The Hunt (East, Beast #3)

[Guinivere Marcel]

The Hunt

Crickets chirp in the night and the air itself seems to glow. The summer night is warm and nearly oppressive with humidity as rain threatens to fall. Despite the thick clouds, many stars can be seen, and the moon is nearly full, shedding light onto a nocturnal hunting party seeking their nocturnal prey. 

This is the scene of the hunt, as the fae wait for near-forgotten monsters to emerge from their hibernation. Something has stirred them awake, and now they're prey for those who need precious dragon scales to protect themselves from iron.

The hunt will proceed as follows.


Posting deals damage. Each post deals a base damage of 5 to the current beast. This damage can be increased by characters with a combat-related learned skill; otherwise, bonuses are based on the school that the character is or was part of.


+1 damage: school of theory
+2 damage: school of tailoring/craftmanship/foraging
+3 damage: school of herbalism
+4 damage: school of magic
+5 damage: school of war



This creature has a health of 125. There will be a new creature arising to be hunted each week. This is with the exception of the last week, which will have two.


Happy hunting!


The dragon you seek in found in the East Court, a lion-like creature of impressive size. It is nearly bioluminescent and has only been seen at night. It flies low over rivers and forests, skimming water with its feet and slicing the tops of trees clean off. To kill it, you must brave the dark first.

Gemini Enigma , Jin-Hwa Mei Adem Agni Yadav Bran Viola Calanthe Willowlace Marcellus Yong @cheshire Sutton Elizabeth Bane

[Jin-Hwa Mei]

Gemini Enigma
Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov

Jin-Hwa curled her hand around her new blade. Twice this opportunity had based her by. Twice had she watched it literally bleed out in front of her. But the issue wasn't her skill. The broadsword she was wielding didn't suit her hands. It was from her mother's arsenal, one of her sister's, used in the Queen's war. Kaimana had chosen it, not Jin-Hwa. It was too heavy for her taste.

Jin-Hwa had gone into the royal forges and asked for two identical swords, yes. But she had asked for one more thing. The odd owlish girl there had said a sword was a terrible choice for her. That swords were too heavy for her frame. That she could make something better. Jin-Hwa had let her. 

It had been an impulse, a whim at best. But she was, admittedly, impressed. A curling Undersea Steel blade with a star chart engraved into it. Jin-Hwa had asked for it. Not every constellation had made the cut.

Andromeda was one of those constellations. The hunt had brought her right back to the East, back to where she met Nikolai, back to where she set off a storm that was still tearing along the coast. She had no doubt that the golden-haired prince would be here today, but he would be outshone. She was the golden-hued one now. 

+5 damage, school of war; Total of 10
Weapon; Armor Aesthetic

[Vĩnh Lý]

“How many chances will we be given I wonder? I intend no disrespect, Princess, but her Majesty Kaimana may consider it disappointing if we fail to display the undersea’s ability to butcher a land creature. I’ve said already that her majesty may also be displeased by your use of a weapon forged in the high court.”



Vĩnhs serious expression lightened considerably as his eyes fell to the earth they now stood upon, pulling him down into a light bow.



“Though I understand you feel comfortable with these weapons. If your highness wishes, I can send ahead to the sunken city’s forges so that an improved set of similar weapons may be prepared for you.”



Vĩnhs eyes gently closed, enveloping his mind in an empty space that was only slightly darker than the summer night he’d shut from sight. 

Humid… unpleasantly humid. It was so that this trick would be considerably more difficult than otherwise. Perhaps a faerie moving through the warm summer breeze would be a difficult task, at this time but Vĩnh had felt it from the previous two, especially the most recent, displacing the frigid air of the north court. They were large creatures. The body heat they produced, especially in taxing acts such as flight, or generating their breath, was immense. He did not need to see the light the beast produced, The temperature intrusion was something his magic could register. He could feel its presence, a warm sensation against his cold skin, which he translated for his charge in a rushed whisper.



“Northeast of you. Two hundred meters and closing. Please prepare yourself.”

mentioned-Jin-Hwa Mei,

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    Nikolai felt far too bare under the clear night sky. He looked up to the light of the constellations, wishing they could calm him as well as they had many nights before. They were watching him tonight like they always did. They’d watched him as he’d attended the funerals of those who’d been killed by this beast. The night was as dark as the drooping suits and dresses of those who’d been left behind. Funerals were never for the dead, he’d realized. They were for the living, to make them feel better about taking for granted the dead. Tonight, he wore two broadswords, dark hilts, and gleaming silver blades, to blend in with his surroundings. He’d been forced to lead the hunt by his father, but the minute he saw Princess Mei standing off to his left side, he regretted his agreement.

    They’d been tracking the beast for too long, and Nikolai was getting tired. He looked in front of him, the darkness turning everything into dark shadows. Could it be possible that there was a downed tree in front of them? He knew the beast had been wreaking havoc in the forests, so could this be a sign that they were getting close? He pointed it out to one of his advisors, who went to investigate. The man nodded back to him, affirming that it had been the dragon who’d felled the tree. “Let us advance. Prepare to attack!” he shouted, the authority in his voice unfamiliar even to him. He drew both of his swords and moved forward.

TAGS: Jin-Hwa Mei
SWORDS
ARMOR

★fai

+4 School of magic.
Total: 9

[Albert Alder Coult]

Quinn Allegra Stone

Albert was entirely unsure about being here. It felt unwise. It felt like tempting fate. Quinn's brother was already dead. People here were already dead. The dragons were cycling around the courts and he was not grateful his was hit first. They were also hit the hardest. He was hit the hardest because it hit Quinn. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel, but it certainly didn't pass him by. He wasn't heartless.

And it was more than that. It was that the fae lived so long and he had been snuffed out right in front of them. It was that which scared him so much. Issac would have lived for centuries.

His mother was not immortal, but with the way things were going, she would outlive him. He was not sorry or particularly concerned by that idea. He was rather sure that her life would be more useful than his own. He just did what he was told because he had never even considered what he wanted. That was why he was here, in the dark of night, gripping a spear, wasn't it? He followed the Duke's orders, his father's orders. He was a good soldier and a miserable child. 

+5 damage, school of war; Total of 10
Weapon

[Jin-Hwa Mei]

Gemini Enigma
Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov  & Vĩnh Lý

Jin-Hwa rolled her eyes at Vinh, not bothering to hide it. She didn't pretend to understand her cousin or particularly want to. He was curious, and odd, and cumbersome, like she imagined her aunt must have been. "That sword was your mother's," she said dryly, turning to look at him. "My mother ran it through her rib cage and then didn't touch it again. When I turned fourteen she gave it to me. Would you like it?" Her sneer was as hard as a blade.

She wanted to see how he would react. She wanted to see if she could get him to squirm or crack the facade he had. He was a creature she was pinning under her knife. It was an old habit. Old habits didn't die quietly.

She would know. Even now, it was too easy to look at Nikolai and obey his command, to straighten her top and fix her hair and make him notice her. She didn't. She stared straight ahead at where the dragon was supposed to be and reached.

The wind was disrupted, a big disruption, not too far ahead of her. She was not good enough to track small things with wind. She was better at whipping up storms. She was better with rain. This creature was massive. She would have had to been blind or useless not to sense it.

She didn't call to anyone else. She didn't ask them to her side. She turned to Vinh and nodded. "This blade is a hunting knife. It will do better than a broadsword. Stay ten meters behind me." That was all she needed to say. Nikolai was a duke. She was a princess. 

She followed her sense, moving towards the void, not towards a monster but towards the absence of anything. Wasn't that the worst monstrosity? 

+5 damage, school of war; Total of 10
Weapon; Armor Aesthetic

[Nyra Charlotte Enigma]

Bran Viola

Nyra sighed, blinking through the darkness. She had fae eyes. They didn't need time to adjust. She still wished it was the daytime. And warmer. She couldn't stand the cold.

It was better than her home in the North. She was forced to wear lots of fur, all kinds, and she hated it. She was no huntress at heart. She wanted dragon scales. Those were separate ideas her mind.

Rhea could not be dissuaded this time. She stamped her feet and snorted. Nyra was truly thrilled that she had mods, that she seemed to have things she liked and disliked now, but the rise in consciousness could be quite inconvenient at times. Nyra had sighed and allowed it, and for the first time she felt how Juno felt. She gave Rhea a little collar of pearls to make the pearl strands she had braided through her hair and demanded she stay behind her at all times. It would be just awful if Rhea got melted.

Juno was not here. Busy, always busy. Nyra knew it was some trouble in the high court. She just couldn't be bothered, but Juno could. She had only let Nyra go because she was taking someone with her, someone who had been on the last hunt. Nyra did not mention that it was Bran or that he had been avoiding the proper hunt group. That was half the reason she had asked him. She knew he was good. She had found his knife. He still needed a better one.

+2 damage, school of forging; Total of 7
Weapon + Outfit Aesthetics

Damage Report 54 Damage Points have been done. 66 Points are left. 71/125

[Cassie Eloise Enigma]

    Cassie knew she didn’t belong at this hunt. Everytime she showed her face here, with these people, for this purpose, she felt too exposed. She was not like them. She knew it. The land fae were bloodthirsty and careless, the sea fae were even more bloodthirsty but they were careful. Cassie was both, and neither at all. Of course she’d been trained in combat. Of course she knew how to hold a sword and wield it to defend herself. But her father had wanted her to be his toy, to go where he told her to, and smile at the people he wanted her to smile at. He had diluted the salt in her veins with dirt, made her sweet and kind and soft. She did not belong on the land, or in the sea. Surely not in the mortal world.

    She made her way over to Jin-hwa. With her, at least she would be safe. With her, she could trust that she would find the truth. Cassie could tell that she was using her magic to find the beast, another thing she couldn’t do. In retrospect, her father could have had her learn to use the powers she got from the sea. She could have been weaponized, used against the Undersea. But she’d been left to rot. Now she was sickly sweet. She stood at her friend’s shoulder, not saying anything, only there in case she was needed. Being seen with the Undersea’s princess was dangerous for her. But if someone wanted to put a bounty on Cassie’s head, they would have done it already.

TAGS: Jin-Hwa Mei
OUTFIT
WEAPON

★fai

+5 damage

[Gemini Enigma]

the hunt

[attr="class","box1"]Gemini missed the North Court.  His dark curls were clinging to his skin thanks to the damp air, nearly hiding his silver circlet, forged in the shape of blackthorn branches. His lean, pale arms were bare aside from their armor, and yet still the air was heavy and thick with heat. He glanced upward, eyes narrowed. The only gratefulness he had was that this beast only prowled the East Court at night, sparing them from the glare of the sun.  At least, in the literal sense.  He could feel Princess Mei's stare on the back of his neck, a look he was tempted to return. There was no humidity in the heat radiating from her eyes; in fact, she seemed to burn her path dry, ironic at the least for a princess of the sea. Had she not cut him enough before? Must she burn him as well? It was never enough for her. Gemini knew that. He knew it was hunger that made her bare her teeth; he’d seen that mad glare in enough reflections. She was a flash of a prism. It was the look of starvation that tailed you through the corridors of a maze until you were too lost to outrun it. He’d escaped it at Guinevere’s hand, ribs showing, but want made you reckless. What would he do with a banquet of freedom? Immediately search for its bounds? Gorge himself into illness? And what of the prisoner who remained? Jin-hwa had never been the kind to gnaw off her own foot to escape a trap. She would sooner claim a cage as territory and defend it as if she had any choice in the matter. Perhaps it was his own fault for engaging with her, for letting curiosity at the possibility of an equal get the best of him. Potential. It had lured him into danger despite not even being realized. It was just that he’d thought she might be a stone to sharpen himself against, the one to set him free from the senseless, purposeless boredom born from a famine of ambition. And so it was with desperation that he’d challenged her. But it seemed he’d been after the wrong outlet, blinded by the sun in his eyes. Jin-hwa was not his freedom. Again, Guinevere had saved his life. Again, because Gemini was the kind to bite himself free, and it might’ve come to it had she not made him her heir, the poisoner’s prince. He shifted his grasp within the swirling cage around the hilt of his sword, which offered some meagre protection to his long-fingered, ornamented hand. Right today. Not that he thought the slain dragons were warning the others which hand he fought with, but to remain ambidextrous he needed the occasional practice.  Skill was too easily lost, intellect too easily wasted. He couldn’t get too comfortable at the arm of the blackthorn throne or he’d forget how its shadows had kept him sharp. At least Jin-hwa and these dragons were keeping his sword arm strong. Would she meet his gaze if he looked her way? Gemini wondered. Perhaps just to prove that she could. They were looking for luminescence between the trees, true, but the light in his eyes was as cold as the distance to the stars. And while Jin-hwa might think of him this way, he was no prey for her to hunt. He could agree with her on a sole and single thing: Nikolai was in no position to give orders. Had Gemini been given a hand in organizing these hunting parties, he would have begun with a hierarchy, a guide, someone to cut through the clamor and exact a choice. Too often that fell to him due to his ability to strategize. But he was a distant player in conflict, the one moving pieces to corner the prize. Deep in the woods, chasing a trail of fallen branches and footprints, was not his territory. But he'd make it so if the need arose. He was a son of the earth. The one thing mortals had on the fae was a stronger link between their feet and the ground. He could go nowhere without leaving a trace of the taint in his blood.   He caught sight of Cassie taking Jin-hwa's side, avoiding his eyes. Something had passed between the two of them that marked him as their enemy. He himself was marked by it now, barely healed. He would uncover it alone; why should he expect aid or understanding where it had never been given to him before?  Jin-Hwa Mei, Cassie Eloise Enigma [newclass=.box1]margin:0px auto; width:300px; height:425px; background: transparent; overflow:auto; padding:8px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar]width:5px;[/newclass] [newclass=.box1::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background: #091c3d;[/newclass]

Music Word count: 761 Notes: +6

credit to Laura of Adox

[Kallias Greyson]

Cassie Eloise Enigma

Kallias sighed. His knuckles were white with how hard he gripped his bow. In the back of his mind, he feared he would break it. He had told himself what seemed to be a thousand times at this point that it was okay. That aiding in the hunting and killing of these dragons was okay. That it was necessary. But how necessary was it really? There was so much they could all learn from dragons. Killing them would help, that he was sure of. But would it help the right people? Or would it just cause more killing? It was a bloody dance that had no real winners.

Perhaps he was being too dramatic. Perhaps he cared too much about the lives of monsters. The lives of monsters were still lives. Who gave them the right to rip that away from them? Who gave them the right to steal away something so precious? His mind was in a whirl. He didn't know what to think. He was so conflicted. He wanted to stop this. He wanted to go home. He wanted to put it out of its misery. He wanted so many things, but his mind would not make itself up.

His eyes went to Cassie, standing with the Princess of the Undersea. He'd heard Jin-hwa had tried to kill Talia. He wasn't sure how he should feel about that. Cassie, however, was the one his attention was truly on. He wondered if she was alright. If this bothered her as it bothered him. He wondered if she would think he was weak for it. He hoped not. 

He shifted on his feet. He pushed those thoughts from his mind. Was it worth it, trying to figure out another person? She had called him a mystery once. But he considered her to be the real mystery. What are you thinking, Cassie?, he thought to himself.

---

+3; Herbalism. Total of 8

[Bran Viola]

Bran crouched on the ground about a yard in front of Nyra. Why had he agreed to this again? If he wanted this strange girl as a resource he’d need to maintain the uncanny trust she’d given him thus far, and truthfully he’d caught wind of this next creature, and meant to stalk it, and its makeshift predators anyway. He’d had to do away with his Saint Johns Wort so the girl could even be near him, and it made him uncomfortable that this field of space was now open to not only her, but the fae moving through the trees in the distance. If only he hadn’t thrown that knife. He’d done it on instinct. 



“Nyra”



Bran raised his hand and cast a finger out across the water in the direction of the faerie hunting party.



“They Reoriented. It looks like they found something. It’s likely the creature is northeast of them. If we wrap around the edge of the lake to that gazebo you’ll have a decent shot, and if it becomes a necessity we can get closer from there. Good?”



Bran pulled his mask up over his mouth.



“We’re getting there before they do. Lets go.”



Before waiting for her to respond, he set off through the brush to the pavilion. It was a lost hope that she’d remain silent and simply follow. He’d thought this could benefit him, he was going to be here anyway, so why not? Bran was beginning to wonder why he’d allowed himself to follow this train of thought.

tags- Nyra Charlotte Enigma,

[Vĩnh Lý]

Vĩnh smiled, rather abashedly, as though embarrassed by some silly little childhood secret.



"Your highness! Such discourtesy… Though this behavior is somewhat radiant in our present context. I see you are in a most auspicious mood for bloodshed!”



Vĩnh’s expression brightened further, almost amorous, though less of some forbidden lust, and more of the adoration a child gives to a personal hero, though this suddenly fell, dejected, into a more somber countenance.



“I fear I would be unable to wield such a weapon your highness, I possess neither the strength nor wit that would complete the piece of such a fine weapon with blood.”



Vĩnh stepped back, tracing the ball of his back foot through the fallen leaves, addressing his charge before retreating into the dark haze that hung across the silence soon to be broken.



“Of course, princess, as you see fit. In the event of an untimely passing I may return from this distance to ensure the body is preserved for a lovely funeral.”



With this, Vĩnh backed up until he was exactly ten meters behind Jin-Hwa Mei, where the mist that settled across the forest floor from the nearby lake seemed to coalesce, becoming just thick enough to blur his figure, as he pulled the moisture in the air back with him, a drifting fog that he formed into a privacy screen by which to hide his unseemly obtrusion. It was from this veil that Vĩnh watched in sweet silence as Cassie Eloise Enigma drifted, pulled to Jin-Hwas arm, as the eyes of the party all slipped in their direction momentarily before returning to the task at hand. Misery acquaints one with strange bedfellows. This was true not only in times of war, but in the ennui of peacetime as well, though the current treaty and sudden shift of power could hardly be called peaceful. 



Vĩnh closed his eyes, carrying Cassie’s heat and scent to him through the humid air. What tortured blood. If Jin-Hwa was so eager to take responsibility for her, then perhaps Vĩnh could make himself useful as well. So many wayward children who hardly knew who they were. It would be alright someday. They had an eternity to play with.

tags@rose,Cassie Eloise Enigma,

[Nikolai Hugh-Sokolov]

    Nikolai could feel their eyes boring into him. It shouldn’t have bothered him so much. He grew up being scrutinized like this. Maybe what bothered him wasn’t their scrutiny but the fact that he was bothered by their scrutiny. Why couldn’t he ignore them? He’d heard the whispers, how they’d judged him for being reckless. He wasn’t fit to be a leader, they’d said. But here was, trying to lead, and they were still judging him for it. Would he ever win? He could try as hard as he might to be what they wanted, to be better than what they wanted, and still, he could never win. He was tired of this.

    Sweat trickled down his back as he led the long trudge through the forest. He should be glad that the beast favored the night, for the summer sun was just as merciless as the fae in his company. The glow came upon them slowly. If they were getting closer, the dragon was surprisingly quiet. He gestured to one of his soldiers to stay quiet as the lavender haze surrounded them. Nikolai crept forward as the light grew brighter, swords shining in the light. And then he saw it. The dragon sat, silhouetted against the moon. He moved forward toward it, readying himself for the attack. He knew he wouldn’t kill the beast with one hit, but if he could at least maim it, he could make it easier to take down.

    The beast had its back to him. If he could sneak around its flank and get to its wing, the creature would be bound to the ground, making it easier for everyone else present to kill it. He moved away from the group, doing exactly that. Its wings were folded on its back. The poor creature looked almost harmless. “I’m sorry about this,” he murmured, raising his swords. Nikolai plunged them into the base of the joint, only managing to pull out the left one before he fell backward, scrambling away as the dragon reared up on its hind legs and screeched in pain. Even as he staggered onto his feet he felt foolish. He felt regret.

TAGS: Jin-Hwa Mei
SWORDS
ARMOR

★fai

+4 School of magic.
Total: 9

[Nyra Charlotte Enigma]

Bran Viola

Nyra turned her head to him, the moonlight glancing off the pearls in her hair and bouncing off her bow. Rhea shook her head and pawed the ground. Nyra ignored it.

The East court wasn't a pleasant place. She would like this to be done with. "I agree except that I don't need to get closer." she said, pointing to the clearing. The dragon had stormed its way in, flattening trees. Some Duke had buried his sword in its wing, aggravating it to a rampage. Should she know him? Or the creature?

Nyra knocked an arrow, nodding one time sharply as a warning, letting it fly over his shoulder and bury in the beast's shoulder. "We're not there first," she said, looking down at him curiously. "But I could still kill it, if you can get me a clearer shot to its throat." Dragon scales was supposed to be indestructible to almost anything. But she had tipped these arrows with some Undersea Steel left over from a project. She was rather pleased with her own resourcefulness. And that she had made that shot. Juno would be proud too. Dimly, she wondered at who had trained him. She wondered if they would be proud of his work. She had no idea.

She was about to ask if he could bait it out when it took off flying. She watched it make for the river and solemnly re-slung her bow. "I suppose we'll have to follow." she said. The chase was the worst part.

+2 damage, school of forging; Total of 7
Weapon + Outfit Aesthetics