Rune_Alchemist

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@Deos Morran

Congratulations, you know have to deal with an Inquisitor who would not think twice about offing you.

Do have fun.

I'll get a post up with Celia arriving at the castle after Rose does. She's not going to be moving fast enough to arrive before.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

~Phoebe Longhurst~

---

@Deos Morran - @anyone outside the tavern, speaking with Lusius.

"Zee blood moon calls you, hunter. Answer its call and join zee hunt, or flee and hide, because under zee light of the blood moon, no one is safe from zee true beasts that rise with it."

It didn't take Phoebe long to find where most of the hunters had gathered. A small little tavern, one of many, though this one seemed particularly lively. Or at least, it had some fairly...beastly patrons. The Inquisitor frowned as she watched silently from a distance, catching just the end of Emmerich's little speech. Was this the place she had come to in order to...cleanse it? It seemed most of the folks here were more beast than human. bah, well, as long as they were not a threat she'd keep silent. She was outnumbered and alone, and she doubted any of them would take too kindly to an inquisitor spouting religious rhetoric. Wasn't going to stop her from commenting, however.

"Hm...seems as though we may have to hunt one of our own soon. The call of blood is not so easily ignored by all, it seems." She commented rather dismissively as though such a thing wouldn't even give her pause. She walked silently over to Lusius, most of her tools hidden under her cloak, though her sword and crossbow was clearly visible. "The night seems to churn with danger. Tell me, fellow hunter, what danger lurks out in the cool air this night? Or is it the simple fear of the unknown that plagues us? I have only just arrived in Seren's folly this morning and have spent most of the day adjusting."

Truthfully, she wasn't particularly keen to help or work with these other hunters. She could at least remain amicable as long as everyone remained mostly human, and she could retain plausible deniability of any devilry.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

was working on a post, but sleep is demanding my attention.

Will post as soon as I can tomorrow.

Pokémon: Start

~Claire Blackwood~

@PlatinumSkink

Current Team

Ralia, Ralts
Level: 7
Status: Perfectly fine.

Inventory

Potion x1
Antidote x1
pokeball x5

---

The copies scrambled to twirl apart, but they weren't fast enough. The first attack, they had a small element of surprise but Ledyba was just a tiny bit faster than Ralts without it. Whether it was luck or the Ledyba managing to figure out which Ralts was the real one, it didn't particularly matter. The first one, Ledyba passed right through as though it was nothing. The second one though, was sent reeling backwards as the Ledyba slammed into Ralia. The Ralts let out a small cry of pain as it was pushed backwards, Claire flinching slightly as the hit connected. Ouch, that looked like it hurt, though Ralts wasn't down for the count. The small pokemon managed to get back to its feet, its clones forming another line as they moved about, making sure to try and confuse the Ledyba about which was the real one once again. Perhaps taking refuge in the center was a bad tactic - she should have been on the edge so she could have moved easier. Next time, she wouldn't do something like that.

"It's alright Ralia," Claire shouted. "Hit 'em with another confusion!"

In unison, all of the Ralts made the motion to attack at once.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

annnd did a thing with a post.
Decided to have a little list of Phoebe's current tools on hand so it doesn't seem like I'm pulling anything out of my ass.

@13org

Shai should come with Celia so someone else can distract Rose while she sleeps for hugs and affection

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

~Celia Mockett~

@13org@Viciousmarrow@Ellion@Noxx

---

Someone was cranky. That much the snake lady made perfectly apparent. She could sympathize, but the snake lady was the one making her cranky. See, this is why everyone should just stay inside and sleep all day! No one would bother anyone then. They'd all get along just fine and all of this wouldn't be happening. Celia simply cocked her head rather nonchalantly as the snake lady summoned the Hydra. Oho, something tasty showed up. Smelled like...fish? Water fish. Serpent? Either way, it smelled as ugly as the snake lady and she really didn't want to fight it, though she did think it could be a rather entertaining fight. If it wasn't so tiring, she would do it as well.

Instead though, she gave it an unimpressed look, yawning loudly.

"I...think I'm gonna go find a new place to nap. Quieter..." She grumbled. "Less unpleasant smells..." A cool, impassive glance at Hissy made it obvious who that sentence was directed at.

"Hunters,"

The voice caused her head to turn to the source of it.

"Oh...I've been found." Scratch that idea. She wasn't getting any sleep at all, was she? Not since Rose was here. She was about to be told to march towards the castle at an unreasonable pace with no breaks along the way. How cruel. Rose was so cruel and mean and unreasonable when she was just being perfectly reasonable.

"I don't know what is going on, but I do know that there are four of us and two of you, I also know that there gnomes heading to destroy Seren's Folly."

Oh good. She wasn't being addressed. Had she not be seen? Maybe she could slink away quietly before Rose started talking to her. The rest of the conversation went in one ear and out the other as she focused on thinking of an escape plan that did not involve going back and doing more work. She made a few quiet steps backwards in the most subtle manner she could possibly muster as Rose spoke to the hunters until Rose' voice was definitely directed at her.

"As for you,"

Welp, there went her not so quick escape. She could of pretended not to hear, but she doubted Rose would take too kindly to being ignore and she didn't want to deal with whatever cruel and unusual punishment she came up with.

"Start walking, If you stop for ONE nap along the way, I will know and I will introduce you to a new way of sleeping, it is called being dead,"

"Yes, mom." Celia grumbled, under her breath as Rose told her to head back up to the castle on threat of death. Honestly, death seemed like it might be the preferable option to whatever Rose was going to make her do back at the castle. Really, today was just going so...so not well. Still, she wasn't going to start walking in any sort of hurry. As Rose flew off, Celia turned her head towards the mysterious girl.

"...you should come. It's...quiet. When Rose isn't being a slave driver." She wanted to say more, but she was tired, it'd take about as much energy as she had left to head back. Really, it'd be nice, wouldn't it? It was very rare that she ever really...spoke to or really felt like talking to someone a bit. She never really talked with the other witches much...they never smelled very nice. Tolerable at least though, as long as no one bothered her unlike the snake lady. Well, Silvienne was nice enough. Rose was...well, if she had to be honest Celia wasn't fond of her either, but she didn't have much of anywhere else to go.

With a yawn, she started walking back. She almost wished she asked Rose to carry her, on the off chance she said yes.

~Phoebe Longhurst~

---

"So this little backwater town was Seren's folly, hm?"

In one of the many churches in the area, one in particularly lively even at this time of night. One of the Bastille's of Arasil. While they weren't one of the more popular hunter stops due to the religious affiliation and only recent opening, it was a rather special moment for them. The two story building nestled close to southern edge of the small town was a flurry of activity. Phoebe was currently leaning out one of the windows of the top building, a small black cat sitting on the windowsill with her, watching the town below.

"Bah, it reeks of the creatures." She had been doing this long enough to know evil and corruption when she saw it. Her hand idly moved to the top of the cats head, giving it a small scratch behind its ears. She had arrived earlier that day, and she had to say she was rather unimpressed with the local hunters. Almost all of them were ignorant fools, blissfully unaware of the things that lurked in the shadows at best. At worst, part of the problem. She had been sent by the Bastille to root out evil here, but she was just one woman. Her help was limited, but she would do her best.

...if her mentor had been here, it'd be easy. But she was alone, and she would hunt. That is a hunter did, after all.

Walking away from the window, she headed downstairs to the main assembly hall, noticing the head priest just about to head upstairs, likely turning in for the night himself.

"Father. Heading to bed?" She greeted him, giving him a respectful bow at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hmm...I was coming to see you, Hunter." He shook his head. "Something is amiss tonight. I do not know what, but if you intend to leave use caution."

"Always, Father. Nothing will escape my watch. If need be, I will rally the...hunters here, but I am confident in my abilities. God will see that I am victorious in my hunts." With another, smaller, respectful bow Phoebe left the church and walked out onto the street, covering her face with her hood and temporarily checking her supplies. Everything seemed in order.

Whatever was out there, she could deal with then. The cat mewed as it sat on the windowsill above, but ultimately went back inside.

Current tools

Firebomb x6
Holy water x2
Throwing knives x20
Nets x4
Bolts x15
Lavender and Wolfsbane

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@13org

Celia might just work up the energy to drag the nice smelling lizard with her.

Or at least offer. She'll take good care of Shai. Promise there won't be any cannibalism involved at all~

and Yeeah, Phoebe would kill her without a second thought. Unclean filth.

speaking of Phoebe, I'll have a post introducing her up in my next one.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@13org

I'm just gonna ignore it mostly and have Celia go with Rose - or head back to the castle at the slowest pace she can manage. Realistically, Celia would nope out of there so hard. Not worth the fight.

Welp, better get to writing.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@Viciousmarrow
Personally, I prefer to think of hunters as more rogueish than barbarians/fighters.

Humans are naturally sqiushy. If you get a broken bone, like say in your arm, the hunter is fucked since they likely can't use their weapon effectively.

So of course, the best answer is to not get hit in the first place. An arrow or other injury to the knee/head/whatever would still cripple a hunter. They can take a beating, sure, since they'd probably be more physically adept than a normal human, but they're still human. Most of them are, anyways.

But you know, just my opinion. I play too much Bloodborne and am not a fan of DnD.

Spells in the Dark: The Shadow Queen (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@Ellion

All of that sounds pretty good to me, and was really sort of what I was already assuming on some level.

Just for future reference:
Celia is a Novice (Probably fairly weak even for them, honestly) and Phoebe is somewhere between Acolyte and Disciple. She's been doing this for a few years.