Octo

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude frowned as the young prince interjected. Having Yaya corroborate was probably necessary at this point, but Gertrude was trying to build tension and stakes. Having it out in the open that Yaya got bored one night, grabbed her friends, and ran off to kill Rozenalt was not conducive to good storytelling.

Then again, the actual Roses were bloody arseholes who cheated at cards. Having actually met them, the decision tracked. They were not the stories that were told about them. Gertrude sighed, and addressed the older princess.

"Aye, his ugliness was made manifest in his spiritual form. He arrived to the battlefield upon a gigantic skeletal mount, and Yaya rushed at him while the other knights fought against other avatars of the hunt. The Falconer, The Houndmaster, The Pale Lady, and The Trapper. Each was a worthy foe, though I had enchanted their weapons beforehand to strike true against the Unseelie. The Mistress worked to cut down the hordes, allowing Yaya a mostly uninterrupted duel against her adversary."

Gertrude smirked.

"Now for the reason Yaya won't tell you the whole story: her exact words upon seeing Rozenalt after two centuries were 'Rozenalt! Get over here, you faceless bastard! Was it hard, finding a mount uglier than you!?'"

Gertrude snorted. The mystique was already shattered, so she might as well give the girls the full story and tease Yaya all the while.

"She was bloody- oh, you should've seen the look on her face. If I was Rozenalt, I would've fled."

---

Gretchen removed her ear from Yaya's chest, and ruffled her hair once again.

"I know you're a vampire, but it still might be more comfortable if we fixed it," Gretchen replied, shrugging, "but again, that's not something I can do here and now. Haizea, I can help. Maybe permanently, at some point. Curses can be removed, and magic can heal. I'd just have to figure out what exactly is wrong, and maybe ask Auntie if she knows someone who specializes in that area."

Gretchen reached over to tousle Haizea's hair too.

"But for now, one bout. Stop by Candaeln later, though. It should be fixable with the right expertise."

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna had enjoyed her night, getting very drunk and sleeping very poorly despite not taking even a minute of the vigil. In her inebriated euphoria, she ended up locking horns with a few of the farm animals and proving herself to be the strongest by far. She hoped that some of the rams would channel that frustration into strength, and fight for their place in the hierarchy.

She met the pounding headache with which she awoke with yet more drink, and by the time they had all gathered to continue the investigation, she was already buzzed. Smelling of grass and booze, she hung an arm around Rylia.

"Yes, Fletcher, Pyotr make good idea," she said, steadying herself on the tiny paladin, "land blight has visual component. If it were in the fields, it would be noticed quickly. More likely, it is hidden behind tree and foliage. Not too far afield, probably, if sheep go to there."

Pressing up against Rylia, she shoved a flask into the girl's face.

"Are you sure you don't want? You are still inexperienced. It will calm your nerves."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"The score, Prince Enrich, was not between The Hunt and The Order. It was between Tyaethe and Rozenalt. One of Mistress Yaya's enduring regrets of hundreds of years was not ending The Bloody Lord for good with her own hands. This was her opportunity to remove a very old thorn from her side. A singular stain upon a long career that only she would notice, but notice she did."

Gertrude turned her attention back to Elisandre, who seemed the most enthusiastic of her listeners.

"But you are correct, Princess. He was not the same. On the inside, he was just as wicked as any story you've been told. On the outside, however, he was unrecognizable save for his blood-red armor. His head was a bare skull with eyes like glowing coals, and he wore a three-pointed gold crown."

Gertrude crossed one leg over the other, and smirked as if she'd won something.

"Princess... I know you want to ask Yaya about the fight, but..."

Gertrude leaned a little closer, and made her voice a little softer.

"She won't tell you anything. I can assure you of that. She thinks it's too exciting, and that it will paint her in a light that will make you swoon. I, however, have no compunctions about telling you the whole story. You should hear it, princess. For the purposes of your records, if nothing else."

---

Gretchen grinned as she enjoyed the color on Tyaethe's cheeks, but quickly turned to sulking when the woman protested the insinuation that she had a crush.

"Boring Yaya," Gretchen said, puffing her cheeks out, "you're in the presence of some very pretty young women. Even if you don't mean it, you should lie."

Then, Gretchen tousled Tyaethe's hair.

"Anyways, aside from the arrhythmia, it sounds like maybe you've got a hole in there? I'm actually a bit surprised you lasted as long as you did. Well, before the vampirism."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Gertrude, heroically resisting the urge to put this brat in his place, plastered a patient smile on her face.

"It's good to be skeptical, and you're probably right in a sense. The Moonlit Queen had something we needed, and wanted an irritant that she couldn't take care of herself out of her forest. If we won, she'd lose something she'd spared little effort to get and gain something of legendary value. If we lost, she'd get a show."

Well, Gertrude could think of one thing that might get him to shut up and listen.

"But as important as skepticism is reason, perhaps moreso. If I told you that the first Roses, each at the height of their strength, could vanquish the midnight hunt... you'd believe it to be possible, wouldn't you? It would be close, it would be exciting, but they would win in the end. I won't say that we're their equal now, but a good mage can make up the difference. A great mage can exceed it. Before the bout, sir Fionn was gifted a blade as light as a feather but as sharp as an obsidian edge by one of the Moonlit Queen's attendants. He'd lost his own blade in his final assault on the serpent."

Dumbarse.

"But for the rest, I enchanted each of their weapons to strike hard and true. It would allow each of them to fight at a level above their own. We also had Tyaethe on our side, and as one of the original Roses herself, I think it adds credence to the proceedings. Especially since she kept the leader of the hunt occupied. Who, but our beloved Yaya, could hold the line at the edge of dread Rozenalt's blade? Aye, that same bogeyman from childhood stories innumerable was at the helm. And each had a score centuries-long to settle."

She was pretty sure that would gain the rotten princeling's interest.

---

"...What about me made you think I wouldn't do it, Yaya?" Gretchen chided as she pressed her head closer. It was an arrhythmia, to be sure, but there was something else too. She grabbed Tyaethe's waist to keep her steady as she listened.

"More than one is possible with Yaya's mana as a battery, but it wouldn't be a good idea. This is very experimental, and I'd have to test it a bit more. If I force your heart to work normally for too long at once, you might have an adverse reaction when it goes back to how it usually is. One bout is about as far as I can go before I become uncertain of your safety."

Gretchen closed her eyes as she pulled Tyaethe as close as she could. Her heartbeat was so bloody odd.

"It's beating so fast," Gretchen teased, knowing full well it was because the woman was a vampire, "is there a girl you fancy nearby, perhaps?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"Scary..."

Gertrude leaned back, crossing her arms under her chest and putting one leg over the other. How best to please both siblings? Generally more information would be better if it was important to clearly communicate their activities to a political ally, but the king likely got a full report from Arken. This was mainly a storytime, so comfort was more important.

"The Hunt was a frightening foe, to be certain. Not to spoil the story, but you may notice that our more prestigious knights have all made it to the tournament in good health, and with morale to spare. The duke's wits were returned. The story has a happy ending."

Gertrude smiled.

"I can skip the more... gruesome parts of the fight, if you wish."

How the hell was she supposed to even start on Tyaethe's mad bloodlust carrying her through that gorefest of a bloody fight? A good none of that would appeal to Maletha, and might actually make her scared of Tyaethe.

On one hand, that would be entertaining. On the other, Gertrude was finally starting to make friends.

---

Tyaethe's body wouldn't be good as anything but a battery if all her organs didn't quite work, but it was a good battery at least. One of the best in the world, really. Gretchen frowned, but nodded.

"I can't fix your body permanently as much as I can't fix mine permanently. At least, not yet. But I could force it to work how it's supposed to. Maybe enough for one bout? I haven't done it before exactly, but I know the theory well enough from my own studies and I can use Yaya as a battery."

Saying this, she leaned down and pressed an ear to Tyaethe's chest. It wasn't often one was invited to listen to an arrhythmic vampire's heart. It could be valuable as research material at some point.

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

"Yes, tiny one will take first watch," Hrefna agreed, nodding to Pete, "less bad things likely to happen early on. Is easy enough even for Ingvarr calf-child, so little paladin can do."

Hrefna had already taken note of how Rylia reacted to being called 'tiny', and thus had incorporated it more into her speech. She grinned as she enjoyed the girl's seething.

"If Pyotr takes next, and pretty snake whose name I have difficulty pronouncing go last, then Hrefna will see you all in morning. I will prefer to sleep outside, just in case danger appears. Merely call upon my strength and I will crush our enemies," Hrefna said, capping it all off with a yawn. She slept terribly anyways, so to be awoken for combat was a boon. With Csenge doing analysis, there wasn't much for Hrefna to do except get to know the sheep.

If everything else failed, she would be able to track any of the sheep that go missing as long as she was reasonably acquainted with whichever sheep it was. To this end, she would spend her night greeting the creatures just in case. She would probably look like a lazy fool, but being underestimated led to better stories in the end. The Wyrmbender family needed good stories.

She turned to Rylia.

"You hear Hrefna, small one? If things too difficult, come to get Hrefna and she will end your troubles," she reiterated, pulling a flask from a small pouch and taking a swig. It would be without class to not drink at night when you had already drunk during the day, after all.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"I bloody wish," Gertrude blurted before she could remember to tone her language down, "I mean, a bloody wish! Er, The Moonlit Queen's desire was bloody. Aye. Her initial questioning was never going to bring the Duke's wits back to us. She merely wished to know if we were equal to the task she would ask in exchange."

Trudy stopped dancing, and took a seat next to the princesses. The narrative weight of the next statement shouldn't be dulled by her performance.

"She wanted the Roses to vanquish The Midnight Hunt."

---

Gretchen wasn't too put off by the fact that neither pint-sized paladin took her up on the offer of sitting on her lap, and simply accepted their company beside her. Hearing about Haizea's illness struck a chord, and knowing that Tyaethe also dealt with health problems, it felt a little cozy that they were all seated together in this way.

That despite their troubles, they were all here, even if Haizea would rather be out there. Well, it's not as if Gretchen couldn't understand her body not letting her do something she really wanted to do. Due to her own health problems, she ended up reading and memorizing a lot of books about magical healthcare. It never really occurred to her to use those spells on other people, because it meant less magic for her if she needed it, but it would probably earn her some favor if she helped.

And she didn't really have to use her own mana, did she? Tyaethe had enough for all three of them.

"Well, I don't think I can do something permanent. Not right here and now, at least. But I might be able to help regulate her for one bout? I'll need to borrow Yaya's mana."

She looked down at Tyaethe and tilted her head.

"You mentioned you grew up with health issues, too. Was it a heart issue, or something else?"

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

Hrefna let out a harsh laugh as Rylia called her a 'northern barbarian'. The little one had a mouth, at least, if not the experience to match her words. With her magic, Hrefna concluded that 'Reon's Light' wouldn't quite do it in this instance. It could stave off the affliction, but it did nothing to the source. Hrefna gestured to the still-trembling livestock that Rylia had attempted to cure, and leaned forward derogatorily, flouting Rylia's failure of height next to a race of people whose women were legendarily short.

"I see that Reon favors the livestock as much as she favors the people of Barukstaed," she teased, knowing how loaded that particular subject was, "but do not worry, tiny one. My diagnosis has concluded. The sheep are not cursed, but they are being affected by a curse that resides elseplaces. Even I could not break it from here."

Hrefna strode purposefully towards Pete, Csenge, Hyselia, and the farmer.

"Listen to Hrefna, now. Curse resides elsewhere, so we must find spell in order to break. If the sick sheep share any commonality, it would be good to know. A relative in common, a grazing area in common on the days of affliction, any notable changes to routine. The only other thing I can say is that the source is nearby, but this is perhaps obvious."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"Well, there are nice ones and mean ones," Gertrude explained, shrugging, "just like with people. Sometimes it's bloo- er, difficult to tell, though, because they have a different sense of morality. I grew up... around creatures like them, so it made sense to me."

Not wanting to dwell on that line of questioning any longer than she needed to, Gertrude was quick to continue.

"Well, I think she's more childish than mean. She asked for our qualifications when we brought up the Duke's wits, and it was obvious she wanted to be entertained. The knights regaled her with tales of heroic accomplishment. I, on the other hand..."

Gertrude gently dropped her broom, but before it hit the ground, it grew limbs and a body and the straw transformed into hair. Trudy, the miniature Gertrude made from wood and soul, began doing a little folk dance. She silently hoped the princesses would find this more entertaining than The Moonlit Queen had, though it had been enough to to get her body transformed.

---

"Someone scary, eh?" Gretchen teased, going in to give Tyaethe's pinkening cheek a gentle pinch, "then it's a shame Yaya isn't competing, she's cute as a button."

Gretchen took a seat and patted her lap, entreating one or both of the paladins to rest somewhere a little nicer. Her smile was kind and gentle as she welcomed the two.

"You too, Haizea. I'm certain you'd be an inspiration, but... I guess that would be a bad idea? Would you tell me about it? I'm starting to understand your love of these events a little bit, but I'm not certain I can help in any way."

Sword and Dungeon: An Adventurer's Guild-based Fantasy RP

The tiny paladin, like a tiny child, had refused to drink with Hrefna. The refusal was within expectations, but Hrefna greeted it with a derisive snort anyways. It was important, she thought, to drink both before and after a quest. Thus, she proceeded to take the local puppies up on their kindness and run their tab into the ground before she left. Two hours of 'preparation' well-spent. Immediately after, she slept on the ride there and rose immediately when the carriage stopped.

She was nothing if not efficient in her inebriation. Before she headed to the pen with the afflicted sheep, she nodded to Pete.

"You keep vigilant eye, Pyotr of the Stick. If you see some wicked thing besides myself, bludgeon it with violence."

Then, only slightly tipsy, she made her way to the pen with the infected animals. Hazily, she patted one of the sheep, only gently touching the weeping sore to get a better idea of what they were dealing with.

"There, there, sweet one," Hrefna cooed with a strange empathy shared between horned creatures who enjoyed headbutting their peers, "we will free you from this-"

Then, when Rylia began calling on her goddess, Hrefna snorted once again in derision.

"Do you need this Sun Mommy for everything? But you are correct, untrained child. It is very obvious curse, but only in the beginning stages. It will get much worse, and do much more if left alone. Perhaps the caster is blighting the land the sheep feed from, or perhaps they will rise as undead-sheep-creature once the illness takes them. Difficult to tell without more information, but I can tell that sheep illness is only part of larger problem."

With a smirk as if she was about to prove some cruel point to the young paladin, she pressed her fingertips into the sheep's body. Not too hard or rough, but enough to get a reliable circuit as she poured her mana into the creature. She would attempt to learn more about the curse, and possibly how to break it. To Hrefna, Reon's invocation was a challenge. She wanted to outdo the goddess who rarely smiled upon Barukstaed and her servant.