Rebirth of the Blood

[lilbooth]

"I carry no blades." Said Jurgen sternly looking down at Royal "For the supposed stabbing and shanking you think I am capable of." He continued, stepping to the side. "I wished to follow you, and you have agreed to lead. That is usually accomplished with the follower behind the leader no?" Asked Jurgen with a cold chuckle. "I can stand in front if you prefer, or by your side, you're small enough to carry even." Said Jurgen when his attention was quickly diverted to the winged beast and the man plummeting from the sky. He powerfully gripped his knuckle-breakers, preparing for a fight, but quickly eased himself as he realized the man was incapable of such. "There may still be one more..." Said Jurgen in a confused tone as he eyed the new arrival. Being a hunter meant he was safe from most persecution but this new person could be as unusual as Royal, and likely just as quick to threaten. "You should save your threats for those with thinner skin, or weaker minds." Suggested Jurgen, "We have nothing to gain from slaying each other unless your counting kills." He jested returning his attention to the new arrival. He didn't care how or why he was here, as long as he was ready to hunt, Jurgen would have him at his side.

[Argonaut]

The whole day seemed like a blur to Jericho, as he fell from the sky. Nothing made sense today. Too many questions, questions he knew he'd probably never get answers to. But he knew what caused it to happen. It was the letter, as soon as he laid eyes on it Jericho knew. He knew where he was supposed to go. He knew exactly how to get there, but he knew not to walk. Just stand here, he thought as he tucked the letter away into the inside of his coat. Just stand here and wait. Sure enough, Jericho was right, as usual. The winged beast picked him up like it was nothing, his added weight doing nothing to slow down the creature. If Jericho was thinking about anything during his trip, he would have marveled at the beast. Avian creatures of any kind always fascinated Jericho, and he would have loved to have taken the time to examine and dissect this one. Ah well, perhaps another day.

Having been dropped over the city, Jericho's mind seemed to return to himself. Which was rather convenient, considering how he was possibly looking at the last few moments of his life. The ground was approaching at an alarming rate, and he had very few options. As he crashed into the tree and tumbled through the branches, he tried his best to slow his fall as best he could. It was by no means graceful though, and he'd end up with multiple bruises and bumps by the time he reached the ground. Once he finally found himself back on terra firma, Jericho showed no signs of pain. His face never wavered under stress or discomfort.

Looking around, Jericho eyed a group of Hunters who had clearly all just watched him fall out of the sky. Standing up with a sigh, Jericho dusted himself off as he approached. Nothing broken, thank the Gods. As his cold stare met the other Hunters, Jericho's raven swooped down, resting on it's master's shoulder.

"My destination is absolute." Jericho spat at the uppity young man. Jericho's eyes bore right through him, letting him know he was not one to joke around with. "How I get there is no concern of yours." He had no time for this nonsense, and was eager to be getting under way. "Now would one of you explain the situation here for me? Preferably someone who doesn't call others an asshat." He shot one last glare at the blonde noble boy. Even his raven hunched it's wings and gave out an ominous caw towards the boy, before it's black beady eyes trained on him.

[KnightVanilla]

A seed of doubt could had been powerful in the mind of a weaker being. The owl was not one such person as she pressed onward keeping a good sense of surroundings. She already had memorized the fool's directions but he was still smart enough to avoid the creatures something she may not have the luxury of. With no hunters to aid her it would just be her hunt and the beasts.... if this proved difficult then she may very well be forced back into the dream. Not the way she had intended to return, but trial and error was now and option for the hunters. Although the boy had a good point if she could get raped then it would be better to avoid all and any mistakes to begin with. She started scratching her head annoyed by the idea of waiting. It is good to be patient and act on wisdom... but if you must act then act before it's too late. The streets that paved the way of blood and death of the kingdom's former residents was more than enough proof of this. If they don't act sooner then they are responsible for the lives lost while they sat back and waited. Whether or not they understand how dire this hunt has become mattered not. If they waited the bodies will continue to pile up and then they will have saved no one. Armed guards who gave their lives to stave off the beast threat.... to buy more time for their loved ones.... what was she to do? Waste the time the brave dead and given her by sitting and waiting. Only cowards and fools would take such an option when the dream has staved off their death. The owl openly sighs taking a deep breath as she needed to calm down. Her blood was boiling... inaction has caused the death of many of her countrymen. Hunter's seeking immortality for their own benefit would not wish to die.... but their own selfish desires and thirst for power made them give into the bloodlust and converted into beasts... The owl had savored every deserved kill... and mourned for those who deserved better whether they had been slain by her or by the beasts.

Ryunia had been the symbol of their hopes... if it was now in such a weakened state that an incoherent bunch as themselves were called her then it would rest on her shoulders and hopefully the veteran's to save this place. Time was of the essence and she would act on the urgency of the situation. "Now.... Which way to go..." The owl had spoken aloud to herself... she had finally reached her destination or at least one of the paths that would lead her to it. The fool named royal said it was eastbound. So taking the main road would be her best option despite the danger.... after all it was the life of she was called to. However it was the only route she knew for sure that would take her to her destination. Numbers wouldn't be a problem with her spells... walking the middle of the road keeping her eyes every where... once she felt the creeping feeling of eyes she activated her arcane abilities. The Eye of the Cosmos revealed everything around her and she would not walk in caught by surprised by any opponent that faced her.

[FragranceofMtDew]

Perhaps she had gone a bit too far, Julia thought as the Keeper responded with a drastically different tone and demeanor. No, she realized that she had certainly gone too far as she found herself staring into his blood red eyes. She flinched as he raised his voice, alarming even Mistress it seemed, but beyond that Julia managed to stand her ground, though due more to being frozen by his presence than anything else. Perhaps it would be prudent to try a different approach. She had skipped most of the etiquette lessons that her siblings had attended, but the first lesson was the one she fell back on. She released her weapon and bowed deeply to Keeper. "My apologies, I shall do as you ask. I trust my success in the Hunt will make up for my failure in manners. I take my leave now." She says, rising from her bow and hastily making her way to the exit.

Julia's compliance was only temporary as far as she was concerned though. Keeper may have said that he was the only thing keeping them alive, but she would endeavor to see that he did not hold that power over her. She still doubted that this would be anything more than another errand for the king, but this time she saw another solution to her problem. She doubted she would be any match for Keeper in her current state, but the blood echoes he had spoken of were a means to attain strength she could only dream of if she had understood correctly. She would hunt to her heart's content and if it gained her nothing in the end, she would use her newfound powers to crush any who stood in her way. With a plan of action in mind, Julia lays her hand on the tombstone and allows it to take her back to the city square she had come from.

Upon arrival, she notices a few additions to the hunters she had arrived with. Thankfully, she arrives in time to catch Jurgen's explanation regarding Royal to Sylvia, though no one seemed to have much of an answer for the man who had just been dropped out of the sky. He seemed a bit of an irritable fellow, though Julia could hardly begrudge him that under the circumstances. "The Beast Plague is upon Ryunia. We're heading to the armory to set up a base of operations. Anything further, we could perhaps discuss on the way?" She speaks up, answering the man's question before he and Royal could bicker any further. Heading out on her own crosses her mind, but she had decided it was best to stick with this group for now until she had a better idea of what she was up against here.

[cliffracer]

Alicia grimaces as she considers what trouble Mayari could be getting in to on her own. Despite her unkind take on the situation, Alicia didn't want Mayari to get overwhelmed and...

Well, Alicia needed to get to her before there's trouble. She's about to urge Royal to lead, but then it started raining men. She coughs in her off-guard suprise, covering her mouth as the man nosedives towards the square. She covers the rest of her face expecting a messy splat, but after a short wait and some words exchanged with a new voice, realises that the falling star appears not to have crashlanded hard enough. She approaches the new man quickly to not waste time, appending to Julia's explanation. " If a letter brought you here, you should probably read it when you get a chance. It contains important information. We're about to embark for that armory Julia mentioned with Blondie as our guide. One of the hunters in our group disagreed with my negotiation technique, so she left ahead of us." She takes a short breath, appearing urgent. "That wouldn't be a problem usually but according to Blondie, the beasts out in the city will rape and kill whatever they can subdue. You can see how that'd be a problem for someone travelling alone, I hope."

She looks to Royal, then motions to the path Mayari took. "Now, do you want to lead, or do you want someone else in front of you?" She reaches under her coat and retrieves an unlit hunter's torch, drawing her rapier to accompany it. "I'd rather not head first, I'm afraid I would draw too much unwanted attention."

[Icaelus]

Sylvia's plea for an answer was soon answered by Alicia herself, the woman having bore the full brunt of the newcomer's groping with quite the mature, dignified pose. If not for the faint blush coloring her face, Syl would've thought that shame was something forgotten to Alicia.
"Ah. I'm sorry for being so insensitive, Alicia. Thank you for uh, offering your chest?"
It felt pretty odd thanking Alicia for something like this, but Alicia had pretty much helped them out with just that gesture. Instead..the question to ask was about the priorities of this newcomer. Blood and gore all around and the first thing that comes to his mind is sex. How..typical of men his age, cognitive functions located in the lower half of the body instead of the head.
Syl let out a short sigh at the very notion of having to follow this new Hunter around. Surely, it seemed like at the very least, he was going to be a royal pain in the behind. The girl perked up at a voice sounding from her side. The owner was Mayari, the mysterious girl that had dubbed herself a Hunter of Hunters. Sylvia naturally knew of them, the masked spooks that hunted down Hunters that had fallen to the Beast scourge. It was an necessary evil, sad to say. But what Mayari did next was completely stupid, in her opinion. She actually just up and left on her own. The hell?
"Eh? Is she seriously leaving on her own like that? That's nothing short of suicide.."
Syl stared incredulously at Mayari's rapidly shrinking back, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. Those had been some real big words she was spouting. All that crap about purging the plague from the kingdom walls. Seriously? What good was it to move off alone and then die alone? You wouldn't even get anything worthwhile done before you kicked it. Idiot.
A shadow blotted out whatever meager light the moon had been casting on her frame and without even turning, she knew that Jurgen was near her. She glanced in his direction, the giant of a man pausing to briefly explain their situation. From what she could glean from his tale, the..pretty one named Royal? Pretty one?
Her attention shot back to the newcomer, a half-smile pulling at her lip. Well, well..
The next notable tidbit of information was that Mayari didn't even know where the armory was. Greeeeat. Down a man before they'd even started, due to sheer stupidity and the willfulness of a single Huntress.

But by now, Royal had stopped drooling over Alicia's chest long enough to finally bark out a retort to Sylvia. Several, in fact. Syl groaned internally as Royal as she now knew him continued on his rather rude tirade. Insulting her..chest, as well.
"Size doesn't matter..."
Syl grumbled under her breath, her attention following Royal's every action. Just what was he doing..? Stabbing a pile of beast corpses with that sword of his. And seating himself on a throne of bodies. Hm. Couldn't say much for his choice of furniture.
She began walking up to Royal as he then rounded on Jurgen, berating the man for simply standing behind him. Such a chatterbox, really..and yet another lecture for her, again.
Mayari might've had the right idea in running off, if just to be rid of this guy..
Sighing internally at Royal's mouthful of antics, she stopped just within touching distance of the Hunter.

"I apologize for my earlier words, Hunter Royal. I was simply surprised by such a sight. My name is Sylvia. And...please don't call me that. Sylvia or just Syl is fine. Annnd..we could start as friends. I certainly have no such plans to kill you, a view I hope you share?"
Sylvia curtsied to Royal, all-smiles. Her little speech was certainly full of bullshit and both of them knew it. What she counted on was that Royal was most certainly as full of bullshit as a paddock full of cows. They could play along for now, at the very least.
With all that being said, Syl smiled benignly at Royal once again before she stepped back and away from him. She would've loved to get going right now there and then, but it would definitely be ideal to move out with their full force. Randolph was possibly still talking with Keeper..and Julia..yes, just where was she? Either way, they were going to be stuck waiting for the time being..or so she thought.

Royal began chattering again almost as soon as he had stopped, this time his attention focused in the direction of the gates, staring at something in the night sky. Curious, Syl followed his line of sight to what he was so transfixed on..a winged beast. And it had luggage. Declaring it's arrival with a ear-splitting screech, the winged beast didn't come into firing range of her rifle, instead opting to dump it's luggage..or rather, passenger.
Watching the man hurtling towards the very, very hard ground at breakneck speeds, she offered a silent prayer. No way he was gonna survive tha-Oh. Wow, okay. Lucky guy. He could even still stand and walk towards them.
"That..was quite the fall. Are you okay?"
Sylvia stepped towards the man, voicing her concern at the same moment Royal ran his mouth again. She glanced at the offending hunter, sighing deeply. Was he going to treat every person he met like this?
The new Hunter requested a rundown of their situation and both Julia and Alicia were quick to the answer. Nothing left to do, then..

Syl smiled briefly at the Hunter she listened to the other two sum up the majority of what had transpired so far. This Hunter felt rather different. From the obviously modified Rifle Spear to what seemed to be a pet raven, perched on his shoulder. An interesting individual, wasn't he?
"All that talk and not a single introduction, hm? I'm Sylvia. Or just Syl. Good to have another Hunter on our side."
She nodded in acknowledgement to the Hunter before she walked away, briskly drawing level with Alicia and Royal. An uneasy expression decorated her pretty features as she spoke in a hushed whisper.
"Waitwaitwait. Alicia. Did I hear you wrong or was that just a joke? Beasts don't RAPE people, do they?!"
Sylvia looked to both Alicia and Royal, truly discomfited now. What Alicia had said didn't seem to be a lie...which meant there was going to be a lot in store for them..

[Reaver]

Sylvia

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Royal glanced up as you approached him. His eyes seemed to instantly focus on your breasts, getting a pretty good eyeful from his angle which brought a small grin to his face. He stayed quiet, letting you talk and seeming to enjoy what you were saying, his grin growing wider the more you spoke. "Oh my dear fair lady Sylvia... I do graciously accept your own apology and offer in return one of my own." His words almost sounding completely sincere. "We clearly have gotten off on the wrong foot and by you coming to me, humbled and prostate I realize that you are indeed not my enemy." He seemed to enjoy milking every second out of it, even sitting forward and upright with a concerned expression on his face. "I would perish the thought of killing a person I just met in a city without order or witnesses to properly bring me to justice. You are safe from me, have never a fear of me laying my hands on you. We should speak later on and see what else we can do to improve this newfound bond of ours." Smiling up at you with a twinkle in his eyes. "But first we shall take the armory."

Outer City Square

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Royal > Bloodsight Check for enemies, Enemy encounter 1, 48/100, MINIBOSS
Things had begun to heat up enough that Royal finally stood up, glaring first at Jurgen then at the newcomer then finally at Alicia before drawing his segmented straight sword. "The day you pick me up is the day that I put you down for good..." His voice as cold as ice with real meaning behind that threat. "I am not some kid for you to manhandle or lecture, creature!" Jabbing his sword at Jurgen for extra measure. "And if you insist on treating me like one and being condescending then you might find yourself on the sharp end of my weapon then used as bait for the beasts." You could all see that the young hunter was prepared for combat, one hand already gripping his blunderbuss and aiming it at the stranger, and the other pointing the sword at Jurgen. His body shook with rage as he eyed the two hunters, tense, ready, and either crazy enough to believe he could take at least two hunters at the same time or had enough tricks up his opulent sleeves to believe he could. "You call me Blondie again and the deals off. You need me more than I need you. I would be perfectly content to wait this whole thing out in the upper residentials, enjoying fine bedding while eat cooked beast meat. You're the crazy ones that want to starting taking back the city with just six people, one of which is on their way to the grave. But fuck me right?" Muttering sarcastically before walking a little bit away from all of you to gather his own thoughts. "Just give me a minute or two and then we'll leave." He yelled before muttering probable strings of profanities.

He came back a minute later, his weapons sheathed and and looking less peeved but annoyance still clearly drawn across his face. "We don't know anything about this man and I'm expected to just walk with him behind me. It's not a smart move but I guess I'll have to hope he kills all of you first so I have enough time to kill him in return. Lets just get this over with so I can go find that other hunter to chill with." Waving his hand for everyone to follow him as he started walking towards one of the houses in the square instead of towards the steel gates to the city. "I assume your idiot friend went through the main gates into the market district. If so, she's probably already dead or being raped by a dozen or so beasts. They'll smell her out and ambush her before she even sees the first one. I! However where the emergency tunnel is." Chuckling at his own smartness before going around behind the house and pulling on a nearby stalagmite. "They're all around the city to allow guards to get to certain areas faster or if main roads are blocked off. They just go in these then pop up behind the enemies ready to flank their asses." Explaining their purposes as the fake stone wall rose into the ceiling to reveal a long, dark and winding tunnel. "Light your torches now, there are natural creatures and predators that lurk in these tunnels it could drive them off and if they've been infected then we'll really be in for a treat." He said before walking into the tunnel.

Royal stayed quiet for the most part as he led everyone through the tunnels, seemingly having no trouble seeing in the dark and occasionally stopping the proceeding to listen for a noise or wait for something hidden to pass. He seemed a lot more serious now than before with his life now possibly being in danger. "No offense to you all but you guys are only five people, I still don't know how you all expect to retake the entire city all by your lonesome. I doubt the Royal Guards are going to leave the palace and I know the Church of the Old Gods has already been sealed, judging from the corpses piled against its door. The hell am I saying? You guys don't even know who holds power in this city besides your elusive king. Fuc- whoah whoah!....." Quickly shutting. He waved everyone down with one hand while pressing his hand against the wall. This time he had stopped everyone on a thin natural formation that spanned across a pit. You couldn't even see the bottom when shining the torch over it and the rock bridge was thin enough that it would barely hold two people standing next to each other. There were some stalagmites carved up to hold onto while crossing, but nothing to actually prevent someone from falling to their deaths if someone was to push them. He crouched walked out of sight, giving no reason or response, just leaving everyone on the bridge and in the silence. Minutes ticked by without any of you hearing a thing. Occasionally a skitter or something would get close but the torches were usually enough to scare away the light-sensitive monsters. Eventually Royal came crawling back.

"Alright....." Royal said after a few minutes of silence. "Really bad news..." Turning to face everyone with a pale face. He looked actually worried and nervous for once, strange for someone full of so much bravado. "So this is the main path towards all the branching tunnels that lead to parts of the city. Normally there would be a garrison down here to prevent people from using them for unofficial business, maintain them and keep creatures from nesting too close to the city. But with most guards dead and blood literally seeping into the very foundation of the city so creatures are coming back into the tunnels to get up to shit." He stopped speaking for a second, out of words before hesitantly finishing his thoughts. "I can't bring you guys back the way we came but the thing in there.... Well I hear stories of them living on the forest exterior of the mountain, the other side and they're considered a top predator in the bestiaries." Moving forward into the large attached cavern to give you all more space to move forward and see what you were against.

Its was grotesque creature, looking like the cursed offspring of a giant snail and a giant spider and it was definitely gigantic, easily twice if not three times your height. Eggs were stored all over the walls of the cavern, below you, above you and to the sides. This thing was a breeder and it was laying eggs fast. Skeletons could be seen scattered around the area, the bones picked clean and gleaming in the low light that your torches and the remaining lit torches around the area provided. It had a mouth similar to a flytrap, currently closed but could probably open and close at astonishing speeds if it wished to. A loud and rhythmic ticking could be heard as crawled around on its legs, each one looking sturdy and sharp enough to impale a person if one got in its way. As it walked about it spewed out eggs from what could be considered its tail, lining them against the walls and floors strategically, the fluids anchoring them in place. Strangely enough, it seemed to be growing one of the eggs directly inside of itself, all of you easily being able to see the life forming within.

"We're going to have to kill it to get through. If maybe there were less fucking people I would suggest that we try sneaking through but some of you would probably be shittier with that than you are at fucking tact." Glaring right at the asshat with the bird. "Figure the hell out what you're going to do then let me know." Royal said before sitting down and closing his eyes, either muttering a prayer to save himself or meditating, who could tell what Royal was into when it came to spiritual matters?

Everyone is on the upper floor of the cavern, currently out the Breeder Spine Drinker's reach and line of sight. The cavern is wide with several tunnels being on the other side and among all the eggs. The upper floor only extends halfway around the cavern before running out of enough to stand on. The ground floor of the cavern is littered with eggs, skeletons and stalagmites but nothing big enough to actually hide behind or take cover from.

Marayi

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Marayi Arc roll 19> Detection, Enemy encounter 17.
You decided to take the main road going north-east, danger be damned in favor of expediency. It only took a couple of minutes into walking the path that you began to hear distant growls of beasts and feel eyes watching you. Most of the bodies you were passing were well-eaten and some even looked fresh. Rightfully fearing an ambush, you quickly crushed one of your arcane eyes, gasping as your own eyes were opened further and your inner eye was unlocked temporarily, then you saw what you had truly walked into. The first thing you noticed was that there was five beastmen waiting in the alleyway by the next shop, armed with basic swords and daggers. There were six of them on the rooftop above you, crouched and probably waiting for you to spring the trap before jumping down to help and a quick 360 would reveal another six behind you, spreading out to block that route of escape. A three pronged ambush was quite the clever move, meaning these weren't too far into the beast transformation. "You're no Ryunian! You're a foreign spy sent to further destabilize our great city and nation!" One of them that was behind you shouted, getting a couple of cheers of approval from his compatriots. "You poisoned us all! But we'll survive, endure and continue all and purge the city of all the traitors!" Another one shouted, getting even more shouts of agreement as they slowly began to close on you. "Just surrender and our justice will be merciful and shift." One said, drool matting the fur coming out of his face and with one hand rubbing his crotch against his pants.

Combat will begin next turn, prepare.

[KnightVanilla]

Upon activating the eye of the cosmos see saw the surrounding enemies around her. She thought if she has just one ally with her cutting these foes down would be no problem. As far as she was concerned however the others would had slowed her down. The initial feeling of opening her third eye was overwhelming as if all the air in her lungs had been expunged for water. To gasp for air from the shock as her eyes revealed truths in her surroundings no one else could see.... The threats made their approach as she began making quick plans to dispatch this pack of beasts. Striking a r the ones spread out wouldn't due her any good she would be surrounded in moments by the ones on the roof. Waiting and using her arcane abilities could help. Make them work tocoke to her... But she had now line of sight in those on the roof and within that time the others can easily close the gap before they would had jumped down... The front though... She could easily get into position to attack them and they were a man short compar. to the other two groups.... She had her plan of attack. Now it was time to enact it.

Once the men finished speaking the owl started humming her tune. Turning her head only a little to glimpse back at the six behind her."Oh fallen ones to have fought the beast scourge. Rest easy... Soon I shall deliver you unto's deaths welcoming arms. As I am the cursed owl.... Destined to soak in your blood." immiedietly after saying this she charges for the opening still left by the ambush group of five in the alley dragging her blade across the ground and getting her pistol ready. With the element of surprise on her side as they thought they would have the jump on her. As she charges their location to have first of the men to round that corner would take a shot. With a blade to follow into his gutt. She had not forgotten the other four either aiming an ethereal talon at them while they were still grouped up. The attack itself was meant to destablize the group and allow her a means of escape should she feel the needed to. Once her initial attack was finshed she would back away into the direction she was initially heading to. Ensuring she had the means to run when she had to.

[Argonaut]

Jericho listened to the other Hunters, his steely gaze fixed on the distant horizon. Taking in all of the information, he nodded once the two were finished. As Royal left to gather his equipment, Jericho turned to Sylvia. His eyes quickly looked her up and down, like a scanner taking a reading. Satisfied that this Hunter would survive long enough to learn his name, Jericho gave her a small nod in recognition. "Sylvia. Jericho Swain. Or just Swain. And yes, I'm fine." Even his raven gave Sylvia a caw, the mean-looking bird staring the girl down. With introductions out of the way (as far as he was concerned), Jericho followed Royal through the city, making a point to stay in the back of the group. Occasionally, his raven would fly off in front of the group, stopping on various dead bodies to pick away at whatever flesh was still fresh. By the time they reached the cavern it had found it's way to Jericho's shoulder again, it's black beak coated in the sickly dark red blood.

As the group came to a halt, Jericho ignored the evil look Royal had given him. Now was not the time for such pettiness. Pushing his way to the front of the group, Jericho's eyes stayed fixed on the horrific slug-spider. A small smile even tugged at the corners of his lips as he studied it's movements, the noises it made as it pushed those slimy eggs onto the cave walls... The biology of it was just as fascinating as it was terrifying. "It lays eggs along the walls, yet seems to be growing something inside of itself." Pointing at the egg sac on the Spine Drinker's back with his rifle, his raven hopped onto the barrel of the gun with a few casual flaps of it's wings. "Without more time to study the creature, I suggest we avoid striking the womb on it's back. No way of telling what stage of pregnancy the beast is in, and how dangerous newborns are..." Turning back towards the group, Jericho's smile dissipated. His raven back on his shoulder, Jericho took note of Royal muttering his prayers. As if anyone could hear him, or anyone who cared. "We keep this thing at a distance. Quicksilver bullets and arcane, if you lot are capable." Loading his rifle, Jericho pointed at Jurgen and Alicia. "How do you feel about being bait? Someone to distract it and divide it's attention while we wear it down."

[lilbooth]

"I don't mind yelling or screaming at it, but sitting within its reach as you shoot at it, is more than I am willing to do. It's a bug no, we find a big rock and squash it, squash the eggs too." Said Jurgen tapping his stone covered fists together. "And if it's a big enough rock we can pin the creature down, then you can safely fill it with bullets. Any one see any big rocks nearby?" He questioned, "It doesn't have to be a rock, a tree or maybe an anchor would do just as well." He continued as he glanced around the party. He was big but not big enough to wrestle with such a beast and count on the other hunters to kill it before it could kill him. Finding something big enough to make a dent on the creature might be challenging though. He wasn't about to go searching for something on his own, but if the tunnels were made of stone maybe he could find a large enough piece to break off and throw. Have two hunters stand still and not do damage seemed like a quick way for everyone to die.

[cliffracer]

Alicia nods to Sylvia at her question, frowning a little. She may have heard it from Royal, but she didn't doubt that was the case.

Alicia was glad to be in the emergency tunnels, and gladder still to be holding a torch in them. Much of her childhood was spent playing in the mines, evading guards and being a young nuisance. She didn't get to go there every day, being pampered like royal young are, but she took the chances she got. She seemed confident, if a little unfocused in her nostalgic mood. Royal's signal snapped her to attention, and she ducks without hesitation. She spends the short wait in focus, listening carefully to the skittering just outside of the protective light.

She grimaces as Royal starts telling the bad news, keeping an anxious frown as they move ahead to get a look at the beast. It was a disgusting sight, the thing being as big and fat and ugly as it was. She joked internally about how it reminded her of some merchant nobles, but knew it wouldn't be in good taste to say it aloud. She listened carefully to Jericho's plan and Jurgen's retort, nodding. "My rapier may not find any organs if this thing is a giant bug, but I'm agile enough to avoid whatever that thing could do to me. I'm content in acting as succulent bait." She jokes, but her face remains serious.

Once the plan is set and the roles are ready, Alicia drops down to the beast's area, taking heavy care not to land on any eggs. It'd be awful if there were hungry babies in those... even if hungry babies were easier to kill than hungry large adults. Once she's recovered from the landing, she's approaching carefully, ready to dodge if she needs it.

[FragranceofMtDew]

Julia frowns beneath her mask as Royal takes a sudden turn towards the unstable. She's not sure what occurred between everyone whilst she stayed behind in the dream, but surely such an extreme reaction was unwarranted? Either way, it seems to pass just as quickly as it came and Royal goes on to lead them through the city as promised. Perhaps Julia would be better off separating herself from such individuals, but for now she simply follows along, walking near those who bore a torch for she had none of her own. All goes well until Royal vanishes for a time to scout out the path ahead. For a moment, Julia wonders if he will even return. It may be for the best if he didn't, he didn't seem to believe much in their cause and surely they could make their way to the armory on their own.

The whole train of thought is rendered moot however, as Royal returns after a time and with ill tidings of what awaits them ahead. Moving up to see for herself, the grotesque spider-like creature is indeed unlike anything she had hunted before. But she had fought the unknown before and come out victorious, and this time with a team of experienced hunters alongside her she was confident in their chances of victory. The plan that Swain proposed seemed sound enough. The nature of the eggs it laid and the one it kept inside itself concerned Julia, but that was merely something they would have to observe as the battle commenced. "Yes, a ranged battle suits me just fine." She said, drawing her pistol as she added her voice to support Swain's idea. She had one other ranged trick up her sleeve, the Old Blood that surged within her, but that was something she felt best saved for a last resort.

[Argonaut]

Jericho blinked at Jurgen, surprised the sluggish brute had the mental capacity to refute his strategy. With a heavy sigh, he turned his eyes to the others in the group. Some were proving to be much more useful than the brute, and Jericho nodded at them as they spoke out. "Good luck finding a rock large enough to 'squash' that thing, dear friend." He turned his back to the group, eyes fixed on the Spine Drinker as he loaded his rifle. "See if you can't make it bleed with your rapier, my dear lady. And happy hunting." He said to Alicia from over his shoulder. Crouching onto one knee to take aim, he'd wait for Alicia to attract the insect's attention before firing it.

[Icaelus]

Sylvia simply smiled, going along with Royal's honeyed words. He reacted exactly just how she thought he would..but damned if he was going let this one slide. She knew his type. Calculating, cunning...an d most of all, vengeful. But if made into an ally..the benefits were just incomparable. Knowledge trumped all, did it not? Others would argue that heavy weapons and big guns would get you out of any deadly situation just fine, but what was the use, especially when your last blade lies broken in the sea of spent quicksilver casings around you? The Beast scourge was unending..and if you tried to end it with pure brute force, you would simply end up as another of those monsters. Just another pair of claws and jagged teeth to bolster their ranks.
"Why, I'm so glad to hear that you think that way!"
Sylvia just managed to say that line without visibly grimacing. Gods, Royal was much more of a bullshit artist that she'd originally thought. He painted such a happy picture with his words..but all you heard was the promise of death if you dared cross the man. With men like him, you either made sure that he was dead if you wanted to try anything..or spend the rest of your life with one eye watching your back. She shuddered at the thought of his last words.."improving their newfound bonds."
Surely, that could mean nothing good..
Truly glad that their conversation was done and over with for the moment, Sylvia nodded towards back to the Hunter who had introduced himself as Jericho Swain. An..interesting name, that. Sounded like it belonged to some master strategist from long-gone history and such. With his assurance that he was fine, Syl didn't push any further. The man knew his own body; no need for her to interfere or offer unwanted aid. That bird of his, though..
She blinked as the raven cawed at her, it's mean, beady-looking eyes staring her right down. All in all, rather creepy. But perhaps the bird had a soft side it only showed to Swain, who knew? Certainly wasn't any business of hers, though. She continued to walk alongside Swain as he slowed down enough to put them in the back of the party, her attention staying fixed on Swain's raven. The bird was actually picking away at corpses, whether beast or human, she didn't know. Could birds get infected by the Beast scourge? Gods, hopefully not. The last thing they needed was the scourge to spread through airborne means. Nowhere would be truly safe ever again.
"That can hardly be sanitary.."
Syl grimaced as the raven pecked out another beak-full of flesh with a squelching sound.

Judging from all the noise coming from the front. she assumed that Royal was mouthing off to either Jurgen or Alicia. Again. Raising an eyebrow as the young Hunter drew his blade, pointing it straight at Jurgen. He seemed to have it out for the big lug, huh? And also the newcomer..who got a blunderbuss all but shoved in his face. Syl stepped back a couple steps at this point, staying the fuck out of the line of fire. Okay, that settled it. This guy was either a nut, or he had some really serious anger issues. Or perhaps just teenager insecurity?
She suppressed a small chuckle at that thought, despite the standoffish situation. The stand-off soon defused itself after Royal had finished talking, him stalking off to take a couple minutes to probably calm down. What he said had a point. Six..well, five Hunters now that Mayari was presumably either getting raped or being hacked to bits now, bless her dear soul back in the Dream. Five hunters against a city full of Beasts. It was insane, a task for those that were seeking death. But that was if you thought of it through the eyes of a normal Hunter. Where you would normally have the one and only life you clutched so dearly to your breast, unwilling to ever let go.
They were Hunters of the Dream. Death..if the legends held true, was only the beginning.

Royal soon came back, his face depicting obvious annoyance still. At least his weapons were sheathed now, jeez. Raising her curiosity as he motioned for everyone to follow him towards one of the houses built in square instead of heading for the steel city gates, he revealed his big secret; an emergency tunnel used by the Ryunia City Guard. Now this. This was a huge discovery. It could more or less help them travel unchallenged by Beasts around the city, pop out and hit a vital target, secure it and then continue moving on.
Royal allowed himself a small tirade concerning Mayari's idiocy before he moved to open the tunnel.
"Heh. Well, whatever happens to her..I'm sure you'll see her again."
Syl chuckled. Not only Royal had secrets. And while it might be harsh to Mayari to just let her go like that..well, it had been her choice. If they ever met again, she would hopefully stick to the party this time.

The group waited while Royal took a moment to step behind the house, yanking on a switch cleverly disguised as a stalagmite. Upon activation, the stone wall before up started retracting, rising into the ceiling to reveal what was hidden behind; a pitch-black tunnel, winding down into even darker depths. Syl had never claimed to have a fear of the dark before, but a place like this would be one her nightmares would visit again..
She let Royal, Jurgen and then Alicia pass into the tunnel first before following, the steady firelight of the torches held before her somewhat helping her keep calm. Gods, it was darker than sin in this place. And Royal just had to mention that bit about things that went bump in the dark down here, didn't he..
Swallowing back that cold lump of fear forming in the back of her throat, she trailed after the light of the torch in Alicia's hands, not unlike a moth to flame..

Astonishingly, the way forward was rather quiet, though the eerie tension of the pitch black dark was nail-biting. At some point, Sylvia found the Repeater ready in her arms, her hands clenched tight on the barrel and wood stock of the rifle. A very lethal teddy bear, so it seemed. Well, a weapon as powerful as the one in her hands did give her a vaguely comforting sense of security.
It was easy to get sidetracked thinking about other things, especially when you were so focused on a singular object such as a light of a flaming torch. The shadows of your comrades danced around you, warping into unspeakable monstrosities that were only present in one's mind.
Why had Man forgotten to fear the dark? Was it the centuries of luxury, of moving past their age of darkness that had left the horrors of the darkness less feared, no longer respected by mortal men? Whatever the outcome of this expedition into the murky darkness, Sylvia was going to have a new-found respect for the shadows of the dark..
For the first time in an uncharacteristically long silence for Royal, the loudmouth Hunter finally piped up, going on about how they were trying to retake Ryunia with just their paltry manpower..there was another bit about the Church and the king, but that was quickly forgotten to Syl when Royal sounded the alert. At his signal, she immediately dropped into a crouch, rifle at standby.What had he seen? Beasts? Another hunter? That question would go unanswered for the time being as their guide slipped away to scout out the threat, leaving the group in a tense silence. Every single sound was amplified by the silence. The skittering of insectile legs scratching upon stone. Their breath, only the more noticeable as each Hunter kept themselves in check, not giving an inch to the fear of the dark. You wouldn't live very long as a Hunter if you panicked at every single scary sound..
The only way to extend your miserable life was to keep calm and react appropriately. If not, you died. And that would be the end of it.
The sound of boots scraping gently across stone was enough to have Syl raise her gun, pointed at the source of the noise. Quickly lowering it when the noise was revealed to be Royal stealthily creeping back to them, the next few minutes were spent in a sweltering silence as Royal calmed himself.
His face pale and worried for the first time Sylvia had seen, he broke the bad news to them. There was something barring their way. Stopping them from proceeding any further with their mission unless dealt with, presumably with extreme prejudice. Well, that was one thing most Hunters were familiar with. Killing. Death was like a shunned relative with them, no one wanted it to be a part of their lives, but it would always be there. There was no severing that bond, unless one was willing to take some drastic measures.

"So..let's go kill this thing and be on our way, then."
Syl muttered, shuffling forward on all fours to get a better look at whatever they were up against.

Oh, holy shit.

What the hell was that?! It was something out of a horror novelist's worst nightmare, a bastardization of some freak of a snail and spider. Numerous razor-sharp protrusions acted as the nightmarish creature's legs. Looming at least twice or three times the size of a fully grown man, the beast was massive. And those jaws..despite the size of them, Syl could pick out several skeletons, every single bit of flesh ravished clean from the white of bone. However this thing ate, it didn't chew..
It was not going to be easy to defeat this monstrosity, Syl understood this very well..
But what unnerved her the most was the slimy trail of eggs the monster laid from it's rear as it moved across the cavern. The light of the torch was bright enough to cast a dim glow over the masses of eggs nesting upon the walls of the cavern. Each and every of those containing a similar monster to what had laid it. They had be to be destroyed. Purged with fire and powder, if need be. If they walked away from this today, Ryunia would become a nest of nightmares within a couple of years, lost to man forever.
Assuming it already wasn't.
And to top it off everything else, the red of lifeblood pulsed out from a growth upon the creature's back, clearly revealing a silhouette of some creature growing within it. It looked nearly fully-formed, slightly smaller than the parent. A nightmare contained within, hopefully never to see the light of day nor the dark of night.

"We should form a plan of action..those legs could probably impale you through whatever armor you wore..close combat is not a good idea."
Sylvia quickly stated her opinion. Her modus operandi usually involved setting up ambushes and felling the enemy in one fell swoop, something the Repeater excelled at with it's high rate of fire and stopping power. In hindsight, it was a rather expensive method as restocking quicksilver ammo was a bit costly. But one's life was priceless, and this method offered safety and efficiency before anything else. You could call it a coward's way of fighting, but the fools that endorsed the so-called "honorable" way of fighting usually died screaming under the claws of some beast. "Honorable" indeed. Did beasts value honor as they came at you in waves and shredded you to bits? Idiots, fools, the lot of them.
She cast an approving glance towards Swain as the man spoke rapidly, laying down a sound plan. Goad the beast, but stay out of range while the Hunters with significant ranged capabilities wore it down with burning quicksilver and spells. A plan good as any, really. It was certainly better than Jurgen's idea of squashing the thing under a big rock. If only it could be that easy, oaf.
"I'm sure just distracting it would be fine. We'll just keep shooting till it stops moving. Really, stay out of range of those legs..you and Jurgen."
Sylvia whispered, a worried tone entering her voice. These people were all strangers still, really. But even she wouldn't like to see their corpses impaled upon those spikes, hanging lifeless like a slab of meat upon a butcher's hook.
With that being said, she prepared for the coming battle. Making sure the Repeater had it's ammo fully loaded and the trick mechanism working fine, she assumed a position close to Swain. There was little room in the cavern to maneuver, truly. Everything lied on the beast's intelligence. Would it simply go for the "succulent" bait as Alicia had described herself, or would it be smart enough to go for the real threats, namely the ranged attackers consisting of her, Swain and Julia? The only way to find out was to starting shooting.

She dropped to a knee, leveling the rifle directly at the beast. The iron sights fixed right on the creature's head. The only thing she had to do now was pull the trigger, an action she had practiced thousands of times. She would not miss at this range..
"I'm ready, Alicia, Jurgen. Good hunting."
Her voice was tense, the rifle's butt tight against her shoulder.

The Hunt was beginning once again. Be they Hunters or Beasts, blood would flow and only one side would stand triumphant.

[lilbooth]

Jurgen glanced around expectantly at his fellow hunters, searching for some kind of gratification. It quickly became apparent that he was not going to find any. He let out a rather angry growl and tapped his fist together again. He was not happy about his fellow hunters belittling him but there wasn't really much he could do about it. He made his way over to the edge of the upper floor and climbed down as silently as he could. Once on the floor, he raised up on of his hands to assist Alicia. To be honest, Jurgen didn't really know exactly what his job was. sure he could be big and distracting but he doubted that he would last very long, and he certainly wasn't fast enough to evade the creature. Alicia seemed confident, and he wasn't about to let her take all the heat. He decided that he would allow Alicia to draw the beasts attention first and then he would quickly go about trying to break the creature's leg or arms, he couldn't really tell. But he could see that they were thin and sharp, and probably not very sturdy. A powerful punch at the joints may be enough to render them useless and the creature would be forced to attack with its maw, something Jurgen thought would be much easier to dodge.

[Reaver]

Mayari

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

+ 3 Bloodthirst
Your words seemed to incense the beastmen but you running away from the six-man group sent them into a frenzy as they began howling and tearing their own clothes before beginning to run you down. The five in the alleyway had been prepared if you had ran their way, but they hadn't expected you to run directly into their alleyway. The first man you ran into as you darted into the alleyway was covered completely in hair, it and what remained of his clothes stinking of rancid meat and fresh blood. He was easily a foot taller than you and had a crazed and wild look in his eyes as he clutched a standard sword in his clawed hands. He was caught off-guard as you leveled your pistol at him, a growl half caught in his throat as he began raising his sword to retaliate. Then your pistol clicked then fired, a loud pop filling the cramped alleyway as you shot him right in the chest. The bullet and the surprise was enough to make him recoil and roar in pain as blood squirted out of the hole in his chest, covering his own fur in blood as he struggled to stay upright. It definitely went through a lung and would probably kill him in time but you expedited the process, shoving your saw cleaver, the blade and part of the handle into his guts before eviscerating him in a single move. As his now deceased body began to fall to the ground, blood sprayed from the hole, covering you, your clothes and your mask in a fine layer of beast blood. You could feel your heart starting to beat faster as you unconsciously inhaled the rich and metallic smell of blood, and your adrenaline flowing as your body began prepping for combat. In less than a few seconds you had killed one of the beast as easily as one plucked an apple from a tree and you were just getting started.

Your work wasn't done as you spun around and with practiced ease, grabbing and throwing one of your ethereal talons at the incoming group behind you. The group of beastmen from the streets came around the corner just as it left your hand, almost hitting one of the beastmen. He had been the first to round the corner, frothing at the mouth with his sword at the ready and in a display of supernatural reflexes, the former man ducked, dodging the talon and closing the distance, blocking your escape from the alleyway before being backed-up by the rest of his group.

"You'll pay for the scourge and for our friend!" He roared, banging his sword against the wall, signaling for the ones on the rooftop to come down just as the rest of his group crowded around the entrance behind him, growling and snarling as if barely able to hold themselves back from tearing you apart. Then the six started to jump down from the rooftops, yelling as they tried landing either on top of you or perform plunge attacks. With the alleyway so cramped, you were barely able to dodge the first one as he basically tried to flatten you. Jumping back and further into the alleyway, you avoided his attack, watching him instead land on all fours and baring his fangs at you, snarling like the beast he was becoming. Unfortunately, evading him brought you into the range of one of the alleyway ambushers. He lunged forward, grabbing you by the shoulder as he sank his sword into your abdomen, the blade easily tearing through your clothes and coming out the other side, covered in your own blood. "Scourge! Scourge! Scourge!" The beastman chanted in your ear before pushing you off of his blade and onto the ground. They were all growling and snarling, watching you with their clouded eyes waiting to see if you would be able to stand or not, whether it would be safe for them to grab you. They waited, seeing that you were still gripping your weapons in your hands, but the ones above kept coming. Three more had came down from the rooftop during your impalement and recovery, not attempting to attack you while another did, but just as you stood up another one dropped down in front of you before trying to slash you. You barely managed to bring your saw cleaver up in time to deflect his claws from slicing your neck but the force was enough to knock you against the wall, slight jarring you but still able to fight. That was until the last one dropped down.

He was different and by far the furthest into his transformation than anyone else in his group. He landed in front of you, completely naked and covered in bloody and matted fur, the rags dangling from his shoulders and hunched back being the only sign that he had once wore clothes or had been human. His fangs were pronounced and well developed, matching his long and sharp claws that now took the place of his fingers. With ferocious speed, too quick for you in your current state to follow, he thrusted both of his clawed hands into your shoulders. He dug them in deep, pinning your shoulders to the wall with them before flexing and twisting his talons, tearing muscle and scrapping bone until your hands finally dropped your weapons. "You are defeated!" He growled, barely being able to pronounce the words without spraying spittle all over you. With another swipe, he tore your mask off, revealing your face to him and his pack and forcing you to confront your conqueror. It also force your nose to take in the brunt of all the smells in the alleyway. With your mask on you might not have noticed but now you couldn't help but not only smell the blood calling to you but the feral musk of the beastmen. You could almost taste their scent with it so heavy in the air with so many of them around you. It wasn't a bad scent either, definitely tangy but something masculine and addicting, something you've never smelled before. The blood and musk commingling into aroma that could have left you salivating for a true taste.

Before you could get too lost in your investigation of the smell, the wolf-man dragged a claw against your now vulnerable cheek, slowly opening a wound to gain your undivided attention. At the same time you could feel something hard and wet pressing against your leg. "You will die soon but first you will serve. This is the justice we will dispense on you, spy!" He growled, opening his mouth to drag his irregularly long tongue across your cheek and lap up the blood dripping from your wound. "Such fineness.... I hope you last long enough for me to truly enjoy..." Chuckling as he dragged his claws up under your robes, cutting a hole that could give access to your pussy before lifting one of your legs, pinning it against the wall with one hand, spreading you open and leaving your groin undefended and on display for everyone in the alleyway. Their intentions were abundantly clear as you looked down and saw his massive pulsing shaft, oozing a stream of liquid on the ground with two hairy balls underneath it. The other beastmen in the alleyway were in similar states of arousal, with either defined bulges stretching their already ill-fitting pants or their cocks in their hands and slowly jerking as they watched their apparent alpha begin to claim you. "You carry the weapons of a hunter.... Yet you were the one hunted, prey." Growling in glee as he slowly began to position his wet cock head against your netherlips.

Syl

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

+1 Insight
Royal was still unnaturally quiet but went unnoticed as you began preparing to strike against the Spine-Drinker. You could see Royal standing above and next to you out of the corner of your eyes, the both of his hands clenched into fists as he observed what the two hunters were doing below. "A wish for good hunting eh? I hope your hunting goes better than Graham's did." His voice unnaturally solemn as he placed a hand on your shoulder. Something wasn't right, and it wasn't just what he had said, your entire body felt wrong. You began involuntarily panting softly as you felt your body heat rising and your muscles becoming stiff, your jaw trembling but unable to open it and make a noise. "Try not to hate me for what I do. I already know how easy it can be to do that." He leaned forward, his emerald eyes gleaming with a mixture of emotions as he whispered in your ear. "Like you dream hunters, my own strings are being pulled by someone." He knowingly glanced towards your other two allies nearby on the ridge before continuing. "The man, tell him to read the letter before he dies for good. I thought he was a fool but he doesn't need to die like one."

There was a song in your head, similar to the one you had heard when you had read the letter but it felt duller, less profound. Your arms began slowly moving, despite any resistance and your gun slowly began to point in Jurgen's direction. "Of course I'd be a liar if I didn't say I have some personal motivation for listening to the orders. The girls are always welcome to chat but keep the others away." His face close enough that his own hair was brushing against your cheek. It smelled of fresh sea salt somehow. Your muscles were loose enough that you could flawlessly follow and lead his form as well as you could have when in control of yourself. "I can smell his corruption and her touch already upon him." Disdain in his voice as he talked about Jurgen. "She's already touched him and she'll make him her new champion. Maybe he'll resist maybe he won't." His cryptic words barely reaching your ears as your fingers began slowly squeezing the trigger, not quite applying the needed pressure just yet. "I look forward to our next meeting, friend." His sentence ending with the loud crack of your repeater going off. You could already see Jurgen's body beginning to slump over and by that time Royal was gone from the upper cliff and you were collapsing near the edge of the rocks. Your shoulder burned where he had touched you and looking over it, you could see that a strange rune seemed to have been burned through your fabric and into your shoulder, no doubt being part of whatever had allowed him to control you so easily.

Deep Sea.png (37.21 KiB) Viewed 1077 times

Looking back out towards the beast and your two allies down below, you see Jurgen down on one knee and Royal running at him, already almost on top of him with Alicia and Jurgen both unaware. Royal didn't even slow down as he impaled Jurgen through the back with his sword before jumping over him, his sword apparently extending and bending to stay inside of the man. The teenage Hunter then tore and retracted his sword out, kicking Jurgen into the dirt before continuing to run towards the tunnels. "Slap some Patches on him and he'll be good as new. I'll see you all in the city later. Alicia, I'll come to collect my prize eventually, keep em bouncy." Shouting and laughing loudly and manically before heading towards the tunnels, directly through the monster's path. He barely slowed down as he dodged the prehensile tongue that shot out of it's mouth, then its two front legs that tired impaling him as he ran underneath it. He whipped his sword a few times, slicing up it's underbelly nicely if the screeches of pain that echoed through the cavern were to be believed. It was like a dance to him as he weaved through its legs and subsequent stomping before making it out on the other side after rolling out of the way of its heavy ovipositor and taking the middle tunnel.

Jurgen

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

+5 Bloodthirst
Getting down to the ground floor of the huge cavern proved to be easy and you and Alicia's movements hadn't even alerted the Spine-Drinker yet as it was still facing the other way and laying more eggs on the walls and floors. The plan seemed good to go as you and Alicia neared it, that was until you heard the gun shot. The Corps had always advised to avoid friendly fire with firearms because of how quicksilver bullets interacted with those infused with Old Blood, which was to say searing and debilitating pain at the area of entry. This was something you learned instantly as you felt what had to be a bullet sink into your lower back. The force was enough to make you stumble but it was the pain that brought you down to your knees as the bullet began to heat up on contact with your blood. You could see the Spine-Drinker begin to turn and face you and your group as it heard the gunshot and begin to crawl towards you and Alicia. Then you felt something else penetrate your body from the back.

"You fucking corrupted piece of shit I told you to fucking stay away from me try me bitch find me if you dare but I'll make sure to drown you like you should have been as a baby you beast!" Royal's voice coming from directly behind you and full of vengeance and anger as he jerked his blade upwards and further into your back. The blade began tugging and dragging upwards somehow and then Royal was standing above you, looking you in the eyes as he held the hilt of his blade with part of the blade still in your back. "I should kill you now but you'll play your part. Tell your Mistress I'm going to wring her fucking neck for what she's done soon." He ordered before pulling the rest of his blade out of you, further widening the wound before kicking you onto your back.

You could hear two more gunshots ring out and Royal still talking as you looked up at the dark and unfathomable ceiling of the caverns. "Slap some Patches on him and he'll be good as new. I'll see you all in the city later. Alicia, I'll come to collect my prize eventually, keep em bouncy." Royal said before all you could hearing was his laughter and the giant creature roaring. You could feel your blood pooling underneath you, the puddle expanding rather largely and leaving you extremely thirsty as your mind tried to find ways to immediately replenish the blood you were losing. The wounds weren't lethal but bleeding-out was a risk if you couldn't find a way to heal or patch up your wounds soon. You could still feel the weapons in your hands so it was only a matter of getting up to continue fighting.

Hunters in the Cavern

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The plan seemed to be working out well as Alicia and Jurgen slowly began to approach the Spine-Drinker and the hunters on the upper cliff-side began taking aim with their firearms. That was until Sylvia shot Jurgen in the back, almost knocking him down before collapsing herself. Royal, himself seemed to have made his way down to the ground floor rather quickly with his sword out as the Spine-Drinker turned around, alerted by the gunshot. Whether Royal was moving to intercept the Spine-Drinker or help Jurgen remained unknown up until he impaled Jurgen through the back before flipping over his head to face him before kicking him into the dirt. He then shouted "Slap some Patches on him and he'll be good as new. I'll see you all in the city later. Alicia, I'll come to collect my prize eventually, keep em bouncy." Before charging right at the creature. Whether your target was now Royal or the Spine-Drinker, both Jericho and Julia managed to hit the distracted creature while Royal was underneath it, Julia's bullet tearing through its long and leathery neck and Jericho's scattershot shallowly penetrating the front of his body. In addition to Royal's attacks to its underbelly as he went, the Breeder was clearly wounded and enraged, dripping purple blood down below as it refocused on Alicia and Jurgen in front of it instead of redirecting its attention to Royal's fleeing figure. It screeched loudly at all of you, its ovipositor now lifted and dropping over and on top of its bulging womb.

[Argonaut]

Jericho's fingers twitched as Alicia and Jurgen approached the Spine-Drinker, and he tightened his grip on the trigger. His eyes were fixed like lasers down the sight, and his mind constantly churned calculations on the perfect spot to aim at the bug. The cold metal of the blunderbuss on the side of Jericho's cheek calmed him, and he took a deep breath. Jericho closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his mind. He would have missed Royal's not-entirely unexpected betrayal had Sylvia not betrayed the group first by shooting Jurgen in the back. Another sigh. It seems these particular Hunters have an extremely limited capacity to follow orders. and enjoy spilling as much of their own blood as beast's, Swain pondered to himself. Not a single step into their adventure and already they were falling to infighting. Jericho couldn't blame Sylvia for shooting Jurgen, though. He was so big she could probably just pass it off as poor aim.

Jericho fired at the insect, taking note of the lack of penetration his attack had. Turning to Sylvia, Jericho shoved her with both hands and the handle of his rifle spear. With a flick of his wrist, the saw blade spun with the satisfying click of well oiled and maintained machinery. Now in it's extended form, Jericho pointed serrated tip at the Huntress. "Have you gone mad? Succumb to the blood lust, already?" Jericho's raven paid her no mind, it's eyes fixed on the real traitor as he made his getaway under the Spine-Drinker. It gave a small caw, and Jericho's eyes shifted towards Royal and the Spine-Drinker. A scowl formed over his pale face, and Jericho lowered his weapon slightly. "We have no time for this, and if you don't help that thing may kill us all. Leave your fellow Hunters alone, or make your escape now." Jericho spat at Sylvia, the way a parent would scold a child for doing wrong. Looking back over the battlefield, Jericho regretted with every fiber of his being his decision to follow this group into the cavern. With Jurgen wounded and traitors popping up left right and center, this was hardly and ideal situation. Walking towards the edge of the ridge, Jericho raised his left hand and closed his eyes. Blood poured out of Jericho's hand, seeping through his pours and coagulating into a jagged and spiked ball. As the ball solidified itself, Jericho hurled it towards the bug beast. "Incoming!" He shouted to Alicia and Jurgen as he threw. The last thing they needed was to be caught in the crossfire when Jericho's blood magic went off.

[KnightVanilla]

As the owl took flight into combat her mind thought previously back to their stayed hands and motion almost calm... maybe she could make use of this later. As she flung herself upon her foes in the dance known as the hunt. Her blade heavy and soaked in blood with the first of the prey slain. Realizing too late that she had flung herself too hard as she landed in the alley way. The talons she reserved for the four were used against the first group she encountered as a means to keep them away. Unwittingly having forgotten about the foes above her as they attempt to slam their weapons down upon her. The owl started breathing much more heavily as her heart raced... panick, anger, frustration. She had gotten herself cornered. The exact thing she was avoiding. Stupid damn... should had run... too much... death... You Willl DIE! Doubts and thoughts began to echo within her mind as she had to keep on fighting these enemies. As one of the men moved like a beast she hopped away from his lunge only to be met by a sharp pain... pain that followed with a warm feeling from her side. Realizing too late that one of the attackers had grabbed her and thrusted a sword into her. To forcefully pull it out of her she groaned in pain biting her lip to keep herself from voicing out the weakness. Even with the wound she clung to her weapons and stood up tall. Ready to fight as a hunter and ready to die in combat. They seemed to all be circling her as she seemed to have weakened from before. Her clutch still stating her intent to fight or die until their leader approached. Too tired... to weak... you'll die... give up... run and give up! The thoughts kept bouncing in her as her fear kept her from running to keep on fighting. As the beast roared and lunged she swung the best she could to knock away his attack only to be pinned by the shoulders now bleeding from three points... and then a Clang!

She looked down to realize she had dropped her weapons... and with that meant her loss... her death. The owl remembered what the idiot royal had said they would rape then kill... She clung to the beasts claws trying to struggle until he removed her mask.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Her face was no longer of an owl... there was no protection no means to hide her emotions on her face. The first one they would see was fear... then anger until she breathed... taking in the whiff of air around her... intoxicating... what was it... it made her tremble it was strange and alluring. Her legs started to tremble in her weakness as she panted for air a mix of pain and want filling her mind as the thoughts continued to weaken her resolve. Fear filled her... she would die after these beasts had satisfied themselves with her... but she couldn't tell what she was afraid of more... whether or not they would use her and be her first or whether or not that the dream was a lie or not. Truth be told you could never discern the truth until you've experienced it. Her face was a mix of fear, weakness, and want. Her lips beginning to moisten as she continued to breath int the musk. The cut to her cheek and the beasts tongue bringing her mind back to the reality at hand. Doing her best to keep her breathing at a steady pace all that she could do to remain calm... then it came to her... she would die nonetheless why not kill herself. Her talons could be used on herself and not need the weapons... but the beasts wouldn't let her if they believe she would try this. Placing her hand on her throat so to have a ready position to kill herself after the alpha had used her. The slow motion of the beasts hands to cut a whole in her undergarments... as she felt the cold air touch her followed by the head of his shaft. The first noise she makes is a whimper... in the back of her mind she had hoped the keeper to be her first at the time compared to this situation as she placed her hand on the beasts shoulder... A scared weakened voice escapes her lips as she says "Make it quick... and only you... do me that service for my defeat..." A plea hope they would follow her alternate plans however was a suicide with the death of their alpha. Once he had used her she would try to use a talon on both of them in one shot. Prioritizing her death over his.

[cliffracer]

Alicia was confident in the plan! Everything was quiet, the giant beast wasn't doing anything hasty before everyone was set up... A shot rung out, and she was horribly confused when the monster wasn't the one hurting from it. She glances around as the Spine-Drinker was turning, in time to see Jurgen getting stabbed straight in the back. She scowls in disgust at what she thought would be an explanation from Royal, though it was more because he expected her to be glad to see him later after what he did...
"Fucking nobles!" Why was she suprised he'd pull some idiotic stunt like that? She knew that young fool would be treacherous, why did she trust him for as long as she did? No, if he wanted the rest of his reward now, he'd have to work for it...
She heard Jericho shout from behind and was already moving for a flank on the Spine-Drinker. She had her eye on that ovipositor more than any other part of it, it was a grotesque sight but she just couldn't look away... Grimacing slightly, she goes for a fast swipe from her rapier to test the Spine-Drinker's flesh, ready to back off quickly afterward.

[Icaelus]

The tension was almost palpable in the air as each respective Hunter prepared themselves for their decisive strike against the dreaded creature. Her crimson eyes glued to the backs of the brave two who were to take the duty of distracting the beast, she failed to react to the threat at their backs.
Royal's voice, uncharacteristically solemn whispered gently into her ear. One single word in that sentence had discarded the rest to the abyss, unimportant and meaningless to her. Graham. Her foster father. Royal..knew Graham? How?
She was just about to turn on him, a question already formulated and ready to spring from her tongue when Royal's hand came to rest upon her shoulder. His hand was blazing hot, with a warmth that offered no comfort at all. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She could feel her body temperature skyrocketing, every single muscle in her body tightening up. The warning she tried to scream to Jericho, to shoot Royal was but a muted gasp, a plea for help. She was helpless, a doll of Royal's machinations. What had he done to her to rob her of all control over her own body? And just..what was he planning on making her do?
Syl involuntarily shivered, a chill snaking up her spine as Royal leaned forward, his words and breath like a icy wind numbing her ear. He revealed the fact that he knew about the Dream..and also that someone else was giving him orders. Just who, he obviously wasn't going to specify. Or perhaps he didn't know? Giving no answer and leaving many questions, Syl was spared a brief respite from Royal as he moved his head away to gaze in the direction of Jericho and Julia. He said something, but there..was something in her head..a song? Whatever it was, it was blocking everything else out. She only..had to obey the song. Nothing else mattered..or did it? It was a strange feeling to couple with the even odder song. Had this happened before?
No matter. All she had to do was adjust her aim a little..and pull the trigger.

A metallic click, a millisecond's pause and bang, went the rifle. And then she was falling, a puppet without a puppeteer.

What was that feeling? It was called something pretty specific..oh, right. Déjà vu. No wonder it had been all so familiar. After all, it was the second time she had been toyed around with like this, with magic she didn't even begin to understand. Each and every of Royal's whispered venom slowly threaded through her mind as it raced through the recent events. She could play back this memory back over and again, but it wouldn't change a single thing.

She had shot Jurgen. Oh, gods.

Why him? Why was Royal turning on them at this most crucial of times? She struggled to raise herself from the dirt, just managing to prop herself up on her elbows. She felt as weak as a newborn baby, though she could feel her strength slowly coming back to her. Something burned on her shoulder where Royal had touched her. A quick glance confirmed it..the bastard had branded her with some Rune.
A low growl escaped her lips, anger lending her strength to push herself to her knees..just in time to watch Royal dash towards the stricken Jurgen, blade drawn and ready to finish the job.
"N-No!"
An impotent cry escaped Syl's lips, her crimson eyes widening in stunned disbelief. Royal had impaled Jurgen right through his back, playing leapfrog with the giant in some weird, twisted fashion. The cold steel of Royal's blade bent at unnatural angles as he vaulted over Jurgen, no doubt causing tremendous trauma to the stab wound. Parting with a final insult towards them, the young Hunter sprinted for the far end of the cavern..although there was one major obstacle. The Spinedrinker, looming over Royal was at least three times his height. Syl couldn't help hoping that the beast would nail the traitorous little bug to the floor as he darted forth. In what seemed like a graceful dance, Royal dodged and weaved right through the deadly spikes that acted as the Spinedrinker's legs, even edging in a bit of payback as he passed by, his blade snaking back and forth in several lashes that tore up the underside of the creature brutally.
From the screeches of pain that the Spinedrinker issued shortly after, it was pretty safe to say that Royal had hurt it badly.

The one silver lining in that dark, stormy cloud, then. The rest of the Hunters could only watch as Royal ran for it, safely leaving the enraged Spinedrinker behind for them. But no. He wasn't getting off scot-free like this. Not after all he had done. Strength surged to her limbs as she pushed herself to her feet, borrowed from the fury that blazed through her very self. Royal had a lot to pay for..but not before he told her all he knew about Graham and his death.
"You're not getting away, you litt-OOF!"
She had started forward, about to take the plunge that would place her on the same level as the two Hunters and the Spinedrinker when she more or less stepped right into Jericho Swain. Of course, ugh. She had quite plainly shot Jurgen in the back..there would be a need to prove her innocence, but this wasn't the time. She let Swain shove her back a couple steps, deeming the move to be harmless. A bruise was nothing, if she could convince Swain here and now that she was innocent. The modified rifle spear spun in his hands deftly, a motion practiced to the point where he could no doubt do it in his sleep. The spear visibly extending as the trick mechanism worked, ending off with a loud click, the serrated edge of Jericho's spearhead gleamed a couple inches away from her face. The man had all reason to suspect her. It was actually pretty amazing that he wasn't attempting to just end her right now and then.

Now then, how would she convince him? Perhaps putting her own life in peril was a worthy shot.
Syl reached out, grabbing the haft of Swain's spear and stepping forward, placing her vulnerable neck right at the jagged edge of the spearhead. The motion drew a thin line of blood upon her pale skin, just like blood on snow.
"I am not the enemy, Jericho Swain. That bastard Royal, he influenced my actions with some..magic I don't know about."
And..yeah. Might as well reveal that rune for good measure. She turned slightly, pulling on the burnt cloth that the rune had burned through. It ripped easily, revealing the rune etched upon the porcelain skin of her right shoulder. There was no time for being embarrassed here. Pursuing Royal took priority right now..for her, at least.
"This is the result of that magic. And I'm not letting him scoot like this. I'm going after him."
Her voice was a low growl, dark with anger. As if answering her words, Swain's raven cawed loudly, instantly turning the attention of both Hunters to it. The raven's cry seemed to have some visible effect on Swain's decision as he seemed to somewhat figure things out, quickly stating that they had little time to waste on this. Both of them needed to be blasting away at the Spinedrinker, that was true. Swain then went on to say to either leave them alone, or make her escape here and now.

Well, she was going to have to take Swain up on his offer.
"I'm sorry. I need to go after him..and Swain? Read that letter you received. Before you die."
Sylvia bobbed her head in a quick apology before taking the leap off the slight cliff, landing and rolling to break her fall. She sprang to her feet quickly coming out from the roll, breaking right into a sprint for the tunnel that Royal had left through. She would have to get past the Spinedrinker as well..only that this time, it was not a happy customer. Good lords.
It was lucky that Alicia picked that moment to act, stepping forward with her rapier blitzing forth in a gleaming arc at the beast. It was a distraction and Syl took it, immediately banking hard to the right of the creature and attempting to pass it by. Her hands working the trick lever on the Repeater at the same time, she activated the alternate form of the Repeater, the form she had secretly dubbed the "Reap-peater". Yeah, corny. But the ability to empty the rifle's magazine of five Quicksilver bullets pretty much could reap any non-major threat.
But this beast was no laughing matter. The five bullets would hurt it badly if she managed to shoot somewhere vulnerable, but she highly doubted it would be a decisive blow. Still, gotta help out a bit, at the very least. After all, she was leaving them to tangle with the Spinedrinker while she chased Royal..

She raised the gun as she continued sprinting, her eyes wide and watching for any move the monstrosity was going to make towards her. Drawing level with the beast, she aimed right at the creature's body. It was much better to blast away at a target you could hit, especially with the lowered accuracy she was firing at while on the move. The gigantic body of the beast was like the broad side of a barn.You couldn't miss.
Fire and burning silver erupted from the barrel of the Repeater and Syl grimaced at the recoil jarring through her body. It had the kick of a horse and that was indeed no pleasant feeling. But no time to see the damage done. She just kept moving as fast as she could, running for the exit to the cavern.
Darkness once again enveloped her as she stepped into the tunnel..this time, alone..

But not afraid. She was done being scared. There were things more important at stake here.

She took in a massive lungful of air, slowing her ragged breathing as she cautiously padded down the tunnel. There was no telling what lurked in these tunnels..and Royal had already gotten the best of her once. What was that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Right.
Syl touched a dainty finger to the shallow line of blood, an idea lighting up her face with a grin. Perhaps it was time for a rather...unique spell in the Bloodwielding form. Using a jagged piece of stone, she dragged the edge lightly across her left calf, inflicting a cut that would bleed slowly. Just perfect for her spell, Bloody Puddles.
The cut itself hurt, but the price was going to be well worth it. Anything looking to sneak up on her would be caught in the suddenly very sticky, congealed blood trail she was leaving behind..and hopefully, Royal would fall for it. If nothing else, she would at least have her back covered, along with leaving a way for the other Hunters to trace her once they were finished with the Spinedrinker..
"Well. Hide and seek, then?"
Sylvia murmured under her breath as she reloaded the Repeater. Time to hunt down that fox.