapped his arms around the waist of the woman who was still in the middle of danger.

"Pardon me, my lady. Excuse me for my trespasses."

Ignoring the twinge of pain in his back as he lifted her up with leg strength, Paul back-stepped a few times until he was pleased with the safe distance. Nothing against the woman and her body weight, Paul just had his medical issues. Setting down the woman as gently as he could, he held eye contact with her as he spoke. "Stay your distance but please, do not run off. We cannot guarantee your safety if you leave our presence. I have some questions I'd like to ask you once we're done with the task at hand." Straightening up, Paul faced the two angered God Hands who had brandished some gruesome looking cleavers from their cloaks. Dusting the front of his vest off, Paul smirked.

"Hmph."

Leaving his cane-sword sheathed, the two God Hands charged at him. Walking towards them, Paul's eyes followed the cleaver of the first God Hand closest to him. The motion was easily telegraphed and Paul ducked under the cleaver, dodging it. As he side-stepped the first God Hand, he stuck his leg out ever so slightly and tripped the first God Hand causing the creature to fall face-forward onto the ground. These creatures seemed neither intelligent, nor graceful it seemed. Watching the telegraphed cleaver-swing of the second God Hand, this time Paul raised his cane and knocked the attack away by striking at the wrist that held the cleaver, parrying it. As the second God Hand glared at him, snarling, Paul rammed the end of his cane into the creature's chest in a stunning blow. The second God hand coughed and doubled over for a moment as it struggled to regain its breath. Paul looked over his shoulder just in time to see that the first God Hand had gotten up and was preparing a large overhead slash to end his life. Dashing to the side at the last second, Paul watched as the first God Hand ended the life of its partner. Its cleaver burying itself deeply into the skull. The second God Hand dropped to its knees, sputtering and gurgling as it died. Pivoting and pressing his back against the back of the first God Hand, Paul looped the shaft of his cane across the neck of the last remaining God Hand and pulled against it tightly to suffocate and trap the beast. Using his own body as a fulcrum, Paul then rolled the monster over his back and slammed him to the ground. Turning to the kneeling and dead God Hand that had his friend's cleaver resting in his brain box, Paul grabbed the handle with his free hand and kicked at the dead creature's chest to rip it loose. In one final, fluid motion Paul brought the cleaver's edge down on the grounded God Hand's neck and severed it. A gout of blood spurting out from its decapitated neck and speckling Paul's face.

With a few tugs and yanks, Paul removed the cleaver and casually tossed it aside to discard it. He hadn't realized it, but he had been breathing heavily and took a few moments to calm himself and steady his breath. Dabbing at the blood that managed to get on him, Paul squatted down the rip off a piece of cloth from the dispatched God Hands and used it to wipe off what blood he could remove. Standing up, he then walked over to the woman from before and knelt down in front of her. A warm smile on his face.

"My lady. Are you quite alright?"

[Lugubrious]

The creatures did not disappoint. Before Highball's eyes, Paul and Kenji joined the battle to assist Donny, and a few of the monsters met the challenge. When it became apparent that the 'God Hands' were not human but in fact men with dog heads, in the manner of some twisted Egyptian divinity, Highball remained remarkably unfazed. All along, she had expected that a dream world's inhabitants would not make sense, and in truth the fact that the vast majority of the people she'd met so far were normal surprised her more. Sitting upon her well, Highball pondered the significance of the beasts' name. If the calls from the neighboring houses a few moments ago constituted anything if significance, these 'God Hands', despite their monstrous appearance, seemed to be performing a service for the people. Of course, Highball could neither envision nor want to find out more about whatever ritualistic savagery awaited this woman, but the event created a unique idea of perspective. Either this woman did indeed have crimes of a spiritual nature to answer for, or she was the lone spot of light in a town lost to darkness and corruption. Given what Highball new of the World of Wasted Dreams so far, she admittedly anticipated the latter. Plus, it stimulated her imagination to think of what kind of lumbering, vile god these freakish monsters could serve as peons for.

Unfortunately, the semi-canines also came through for Highball's other guess: they offered no challenge to the newly-minted hunters. For a moment it appeared as though Donny might be in some sort of peril, pinned beneath the noteworthy might of the God Hand that assailed him, but Kenji's spear negated the threat. After getting to his feet, Donny sprinted away while Highball watched, wondering if a single foul-breathed beast was enough to break his will. Only a moment later, the man's acquisition of his rope answered her question. Kenji's struggle with the impaled monster came to an abrupt end thanks to the end of Donny's brick flail, and Highball raised her hands to salute the frothing fiend's passing with a soft, though somewhat sarcastic, clap.

Highball's mock celebration was interrupted by Maria, however, who presumed to needle her with patronizing suggestions. A look of incredulous indignation flew the mannequin’s way, saying without words What? Waste my energy on these worthless things? They're pathetic. How much value is there in those flea-bitten hides? Especially to go at them like piranhas in a shoal. They're not even attacking. Barely stronger than an adult male, not large or intimidating, and not keen to attack as a pack even while their numbers dwindled. Did Maria also think it would be worth it if five poachers worked together to shoot a single passive deer? Highball would fight when she saw a worthwhile take, or a chance to have some real fun.

Still, she deigned to watch as Maria assaulted one of the God Hands herself. Highball observed through half-closed hazel eyes as the thing failed to land a single hit on Maria, who taunted all the while. The mannequin's quips brought a smile to Highball's face. Wow, really sticking it to that brainless dog, tough girl. She looked away when Maria began to use the dying thing for pleasure. No kill like overkill, I suppose—especially for psychos. The next thing she knew, a rotten head sailed her way like some grotesque sports ball. Not pleased with the prospect of touching it, Highball quickly maneuvered her cane into the object's path, switching it to rake form as she did. Upon the nasty tines the severed head snagged and hung, odious and odorous both. The only thing that displeased Highball more than the object was the pity that had sent it soaring. With the slightest of efforts, she tipped the rake and let the viscera plop messily to the cobblestones. Not just pity, but a pity loan. I'm not lazy or gutless, lady. I'm discerning. After rejecting Maria's offering, she leaned on the upright rake and looked back at the other group. Kenji and Paul had already dispatched more foes. Highball decided that in short order she'd strike out on her own to find her own prey.

[BlueAjah]

Lillian

A woman’s voice broke Lillian concentration on the beasts as she glanced back to find Maria. Although she was stunning to look at, Lillian’s gaze drifted beyond her, in search of the man who had helped her. He was okay, right? Lillian nodded to reassure herself he was fine and could probably take better care of himself than she could.

Directing her attention back to the task at hand, she took a few practice swings of the sword in her hands. Swing diagonally? Lillian’s eyes scrunched up in determination to wield the sword correctly. Following Maria’s directions, she held it parallel to the ground and swung the small sword. Although she improved slightly, Lillian still managed to look like a blind man attempting to paint. With practice though, she was sure she could master it!

One of the hooded things stepped forward, leaving the other three to continue dragging the poor thrashing women away. Before Lillian could blink, the hooded creature suddenly had the head of a ferocious, infested dog and attacked Donny. Why couldn’t there just be a giant squirrel? A hint of fear tingled within her, telling her to run far away from this but nothing could persuade her determination to leave. She clenched the hilt of the sword and marched toward the beast on top of Donny, ready to slash at it. Breath escaped Lillian’s entire body as the hooded creature trapped within Donny’s ropes, broke free and revealed the face of another horrible dog. It made eye contact with Lillian, whose hands were slightly shaking.

I can do this. Swing diagonally.

In mere seconds, the beast blasted at Lillian, who was so focused on Maria’s instructions she barely had enough time to scream in fear. As instructed, Lillian slashed out diagonally at the creature with all of her strength, weak though it was. The sword, to her disbelief, made impact with the dog creature, but all she managed to do was make the creature even angrier. That was more than enough to send Lillian sprinting to find a better position. Hundreds of ideas flashed through her head, most of them including some sort of jump in the air. Instead of doing anything at all, Lillian tripped over a rock she hadn’t noticed before and fell for the second time that day, flat on her face. Lillian’s entire body cringed, waiting for the snarling beast to eat her entire body. Maybe now it was time to wake up and return to wherever she had come from.

Instead sharp teeth biting into her, a guitar ripped through the air and crashed right into the creature’s legs as it readied to attack her. Lillian gasped in shock. She had been saved by Donny! A wave of relief passed over her and she quickly stood up from her fall. A disgusting muck of dirt covered part of her face but she payed no attention to it. Gripping the sword in her hand, Lillian took a deep breath and swung at the dog’s head. A spray of blood splattered across her face as the head of the dog was ripped off. Lillian froze, the sword in her hand clattering to the floor.

Blood. No matter how hard she tried to not see it, the smell of it still filled her nose, suffocating her. Lillian’s stomach screamed with sickness. So much blood. She looked down at the dog, a pool of blood where its head had once been. Behind her, blood covered the ground at which Maria stood. There was no escaping it. Lillian’s entire face turned pure white and the last thing she saw were the other hunters finishing off the beasts before she collapsed into even more darkness.

[TheWendil]

One by one, the monsters were being finished off by the newfound Hunters. They battled with unrivaled skill, almost as if the touch of a blade in their hands was something felt before, perhaps in some earlier time. The beastmen perished at the hands of these unmatched warriors, retreat no longer an option as they were cut into bloodied corpses.

The woman from before, who had inadvertently started this whole mess, finally creeped out of her hiding spot. With a neutral expression, she looked up to Paul, the one who approached her. It was to be assumed that she would thank the young man for his hard work. Thus, it must have come as a deep surprise when the woman brutally slapped Paul.

“Fool,” she hissed with angry tears in her eyes. “You’ve ruined the ritual! Are you mad? H-How could you….why would you interfere!”

The woman’s voice became louder and louder in pitch as she backed away like a panicked animal. Dry sobs heaved her body as she pointed an accusing finger at Paul and then the rest of the Hunters as well.

“Heretic! Heretic! I drowned my own daughter, consumed the flesh of my only son, and this is how I am repaid for my sins?”

She was making no sense and was only becoming more paranoid until she finally brushed up against the town well. Turning to look down at the dark hole, she turned to Paul specifically and flashed him a smile of triumph. Hope was not lost yet.

“Ut absolutam gratiam tuam,” she spat to him before jumping over and plummeting to her watery grave. The splash was only countered by the loud crack of bones being split and flesh being splintered. The woman had killed herself. However, there would be no time to grieve because a stranger was quickly approaching the group of Hunters with faltering steps.

He wore a standard suit with a tie, black fedora placed atop a crown of equally black hair. His right eye remained firm and closed while his left revealed a sickly hue of green panic that darted from one Hunter to the next in a mile a minute.

“Hello one and all you idiots! What did I say about getting yourself involved with rituals? You know the God Hand only come back, and in greater numbers! This is only going to put us back a stage and…wait, you’re not villagers, are you? No, no, you look too scared to be villagers…you must be fresh Hunters then who don’t know what they’re doing in my town.”

The tall man in black looked Maria over once before a tired sigh escaped his breath. Honestly, couldn’t she train her new lot faster? Didn’t Iredele deserve enough ill omens? The man didn’t even seem to care that a woman had just committed suicide in his public well.

“Ah, forgive me for my rudeness young Hunters! You see, I am the mayor of Iredele. Parker. Mister Spencer Parker. I trust you’re here to hunt….monsters?”

---

@Zeroth, @Lugubrious, @Lucius Cypher, @Spriggs27, @Savo, @BlueAjah, @harinezumikouken, @KoL

[Lucius Cypher]

Soon, the God Hand were defeated. Donny felt rather excited to be honest; it was an exhilarating fight. Scary as hell, but exciting. Donny was about to suggest a little victory part when he saw the girl, Lillian if he remembered correctly, fall to the ground. Worried that the God Hand managed to land a blow on her Donny went over to the girl and made sure she was alright. Though there was blood on her, most of it seemed to belong to the God Hand. A quick search for injuries on Lillian's body proved that aside from a few scraps from falling on the ground, she was not grievously injured. That made Donny very glad. What happened next, not so much.

Donny was so focused on Lillian he didn't realize that the woman they've fought to save actually did not want their help. She started screaming about the evil things she's done and how they were all heretics, making him very confused. "What the hell are you talking about? We just saved you! You were screaming for help!" But Donny's words made no difference as the woman approached the well. his eyes widen in horror. Despite his skills, he could not throw his rope fast enough. By the time he threw a lasso in the direction of the woman, she had already fallen into the well. Donny could hardly believe hit. His efforts, his worry, wasted on a woman who spat it right back into his face. So much for being a hero.

Shortly after the woman's fall, a man in finery approached. He lambasted the hunters for their interference before backtracking and apologizing for his rudeness. Though that didn't exactly make Donny like this guy any better. Picking up Lillian's sword and putting it into her sheath, Donny helped the girl up while she was still fainted and walked towards the Mayor. "Hold on there, Top Hat. What do you mean rituals? What do you know about these God Hands? Are you saying you let the woman get dragged away for some conspiracy?" Donny would have been more... Respectful towards a man in authority, but in recent light Donny has taken into consideration that not everything is as it seems. And this Spencer Parker may be more than just a mayor of this small, sleepy nightmare of a town.

@TheWindel@BlueAjah

[Zeroth]

Kenji, like Donny, tried to make a move to stop the woman as she headed towards the well, but he hesitated over whether or not this situation was really as it appeared. Maybe the woman was going to make some kind of wish on the well, or drag something up from its depths, call some horrible monster out to eat her instead--no. The simplest conclusion turned out to be the correct one, and Kenji watched like the others, wide eyed, as the woman threw herself to her death.

A shout drew his attention to another figure, this one a hobbling man who blamed the group for...something. As Kenji looked around at the slain dog-men, Donny was the first to call the stranger out on how fucked up all of this was. But all of this talk was bringing out some much more workable information about this new world that Kenji could start putting together for himself.

I was actually right, in a sense. That woman was, if she's to be believed, a criminal who was being taken away for some kind of cleansing ritual. Why she bothered struggling I don't know...maybe it was just some kind of show? Kenji knelt next to the God Hand he had slain, and following Paul's earlier example, used its own cleaver to behead it. Though he was much more careful about it, and thus only got blood stains on one of his pants legs. He almost threw up again, but held it down as he used the creature's own ratty cloak as a bag to hold the dripping trophy.

The woman uttered the same phrase that the pale lady did before, in that Church of the Absolute. These creatures were called God Hands...implying they're servants of this same Church? He looked at Maria. The likelihood that she and the strange, patchwork-quilted man from before were being intentionally misleading seemed much higher to him now. The Mayor didn't recognize us as Hunters at first...implying that the reason the other townsfolk don't get involved is because they've all intentionally agreed not to do so for some reason. If this failure means that the God Hand will come back in greater numbers...

He turned in place, looking out across the town in different directions. Here and there through the fog he caught sight of a wooden, barely standing wall. And of course the settlement as a whole still seemed to be a complete shithole.

A necessary sacrifice? They allow the God Hand to take one of their own, in order to ensure survival and avoid conflict? And now we've ruined their ritual, so the God Hand will come in force to punish them. The Church of the Absolute requires Hunters to make donations, and they earn the money by slaying monsters...The monsters themselves serve the Absolute too. And they serve by murdering sinful humans...apparently killing people in large enough numbers that a town like this is turned into a ghost town and forced to willingly give themselves up to avoid being wiped out completely...

A flash of insight came to Kenji, and he involuntarily sucked in a breath.

Absolute. Sinful nature. According to some theories of both religion and philosophy, human beings are inherently born with sinful natures. We design laws to prevent the sins of others, like murder and theft...but human laws are CONDITIONAL. Someone who steals a candy bar will get a lesser punishment than someone who steals a thousand dollars from a bank. Someone who unintentionally kills someone during a fight won't be sentenced as harshly as someone who plans out the murder in detail.

But would an ABSOLUTE being allow such gradation on the scale of "sin?"

Maybe this Absolute god or whatever it is actually exists in this world, and sees humans as inherently corrupt. Thus they are deserving of punishment even if they haven't "done anything," because the very act of existing is sinful. So it uses the monsters to destroy them...yet maybe it considers the acts of violence the monsters commit to be sinful as well, and thus Hunters exist to punish the monsters? It seems like it would create an endless cycle...but it also provides money for the Church...

Kenji growled to himself and shook his head. He was jumping to too many conclusions. Still, his hunch about the woman had been right. They should have just let her be dragged away, as heartless as it was to say. He felt like he was on the right track, but that he was definitely missing some vital pieces.

He would let Donny question the Mayor, and no doubt some of the others would do the same. Instead, he turned back to the pale woman. Walking up to Maria, spear cradled in one arm and leaning against his shoulder while his other hand held the bag with the God Hand's head, he looked at her suspiciously behind the thick frames of his glasses.

@KoL"You want us to make donations to the same God that uses these creatures as his Hands? Or am I misunderstanding that?" he asked. "What exactly are the teachings of the Church of the Absolute?"