The King of Chaos IC

[a touch of dread]

Jaynia squatted. "What a shame," she murmured, eyes going from body to body from a distance. It was easy to find the story out of this gruesome scene. She breathed. Fresh, weren't they. And so close to the city. What lack of luck. Had they just been closer, they'd have been in hearing distance of the gate guards. Or the city, at the least. Then again, there was no guarantee a guard would have been able to make it on time.

It was nothing but wasteful, this line of thought. The huntress exhaled and stood, touching her belt where her kit was strapped on. Then paused. Should she have brought her brother along? What were the chances of the beast returning?

Just as the idea crossed her mind, she caught movement, and jumped. A split-second to realize it was just another human. Composing herself, and internally nursing her stung pride, she regarded the new-arrival carefully before deciding he was just another traveler on the path. On guard, Jaynia kept him in her peripherals, but let her eyes fall back to the bodies, pulling out the kit from her belt.

 

[CasketCase]

Haima & Jacob​

For but the briefest of moments, Haima might have had a valid reason for be annoyed at Jacob for the fool's armor was too loud for such subterfuge! Before he could exercise his right to yell at his supposed comrade, he was betrayed yet again by the pan-handling mutt. "Argh! A knife in the gut and a knife in the back!" The masked man would shriek as he arose from the brush that had once concealed him. Here he was, face-to-mask with the girl and the fear in her voice and eyes were quite clear. Unfortunately, he hadn't a plan to use in this confrontation. Then again, why would anyone let Haima deal with such delicate situations in the first place?

Fools, that's who.

"Who we are depends on the answers you give me. For now, I am simply a strange man who befriended your dog and he...well...I'm not entirely certain what his involvement in this is. Now, more importantly I must ask: who taught you the magic of fire and why?"

Now came the tricky part. She could easily attempt to flee, which would prompt to him to do something rather painful and nasty in order to get her to cease, and nobody wanted that...well...some might have. His obscured gaze focused on the tiny, subtle hints of body language she would project and he would seek to find the first clues that she might be thinking of escape.

It was her move, metaphorically and possible physically speaking.

 

[Zeraj]

Jacob seemed to have stumbled onto a girl while trying to follow Haima. There was a dog beside her. She was dark of skin and quite young. She was definitely prepared to run. Her eyes darted to both him and Haima. It was probably the noise of his armor. Jacob wasn't much of a stealthy hunter. Just find the target and impale it with his lance. That was how he dealt with the hunt. It was dangerous, but he found it to be quite honorable. Though he would definitely stab the back if it was necessary. Ideals can only stretch so far.

Anyway it was probably not good to spook her away. She was wielding magic, fire magic. Though she was clearly too young to be any kind of hunter, it would be wise to get some information from her.

Jacob attempted to soothe her fears, "Whoa there. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm Jacob and I'm a cutter. I'm just looking for any information on the current plague. And I don't really care about whether or not you can use magic. In fact I can do it too."

Jacob lifted his hand in the manner she did and created a small flame. He felt the comforting warmth in his hands. Each lick of fire seemed so tantalizing. He broke away quickly before he delve too deeply in the flames.

"And this here is my fellow hunter... I'm pretty sure he's not here to hurt you either," his voice did not have confidence he shown earlier. Haima unnerved him for some reason. It wasn't the mask. Perhaps just the way he spoke and moved.

Jacob wondered if he scared her as well. Certainly he looked imposing with his lance on his back and half his face covered. Haima's appearance didn't help much either. With his mask and black robes, she'd likely figure they were both crazy murderers who stalk and killer girls like her. Jacob would have given a smile, but that would definitely scare her off. His hands were just held in the air slightly above his head to show that wasn't planning on drawing his weapon.

 

[TerraBooma]

Ed raised his brows as Rio actually delivered something approaching a diplomatic response to the Lord. That was surprising, what was more suprising was the lord's words. Ed's smile turned up slightly as he thought of his exact words, that would be easy to play with. Listen to the butler? Well then...let's see...


Swiftly bowing to the butler, Ed puts a mock awe in his voice that would astound even Rio. "My forgiveness Sire." He says, suprising everyone with the direction of his tone. "I was not aware the lord was in your council! it is very clear who we should be speaking too here, my apologies. I should have seen this before!" He nods knowingly. "yes yes...it all makes sense now, you did act earlier like you ran the place. Was it not your own words that said we "May see him some time today?" We might as well just asked you then!" Ed beams a huge smile as if nothing is wrong in the world. "Surely we could have cut down the time if you had simply said you ran the place outright, or is that not the case here?"

 

[Doughguy]

Jaynia & Paxton​

From a closer inspection of the corpses Jaynia would find the edges of the wounds were quite clean and sharp. They had been delivered haphazardly over most of the body with a few more powerful blows evident around the chest and neck region which had killed the victims. The faces of the bodies were twisted by fear and pain. Now that she was closer she would also be able to see faint footprints in the ground. Given the fact the road had been used by people travelling into the village for the market this was expected. However a few trails had blood within them, and one such trail turned south and headed towards the forest. The footprints were human but it was possible for an infected being to retain their human feet after transforming, as was the case with the Kraken plague.

[spoili]

[/spoili]

~***~

Ed & Rio​

"My butler was under the distinct impression threats were not a polite way to start conversation Miss Marsues. Rather that they were an attack on a person." the lord replied to Rio's opening statement. His expression had become angered at her mention of the pair sneaking around his house without his permission, and he glared at the guard who had yet to speak as she gestured to him. It was then that Ed chose to start speaking.

The lord was quite confused by the other hunter's words and it took the anger out of him as he struggled to understand what was said. After a few seconds he decided to dismiss it entirely and mark Ed as a simpleton. Hunters weren't picky about who joined after all, anyone who could hold a sword would do. He would fit in well with the rest of the uncultured wine, like his partner.

The lord held up his hand and clicked his fingers twice, prompting the butler to appear from upstairs and quickly make his way to the lord's side. A conversation was whispered between the two before the nobleman simply departed, heading upstairs without a word.

"The lord has allowed you to take a supervised tour of his house. I and another guard will accompany you." The butler waved a hand at the guard currently in the room, "Go back to door duty and send the other inside." The guards quickly swapped positions as the butler explained the layout of the house. "The lord's family quarters are upstairs and the common rooms are downstairs. You are permitted to look but not touch."

It was now up to the pair to choose where to go.


[spoili]

The rooms look nice overall, the ones upstairs more so. Feel free to describe any you choose to enter, Ill make corrections if need be. The lord is in his study, his wife is in the common room, his son is in his room and his daughter is not at the house. [/spoili]

~***~

Haima and Jacob​

Haima's shriek caused the girl to jump and almost take off running, startled by the sudden sound. Her voice shook as she replied, "He's not my dog. I'm not allowed to have a dog like him. I just like him." At the pair's following words of curiosity she seemed to calm down. The fact they hadn't attacked and scolded her for using magic was a good sign. Most people would have and even if Jacob hadn't of said she would've guessed they were hunters.

She shifted towards Jacob and away from Haima as the former created a small flame in his hand and mirrored his magic with her own. "I learned it from another hunter, just like you. He was here during the last plague, wearing a big set of red armour. Nobody really liked him, especially not father, but he was nice to me." She glanced over to the masked hunter and then looked down at her feet, talking quietly, "And my name is-"

Before she could finish an arrow thudded into the tree next to where Haima was standing. "Don't either of you move or you're next!" a voice called out from the west, in the direction of the village behind the hunters. It sounded like an older man. There was a pause, during which time if either hunter moved an arrow would be fired at them before the voice appeared again, sounding slightly louder, "Alicia, are you ok?" The girl had moved behind the tree during the pause and was now silent.

If they looked behind them they would see a figure dressed in a green tunic with a hood and black pants, holding a bow pointed their way. His face was hidden in the hood but the hands were visible and the skin was pale in colour.

 

[CasketCase]

​

She shifted towards Jacob and away from Haima as the former created a small flame in his hand and mirrored his magic with her own. "I learned it from another hunter, just like you. He was here during the last plague, wearing a big set of red armour. Nobody really liked him, especially not father, but he was nice to me." She glanced over to the masked hunter and then looked down at her feet, talking quietly, "And my name is-"

Before she could finish an arrow thudded into the tree next to where Haima was standing. "Don't either of you move or you're next!" a voice called out from the west, in the direction of the village behind the hunters. It sounded like an older man. There was a pause, during which time if either hunter moved an arrow would be fired at them before the voice appeared again, sounding slightly louder, "Alicia, are you ok?" The girl had moved behind the tree during the pause and was now silent.

If they looked behind them they would see a figure dressed in a green tunic with a hood and black pants, holding a bow pointed their way. His face was hidden in the hood but the hands were visible and the skin was pale in colour.

"You best lower that bow, or else you won't get to pick the seasoning when I make you eat it!"

How dare they?! HOW DARE THEY?!

Logically, he shouldn't have been so surprised that they had been treated so suspiciously, but it should have been fairly obvious that Haima was so far removed from logic by this point in his life. To him, it wasn't the fact that they were treated with hostility (well, maybe a little), but the fact they had chosen poorly with what they were threatening them with. Were they unaware that they were Hunters, or were they just that clueless on what their capabilities were? If he wanted, none of them would survive...

It was then that what was left of his rational mind returned. Despite how rude they were, they were still the people he had sworn to protect. Haima would have to swallow his pride and take the moral high ground if they were to progress in their mission. They were going to have to be civil and talk their way out of these hostilities.

"Is this how you treat all Hunters?" He began, the masked man's voice having gone much more calmer since his previous few outbursts. "...or are you being particularly dense today?" Okay, that could have gone better, but he had consistently proven that he wasn't the man for situations like this. Truly, it was the others' fault for not having someone supervise him.

 

[a touch of dread]

Closer inspection proved she hadn't chased this lead for nothing. Jaynia reached out and closed the youngest body's eyes, just as she had done for the couple before returning to this one. Something prickled in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. Later she would burn the medical gloves she wore, now stained with blood. Raising from her haunches, she followed the footsteps with her eyes. Human, eh? She'd heard her share of stories and been taught her share of information. So... what could this be... Plague victim, or ruthless slaughterer, I'll see with my own eyes.

If she followed the trail now, perhaps she could catch up with the culprit. Jaynia scoffed at the idea soon as it surfaced. I have no death wish. She turned her head back to the city. First, she'd find her brother. There was a chance the trail would grow dead cold by then, but she'd be no use to anyone as a corpse.

She turned from the bodies and began to head to the city, but paused a moment. Turning back, she laid her eyes on the dead, and then the footprints. This age is devoid of heroes, don't kid yourself. A hero would have stopped their deaths from happening. Any thoughts of avenging them was to ease whatever idiotic and misplaced guilt she felt. She wouldn't die for the sake of guilt. She turned once again, this time heading down the path without turning back.

* - * - *
​

She had expected to find Ed in the middle of some antic, grabbing the attention, if not love, of the crowds. But her twin was not to be found in any of the high traffic areas. Nor what she considered his haunts, or their designated meeting spots. Frowning, the huntress braced herself for the next best way to find him. Asking the fixtures, and if that was fruitless, the masses. Which was the icing atop this cake.

 

[Voltin]

"T'was not a threat, my lord; merely a forewarning as to my action were you to decline my initial request, and -- had you a man better at reading tells -- you would already know that it was a contrite fib before confronting me." Rio crossed her arms in front of the lord, unimpressed. "I am still waiting for that name, my lord-?" The doctor was not met with a reply to her words -- something that would have insulted men of lesser composure, but was more of a given for Rio with how the conversation had been strung so far -- but was informed after a few hushed words from lord to servant by the butler that they had free, supervised reign of the place; within reason, of course.

After a moment's thought, Rio took the initiative, and began directing Ed in how they should handle the coming investigation. "Ed, my dear, we shall split here and begin questioning the family; delicately, lest we be thrown out by our ear," her gaze shifted almost coyly to the butler still standing in their presence. "You mentioned before the son -- something about quaint, domestic instruction? -- you'd best speak with him first. I shall go and speak with the mother and daughter; a woman's touch will be most helpful in conversing with the more delicate sex." Rio could almost see the attending guards roll his eyes.

"One more request," she directed her attention to the butler, "the guard who was standing here before, may he lead me? I did most enjoy his company."

After receiving the negative from the negative from the pair's sour attendee, Rio gave a slight frown. "Very well... You there," she turned to the fresh meat of this affair. "I assume you are with me, seeing as how the second master of this house and I are already off to a bad start. Now, take me to the ladies of the house, if you would so please."

With no chatter between the two, except for a simple remark that the daughter was out -- something noteworthy in its own right -- the duo arrived in the lord's common room. Seeing the wife of the lord seated with a book, Rio bowed; a deep thing, with one arm held under her breast to show proper respect. "My lady, the name is Rio Marsues; I am with a small group of hunters who are in town investigating rumors of plague. I hope you are cooperative in this endeavor, and that the garish behavior you may have heard come from me have no impact in our proceedings."

 

[Zeraj]

Jacob wondered if he chosen his words correctly when Haima threatened the new man. Certainly the man could have killed them with the first shot, but he did a warning instead. That had some merit of decency. He was probably just trying to protect the girl who could be his daughter. It would be best if they didn't get into a fight.

Haima's words did ring true. Hunters shouldn't be arbitrarily shot at or even near. People should probably avoid messing with them at all, especially when you see one is obviously armed. Even the lowest of hunters can rip a normal man apart if he had a chaos weapon. And there was two hunters of that caliber against a single man with a bow. Even if he got off one lucky shot, the other hunter would get him. The girl wouldn't be much of a problem either. Fire is hot and would burn, but would not stop a hunter's charge against his prey.

He focused his eyes on the archer, and tried to keep the girl in the side of his vision just in case. Jacob reasoned, "Okay lets be civilized here. We are not hear to hurt your Alicia. In fact, We are here only for information. Lower your bow and on my honor I will make sure no harm comes to you or the girl from either of us." Jacob faced Haima, "Right? We are not to harm these people at all." He returned his gaze back to the archer at directly at the arrow point facing him. "As you can see my hands are already in the air and my fellow hunter here obviously has not taken out any weapons. So lower the bow."

Though Jacob looked calm outwardly, inside he churned with anger. If the man fired, Jacob would definitely attempt to set him aflame. It was only fair. He was on a mission to purge the blight. This man was currently in the path of that mission and he did not care for obstacles. Justice can only be achieved with a persistence to never burn out, and Jacob would never stop burning.

 

[TerraBooma]

Ed waited quietly until Rio left with a guard in toe. Deciding to simply wait until he could leave himself. The son would most likely give him little information, but when there's a small chance, it is better then nothing. The pair of them had been struggling to find many leads, he had to do something, he just wasn't quite sure what.



Walking through the halls, Ed is honestly quite impressed with the quiet grandeur of the area, but he forces himself to focus pretty hard. he had a target to talk to. There was a pretty simple connection he had in mind, the lad had apparently. had trouble with some archery. Ed was pretty skilled in that field as he had demonstrated earlier, the least he could do was offer the boy a few pointers.


Knocking and entering shortly, Ed offered a deep bow to the Lord's Son, before speaking up himself. "Greetings sire, My name is Ed, and I am a hunter investigating various rumours of the plague around town, and while I do have questions for you, let's get to some more important business first. I do believe I've heard you've had some problems in the way of the bow?" He raises a brow, as if curious.

 

[Doughguy]

Jaynia​

As she was returning to the village a group of five guardsmen passed by Rio heading out towards the site of the massacre. As they saw her returning to the village they smiled and the mood seemed to brighten amongst them. Whatever was out there didn't require a hunter which meant it wasn't plague related, good news for them. With an extra perk in their step they continued onwards.

Back in the village, after questioning a few of the fixtures, one of the masses remembered seeing an archer dressed in hunter attire headed towards the lord's manor a while ago. Were Jaynia to head there she would find a single guard on duty outside the house looking annoyed. Upon spotting the hunter he would wave her over. "You're looking for the two other hunters yeah?" he asked her in a cautious tone, "They're inside under the lord's supervision. You want to go in as well?"

~***~

Ed​

The butler followed Ed as he went up the stairs and into the lord's son's bedroom. The room was even grander than the rest of the house, with two large landscape paintings on the walls and a third that was one large window. The rest of the wall space was taken up by filled bookcases. In the centre against one wall was a large poster bed upon which a young adult man was lying. He was on top of the sheets with a book in hand and a pair of glasses on his face. A large gold ring bearing the symbol of Laurence was on his right ring finger. A splint held his left leg in place. Upon Ed entering the room he placed a bookmark in the book before closing it and placing it on the bed beside him.

At Ed's words a slight frowned tilted his mouth downwards. "I assume my father hired you?" he said covering his mouth to cough once, "You'd do best going back to searching for signs of the plague hunter. I have no wish to waste time learning the bow nor learning to hunt beasts in the forest. One attempt was enough for me. If he's paid you keep it and you may leave now." He picked up the book and opened it up to begin reading again, giving no further thought to Ed's presence.

The butler stepped in front of Ed blocking his view of the lord and gestured for him to leave the room, a smile on his face.

~***~

Rio​

After escorting Rio upstairs the guard placed himself against the wall near the staircase, giving the pair room to talk but still within hearing range. His large shield was resting on the ground against his legs and he rolled his shoulders to take advantage of their current freedom. The room was large and spacious with a trio of lounges in the middle forming a square with one side missing. Instead there was a fireplace filling that length which was currently unlit though stacked with wood. The walls on the second floor were a warmer light red in colour with a soft purple carpet underfoot, the lord appeared to take his house colours very seriously.


The lord's wife was also dark skinned and dressed in a red and purple. Dark black hair much longer than her husband's tumbled down her shoulders and there were similar streaks of red in her hair to mirror his. Around her neck was a necklace with a symbol of Laurence hanging off it. She was currently knitting a long purple scarf while seated on a lounge in the centre of the room. As Rio arrived upstairs she acknowledged her presence with a nod but continued her work.


At Rio's words she looked up at the hunter and allowed a small smile as her hands continued without her eyes aiding them. "Oh I do hope you will not be garish with me then. We ladies must be able to converse without the aggression the men love. Please, sit." she gestured to the lounge to her left that was closest to Rio. "Norve hasn't said anything to me about you, I wasn't even aware that we had guests. He likes to storm back and forth from his study during the day doing his work. Ah, Gerald must be more astute in letting me know these things."

She finally put the knitting down and gave the other woman her full attention, "How can I help you with your investigation?" she asked, touching the symbol on her necklace, "We must all be vigilant in fighting against the plague."

~***~

Haima and Jacob​

The man behind them was unperturbed by Haime's threats and insults. He kept the bow raised and pointed at the more obvious threat of Haime given the pairs different reactions. "It doesn't matter if you're outlaws, farmers or hunters. You will be treated the same way if you threaten Lord Jundai's daughter. Now where is she? I heard her voice." he drew back slightly further on the bow.

Finally realising the possibly fatal trouble she was causing the girl stepped out from behind the tree. "I-it's ok Hammond, I'm safe, they're not threatening me." Without looking at the two hunters she walked towards the other man guiltily and stopped shortly before him. "I'm sorry."

Seeing her safe the man lowered his bow and placed the arrow he had knocked back into his. "You ran away … again. Without saying a word. Were you practicing the forbidden arts?" he looked up at the hunters, "Were you two encouraging her?" he demanded. Alicia shifted awkwardly and didn't answer his question towards her.

 

[a touch of dread]

A lord's manor? What was her brother doing there? Whatever it was, it proved him right. He'd told her that being a Hunter would come with access and freedom of range that they wouldn't have as regular travelers. She grumbled, realizing that's another thing she'd have to admit.

Arriving at the large building, she only had to wonder how to get in for a tick. The guard waved her over the moment their eyes met. Jogging to him, she listened as he confirmed that her brother was in there. Well, her brother, or two other hunters. Either would work, the former was preferred. She wasn't at the point where she trusted the others with her back.

"Yes," she said simply, wondering offhandedly if the glorified doorman would recognize her face as resembling Ed's. Probably not, with his job of seeing all sorts of people come and go, faces were probably a blur. And to top it, her hat shaded and obscured view of her mug. "Urgent hunter business that I must discuss with the Archer... and the other hunter," she added as an afterthought. "If you don't like the thought of me going in, then it'd be all the same if you called them out here."

 

[CasketCase]

​

The man behind them was unperturbed by Haima's threats and insults. He kept the bow raised and pointed at the more obvious threat of Haima given the pairs different reactions. "It doesn't matter if you're outlaws, farmers or hunters. You will be treated the same way if you threaten Lord Jundai's daughter. Now where is she? I heard her voice." he drew back slightly further on the bow.

Finally realising the possibly fatal trouble she was causing the girl stepped out from behind the tree. "I-it's ok Hammond, I'm safe, they're not threatening me." Without looking at the two hunters she walked towards the other man guiltily and stopped shortly before him. "I'm sorry."

Seeing her safe the man lowered his bow and placed the arrow he had knocked back into his. "You ran away … again. Without saying a word. Were you practicing the forbidden arts?" he looked up at the hunters, "Were you two encouraging her?" he demanded. Alicia shifted awkwardly and didn't answer his question towards her.

Haima tilted his head to the side until the one known as Hammond was horizontal in his vision. This one was either completely apathetic to life around him, utterly devoid of common sense, or had the ability to live without fear. After a few moments of observation, Haima was still uncertain which one it was. Not that it mattered, though, for this Hammond was still going to be force fed his bow soon enough. In the meanwhile, there was something to be said about the man's habits of throwing accusations out like a mad man tossing his life's savings onto the streets as an act of charity.

"There's an amusing thing about the forbidden arts...they're often forbidden."

Of course it didn't make sense, nothing the masked man said often did.

"You see, making things forbidden does funny things to people...like burning family and neighbors at the stake." A dark chuckle overcame the hunter as gruesome memories flashed across his twisted mind. Superstition was the great equalizer, for no one was safe when the masses were stirred up in a fearful frenzy. By the time the damage was done and the blood of the innocents had been spilled, it was often shown that great panic they all feared was a ruse; either that, or they simply needed to seek a mirror if they truly wished to find those worthy of death.

"You look upon the butchers of beasts and presume we're teaching your Lord's daughter something so troublesome? Perhaps would be best if the plague did fester a bit. It would certainly weed out some of the fools like yourself."

 

[TerraBooma]

Al sighed as the butler blocked his view of the lord's room, it appeared things wouldn't be...quite so simple. The butler was more then eager to send Al packing with a snobby smirk sat squarely atop his smug face. He'd have to think quickly, because if he played his original plan of being a teacher for hire by the lord...well, it was clear the boy had no interest in that route.


But what to say? The boy was more intellecutally focused then physical, as he had proven, so mayhaps...now was the time to simply speak the truth.


"My lord, I beg your forgiveness, I am not a teacher, nor has your father hired me." He says, pushing back into the room, past the somehwat suprised Butler.


"I will admit it is my curiosity about your failings with a bow that brought me here, however there are some questions I wish to ask, if you so wish to give me the time to answer them. It would take but a moment of your time, and as I am a hunter after all, mayhaps my questions shall peak your interest?"

 

[Voltin]

Rio, being surprisingly demure to the lady of the house, sat as she was beckoned. "Ah, a follower of Laurence, are you? I may not be the most ardent of his worshipers, but I do respect anyone with pious devotion." She bowed her head lightly. "That is to say, you have my respect, m'lady.

"And was that you're husband's name? Norve? Speaking of which, would you do me the pleasure of informing me of your name? I do so hate not knowing such minute details.

The doctor cleared her throat before continuing with less chatter and more business. "Now, I shall try to keep my questions short, as the longer a conversion holds, the less my patience will.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar about town?" Rio said this, yet expected little in return. From the idle whispers about the small trading town, not much was seen of the lady of the house, let alone known about her.

"What about your family...? I understand how this can be a sensitive question, but as a devotee to Laurence, you must understand that the sooner we hunters stop even the first warning signs of the plague, the less pandemonium that is to spread from their infection."

 

[Zeraj]

Jacob once again could not understand his hunting companion. The way he continued to add more fuel to the fire did not help with the situation. This woman was apparently the local region's nobility. His own rage at the hunter subsided as he continued to think. Killing one of the Lord's men and his daughter would certainly bring the ire of the Lord and city itself. That would certainly hinder their efforts in containing any plague. Fighting soldiers wouldn't be that difficult, but would be unnecessary and waste of his valuable time. But if he somehow contained this situation and got aid from the Lord through his daughter, then perhaps he can find the plague faster. It was certainly good possibility.

Jacob sighed. He just had to somehow mitigate the damage caused. If only she wasn't using magic. The world was stupid enough with their beliefs about it. He didn't care if magic corrupts or caused madness. It was a necessary tool to destroy evil.

It was about time to attempt the impossible. Jacob spoke calmly but bits of his irritation shown through, "Okay! This is getting out of hand. First of all, thank you for lowering you bow. Second, what she does with her time doesn't concern us. We care only for the coming plague. Anyway you should be grateful that more people like her is learning something useful." Jacob's didn't mean to say that last comment, but the his annoyance at the ignorance of people was boiling inside.

Jacob took a deep breath and continued, "Okay now that its established we aren't out to hurt her or anyone in this town. Do either of you have any information on the coming plague? Suspicious activities. Missing people or livestock. I'd like to finish my duty and be on my way to continue doing so. Then we'll be gone and you won't have to deal with us until the next plague comes around."

 

[Doughguy]

Jaynia​

The guard looked Jaynia over, then swiveled to look at the house, before returning his gaze to the hunter. He contemplated what he could do. "If it's urgent hunter business … you should just go in. I would be remiss in my duties to leave the front of the house unguarded, but I would also be remiss to obstruct your work as a valiant hunter. You should go inside and look for them yourself. If you see the lord or the butler just tell them it was too urgent to wait for them." He seemed a little nervous as he swallowed but overall sure in his words.

~***~

Ed​

The lord's son sighed and put his book down once again, brows knotting together into a scowl. "If you're going to ask about the plague then I really cannot help you. I've been bed ridden for the last two days and haven't been outside. If I'd seen anyone with signs of the plague before then they'd have turned by now. Perhaps my sister could help you if you find her. Father cares little for her and lets her run about town as she wishes, a girl isn't very useful for continuing on the family name after all." The disdain was clear in his voice.

"I suppose if you have other questions that aren't plague related I could answer them for you. If you're capable of understanding my answers that is. Or truly piquing my interest in the first place which I doubt. Well then? It might be better you just leave before you embarrass yourself." His tone had become very aggressive as he continued speaking. His speech had also picked up in pace, rushing the end out and becoming short of breath. In response the butler moved closer, ready to act if he was needed.

~***~

Rio​

The lady of the house raised one hand to her necklace and touched it again, smiling softly as the hunter complimented the ornament. A look of surprise and guilt then took over her face. "Oh deary me, how could I be so rude. I am so used to my husband or Gerald introducing me I forgot. My husband's name is indeed Norve, and I myself am named Pelia. I am quite sorry for my rudeness." She did a small curtsy sort of thing in the seated position out of respect.

"I'm afraid I cannot be much help in your search to root out the plague. I do not go out much and associate with the commoners like my daughter. But Norve is very vigilant in his defence against the plague. He keeps a very good eye out and makes sure the town guard does as well. Though he says the captain is one of the fools who likes to think just because almost two years have passed the plague is now over." She leaned in towards Rio, "We're smarter than that here." she finished in a hushed tone, a little joyful smile on her face. Her hands and eyes then both returned to the knitting as she answered Rio's second question, "Within the house Laurence himself protects us. If you explore around you will find a symbol of his in every one of the rooms, warding it away. That' why we wear his symbol on our person as well. The plague can't get to any of us in here." She looked up from the knitting to smile at Rio once more.

~***~

Haima and Jacob​

Haima certainly wasn't helping the hunter's cause with his words. The man took an aggressive step forward, placing himself between the pair and the girl. He pulled down the hood that had been covering his face to reveal a bald, middle aged man with bright blue eyes and sun darkened skin that had once been pale. If there had been an expected reaction from the action it was lost on the hunters who wouldn't recognise him at all. He appeared ready to lash out in return at the crazy one when Jacob spoke up, shifting his attention to him.

"You at least seem halfway reasonable." the archer started, "But as long as that other one is with you I won't be letting the lord's daughter stay here. He's clearly unstable even as hunters go. I would watch out for him if I were you." He turned back to Haima and bared his teeth. "Don't think about coming near any of the lord's," his indignant speech was interrupted by a brief cough, "family again. Lord Jundai himself will hear of this." As he turned back to Alicia he coughed again. "Come on girl, lets," he coughed a third time, "get going."

"Are you ok Hammond?" the girl asked in reply, concern in her voice.

"Of course. Just a …" another cough, "cold." He hunched over and place done of his hands on her shoulder for support as a coughing fit overcame him.

"H-Hammond, you're hurting me." The man's knuckles had gone white as they squeezed down on the girl's shoulder. Now the skin of his head was exposed the hunters could see the flesh was rippling as change become to work its magic. "Hammond please!" Alicia had grabbed his arm but was unable to pull it off despite her best efforts, the pair were locked together as he coughed his lungs out.

~***~

All​

Had any of the hunters who encountered the first victim of the Kraken plague still been alive, they would have remarked that on this day, in the morning, two years ago, the first beast had been born.​

 

[CasketCase]

​

"Of course. Just a …" another cough, "cold." He hunched over and place done of his hands on her shoulder for support as a coughing fit overcame him.

"H-Hammond, you're hurting me." The man's knuckles had gone white as they squeezed down on the girl's shoulder. Now the skin of his head was exposed the hunters could see the flesh was rippling as change become to work its magic. "Hammond please!" Alicia had grabbed his arm but was unable to pull it off despite her best efforts, the pair were locked together as he coughed his lungs out.

A dark laughter came across the hunter as he watched the man convulse and shudder through the changes the plague forced the human body through. "Hehehe...and you call me the unstable one? How cute..."

After spending far too much time playing nice and subjecting himself to the boredom of peace, it felt nice to finally get to work. Casually would he approach the two interlocked, the hunter's laughter refusing to cease. Whipping his right arm to the side, those dark robes parted briefly to reveal the well-worn leather armor beneath and, more importantly, the faint gleam of steel of his weapon as he brandished it. Stained by blood and wrapped by bandages, the weapon known as Durante's Axe resembled little more than the result of someone attaching a guillotine blade to a handle. Without so much as a warning to poor Alicia, Haima lunged forth, his weapon descending in a vertical chop seeking to rid Hammond of the same arm that kept her in place.

"Don't worry..." Haima cooed to Hammond. "...Why should I worry about some Lord when you're the one I want?"

 

[TerraBooma]

Ed raised a brow. Something here, was very wrong, but it would be no good to simply blurt out his accusations. If his worst fears were true, it appeared the town may be as close to doomed as humanely possible. The lord's son was lying, it was simple enough. He claimed to have been in bed for two days...but the guard claimed one. That was a contradiction that meant one of two things. The guard knew not nearly enough of the situation....or the lord was blatantly lying.


There were two scenarios...

Scenario A) The guard simply is an idiot, and the Son was telling the truth. In this scenario, there is no way the son could have the plague, as it has been a whole two days, and he would have turned by then with an old strain.

Scenario B) The lord's son is blatantly lying, and he in fact only injured himself The Day before the guard telling Ed himself of the lord's accident. This would be bad, especially with the Son's accelerated breathing after simply speaking for an extended period of time. Even if it's being done so aggressively.


Either way, something weird was going on in this town. And he'd have to think of something. An idea comes to Ed's mind, a risky one, but an idea nontheless. But first...questions.

"I see my presence is in fact not wished here, I shall ask a simple question before I go and request information from someone a bit more talkative. What might be your sister's name? It would be odd if i ran up to her without at least knowing that, speaking with a lady does requite some etiquette after all. And if you do not mind, your own would be appreciated." he flashes a trademark smile as he awaits for an answer, and after that, would pause before the son could ramble on for some long in some sort of superiority speech. "I have the information I have requested sirah, thank you." Walking towards the door, he would suddenly tap himself on the head, the motion containing a spell that would cast a soft ball of wind down on the lord's leg. To an unjured man, this would be nothing. To one with a shattered leg...it would be more then uncomfortable.


Turning around, he lets out a large, long, extravagant bow. If his previous action had not gotten any response from the lord' son, this would be a much stronger, harder ball of air directed down at the lord's leg in a concentrated burst. This would feel odd to an uninjured man, maybe request the window be closed. To someone with a serious leg injury...This would cause not just a small amount of distress.


"I apologize my lord, but I do believe a bow is proper behavior when leaving one of your stature? Hrm." He looks around, puzzled. "What an odd breeze..."



And on that note, he span around and left the room, deciding to find his way to either Rio or to interrogate a doctor, if he ran into someone who clearly resembled one.

 

[Voltin]

Rio chuckled at the lady's small curtsy and perhaps overly courteous manner, feeling at ease in the woman's presence to do so despite having only just met her. "It is quite alright, my lady Pelia. Most generally don't care to give names, instead acting in some form of anonymity when dealing with others. Names hold a certain kind of power over people; meaning."

The hunter cleared her throat once more; a developing tick the doctor was going to have to get rid of, she noted. "Pardon the non sequitur, my lady. Let us continue with matters at hand."

The lady mentioned her daughter. "Ah, would you mind telling me more about her? Where she might be at this time? Your household staff did inform me that she was not present at the house today.

"Of course, my lady," Rio was agreeing neutrally as Pelia resumed her knitting. The tumbling of the needles was almost hypnotizing as their worker continued to speak; her words putting a small frown on the hunter's face. It had been a hotly debated topic while she was at Kel'Zan; whether there was such a thing as divine intervention, or if the gods were simply callous enough to ignore the plight of their followers, let alone the rest of the people. There were, of course, also the stray heretic who would simply say the gods don't exist. In the Theocracy, they were not given much heed. So when the lady said this, Rio forced her mouth into a smile. "Of course, my lady."

After being told whatever information Pelia had to share on her daughter, Rio stood. "It has been nice speaking to you, my lady. Perhaps if I am ever in the area again and not on such urgent matters, you will receive me again? None the less, I thank you for your cooperation, but I must be going." She bowed. "Farewell." Rio turned on her heel and was out of the room.