isleofavalon | [open] some dark web quests~

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[open] some dark web quests~

🧙 WHO: Klaudia and anyone!
⚔️️ WHAT: Some spooky apparition and ransom note quests
🕒 WHEN: Towards the end of the month, after the solstice
🗺️ WHERE: Network and around Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: implied animal harm, [explicit animal cracker harm], ghosts???

☠🛡️ Creepers [Around Camelot]

It's nighttime in Camelot. The moon is at least mostly full, so it's not as dark as it could be; but the streets are quiet and most everyone should be in bed.

Maybe you're walking alone through the town, when you catch a glimmer of... something(?) out of the corner of your eye. Seven feet tall and glowing faintly, it looks almost human, except the limbs are entirely too long and move with unnatural joints. The face remains indistinguishable, and when you snap your attention for a closer look--it's not there anymore.

Or maybe you're enjoying a quiet evening at home, minding your own business when a ghostly visage appears in the window. Doesn't matter if it's the first floor or the second floor. It's close enough to the window that you should see its breath--only there is no fog on the glass. Just a faintly human-shaped slightly-glowing face with no distinguishable features. It presses its white glowing hand up against the glass, and the mouth(?) slowly opens wide like a scream, before it sinks below the window frame and out of view. The glow fades shortly after.

Or maybe you're looking for whatever this thing is? It's appeared a few times now, and people are starting to Talk. Is there some new horror unleashed on the town, or is someone just pulling a prank?

☠🛡️ Ransom [Over the network]

[An anonymous video post appears on the network. As it starts, it's clearly the middle of the night, though there's very little to set the scene by. The camera is facing down at the ground, which is primarily a barren patch of reddish dirt with some shoots of grass. Some sort of artificial light hangs overhead, illuminating the ground where a bunch of animal crackers have been laid out on the dirt. All of the animal shapes are rabbits, and for every single one, the head has been meticulously snapped off of the body. The heads are scattered about carelessly, but the bodies have been arranged to form a message:]

999,999,999G FOR THE SAFE RETURN OF LORD AND LADY FUZZLERTON
FAILURE TO PAY WILL BE EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT

[Two rabbit crackers have been placed facing each other at the bottom of the message, wholly intact and awaiting their fate.]

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[What the hell just looked through the window?! Hijikata was getting himself a late night drink from the vending machine on the second floor of the hotel when... something pressed its indistinct glowing face and hand against the glass nearby. He can feel the hairs in the back of his neck stand up as he sprints upstairs to his room on the third floor. Part of him really doesn't want to look into this, but the duty-bound, death-magic-equipped cop side of him outweighs that little voice of reason, so he opens the window (the one by the vending machine couldn't be opened) to lean out and look for... whatever that was.]

..?

[The scene outside is dark, save for the light of the almost-full moon. Whatever that glowing apparition was, it doesn't appear to be in sight of the windows anymore.]

[There is however, a faint rustling coming from the bushes below the windows, as if someone is trying to move quietly through them; and from his vantage point, he might be able to glimpse a darkly cloak figure for a moment.]

[Oho!! Well, damn if that isn't suspicious! He immediately assumes that he just witnessed an act of illicit magic - what if that spooky thing he saw was a ghoul of some sort being let loose to wreak havoc on an individual or the general population? Whatever it was, it looked like bad news!

His first impulse is to yell a threat and simply jump the cloaked suspect, but maybe that's not the best idea when he's up this high. Instead he gauges that the person's careful movements give him a chance to rush downstairs and still catch them. He closes the window quietly, and less than a minute later he storms up to the bushes on ground level, his sword in one hand and a magical flame in the other.]

You there in the bushes!! Show yourself! You're surrounded!

[The movement in the bushes freezes the moment that Hijikata approaches in such a noisy manner. It is, in fact, Klaudia who has hidden herself in the bushes, though she doesn't reveal herself just yet. She's a little terrified, to be honest.

She hadn't heard any screams or shouts, so she'd assumed that no one had noticed her light magic, and was moving to a different place to try her prank again. No one was supposed to come charging immediately over to her hiding spot and demand that she come out--and especially not this guy. What happened to his disposition from before? Wasn't he supposed to be screaming his cowardly head off?

Several seconds of silence pass, and then more shifting as she reaches for the iron rod that she uses as a weapon... Just in case. Her hushed whisper comes back as a response as few seconds after that:]

Go away! I'm not surrounded, and you're being noisy!

Edited (typoes) 2021-07-01 20:04 (UTC)

[To Hijikata's credit, much as he's been neglecting his elemental magic (it's been half a year and he can still only use fire!), he has been putting some effort into his death magic. Given his fear of ghosts that really demanded dedication from him, and by now he's at the point where he can talk to some ghosts he knows without breaking a sweat... but that doesn't mean that ghosts in unexpected places won't still scare the living daylights out of him. Klaudia's prank just now definitely frightened him, so that's her mission accomplished! But since the spectre seems to be gone and he's confident that the person in the bushes is mortal he's being bold again right now.]

You're totally surrounded, and the police is always loud!

[Wait a moment, though... doesn't he recognise that voice?]

Klaudia?

[He still has unfinished business with her over how she trapped him in his hotel room for over 20 hours the other month!! Sure, he had water and mayonnaise, and at the very least he could play with his Mayorins until the bitter end, but it was so goddamn mortifying (and terrifying, but he doesn't want to admit that) to be stuck in room without doors and windows! Still, for the moment he needs to focus on the situation at hand.]

What the hell are you up to? That huge glowing apparition was your doing, wasn't it?

[It's good for her that he can't see her face yet because she's doing a lot of mental math right now, and she doesn't need to be guarding her expression while doing that.]

[He saw the "ghost"--and he found her here. She can't reasonably say that she didn't see the thing, so feigning ignorance is out. There's no reason for her to be in the bushes unless she's hiding from something... But that doesn't mean she has to tell the truth about who (or what) she's hiding from.]

Don't be stupid. If I was able to make ghosts, I'd make sure you were haunted night and day.

[She pokes her head out of the bush in order to glower up at him properly. Unfortunately, there's a bit of twig stuck in her hair.]

I'm investigating a ghost sighting, and trying not to get eaten by said ghost. Is that a crime?

[Somehow he always falls for her explanations... maybe it's because it makes so much sense that if she could make ghosts she'd long have haunted his ass. He finally lowers his voice a little too.]

So you're after that big one too? Did you see where it went? Oh wait, you can't see them, can you... unless it wasn't a ghost but something else?

[For better or worse, now she's stuck with a gullible cop who thinks they're ghost-hunting. Also he's not removing that twig; he needs any smidgen of comic relief he can get in this spooky night.]

[Crap... Right, she's not supposed to see them here. But they could see the weird whatever-those-things-were in Celliwig, so it can't be a universal rule, can it? She gets reasonably distracted for a few seconds, thinking about those particulars, before realizing she needs to focus on her story.]

I... don't know what it was. I think there's ghost-like things that are visible but not exactly ghosts--which is why I thought I should study it. It's about as close as I'm going to get to seeing a real ghost!

[She really has no idea what she's doing here. Getting caught was not part of any plan she made, but she's rolling with it.]

[Taking a cautious look around, she crawls out of the bush fully and brushes off her skirt. Sadly, her hands also go to smooth down her hair, where she finds the broken bit of twig and pulls it free, flicking it off into the night.]

I think it was heading around the corner of the building when it disappeared... I don't know where it went after that.

[To be fair, Hijikata isn't exactly an authority on the various local spirits and spectres, so if non-death-magic users can see some kinds, then that's just how it is... perhaps "regular" ghosts can also make themselves visible at times, be it through willpower or energy generation or whatever else. He doesn't know.]

You still want to see a ghost so badly, huh... it really isn't all that. It can get pretty gnarly.

[Aw, there goes his (very temporary) emotional support twig!]

Let's see if we can find it again. Do you have any idea what it might be? I haven't seen any ghost or ghost-adjacent thing this big before...

[He shudders slightly as he remembers the folk tales of giant skeletons, gashadokuro, from back home. What if that vague pale thing they saw was one of those? He didn't get a skeletal impression of it, but he only saw it briefly through a window...]

Edited 2021-07-03 01:30 (UTC)

[...Is he expecting her to be grossed out by a ghost? Like that's any worse than walking skeletons with their clothes practically rotting off of them. Maybe it's the meaty part that's gross? Or the wounds? ...Either way, he really has no idea the sorts of things she's seen already.]

[...And maybe she should keep it that way a little longer. Or at least be as vague as possible. She gives a shrug, a frown still knotting her brows.]

I have a strong stomach. "Gnarly" ghosts aren't going to bother me. [A pause...] I don't know what it is, but if you want to lead the way, go ahead. If you pass out from fright, I promise I'll at least drag you into the bushes.

Well, thanks for that.

[He heaves a sigh, then looks around (not seeing anything unusual, naturally) before hesitantly walking in the direction the apparition seemed to be headed in when it passed by the window.]

If we can't find it within half an hour let's call it a night. I'm not hearing any alarms, so maybe it's not dangerous but just... passing through.

[Okay, that sounds like a half-assed explanation even to himself, but he doesn't want to hunt a colossal ghost creature all night! It'd suck to chase after the spectre in the darkness to no avail and then crash at dawn. He has plans for tomorrow!]

You're welcome~

[Despite the serious nature of this "ghost hunt", it would be weird if she didn't rib him, right? So she'll do so cheerfully and with little remorse. When he starts to move off, she follows but lingers almost directly behind him, like she's using him as a shield.]

Do you really believe that? Or are you just pretending so you can run away with a clear conscience?

[He's keenly aware that he's being used as a meat shield, but there's nothing he can really do about it. Asking the civilian to walk in front would really give her ammunition!]

Don't be nonsensical, now! I'd never do that. It's just, if it disappeared into thin air, then we don't really have any leads, do we?

[Actually--]

Since you're such a big fan of them: if you were a big-ass ghost, where would you go?

[Hijikata has earned himself an eyeroll for his troubles, but he turns the question back on her too quickly for her to provoke him further.]

No idea! Lucky for you, I've never been a ghost, so I wouldn't know.

[She hasn't forgotten her promise to haunt him if she dies, even if it was an empty threat. She's obviously not planning on dying anytime soon, but she hopes he remembers anyway.]

[Though, speaking of ghosts... If she doesn't want to look too suspicious, then maybe there should be another appearance of said ghost. Wouldn't that be a good alibi if she was here with him when it showed up?]

[She's careful to make sure that his attention is focused out ahead of them--and then makes a few small motions with her hands behind his back. In the distance, close to another residence, the tall ghost-figure fades into view. It crouches down to the first floor window, pressing its hand against the glass and moving its face close.]

[Oh, he definitely remembers that promise (wasn't it more of a threat, really?), and he has no intention of letting her die on his watch... but he almost bowls her over in a panicked back-up motion when the tall spectral creature suddenly appears again.]

Th-there!!

...

What the hell is it doing? Just peeping on the people?

[Creepy!! He doesn't want that thing watching him sleep, so he doesn't wish that on anybody else either! He quickly regains his composure, hoping Klaudia will lets this slide for once.]

I'm going to give it a warning.

[He squares his shoulders and briskly marches towards the apparition, one hand on his sword hilt, useless as it'll be in case of an altercation. He'll just treat it as a peeping creeper rather than a spooky ghoul, that should do the trick! And even then, he's a death mage!! He isn't afraid! This will definitely be true if only he tells himself fervently enough! Once he's within hearing distance he calls out to the ghost.]

Hey, Sir or Madam? May I ask what you're doing?

[He almost stumbles in her, and she has to put a hand on his back to keep from getting bowled over. Oh, how bad that could have gone to lose her concentration on the spell right there. So risky...]

[But the moment passes and he starts to storm closer--a surprising reaction. Any thought of teasing him for his reaction before is put on pause.]

What? Really?

[This new backbone of his is interesting... And she's supposed to be scaring people! If she can't even scare this guy, what is she doing?]

[She follows after him, but lagging by a few feet. She hears him address her apparition, but unfortunately a creature made of light can't make sound and can't respond in a manner like that. So she has to improvise...]

[The apparition turns to look at Hijikata, then turns its head to the side ninety degrees. It's mouth opens, but no sound comes out. The jaw hangs groutesquely, sagging sideways as it opens wider and wider... The whole creature begins to melt like liquid into the ground.]

[Honestly, even if the ghost had disappeared upon Hijikata's collision with Klaudia it's doubtful whether he'd have put two and two together. He can be pretty slow on the uptake, after all. As the spectre turns towards him, so slow and eerie in its motions, he stops his approach and just stares... and when it sags and melts and disappears he's visibly horrified, all bravery gone.]

...

I-it left. We can turn back, I'd say.

[This is too much!! He won't even be able to sleep now! Why did he have to see that?! That melting ghoul face will haunt his dreams!]

(Apologies for the super delayed response. September and October took me out. If this thread is too old, feel free to ignore; I'm just slowly clearing out my inbox.)

[It's all Klaudia can do not to start laughing. So much for whatever backbone he was developing. This guy... how did someone like him end up with death magic anyway? She thought that the magic was more attuned to people who had an affinity for it, but apparently not.]

Are you sure? What if it comes back?

[The most innocent of questions.]

[Hijikata can barely suppress a full-body wince. Why did she have to ask that?! He opens his mouth, wanting to say that they'd best inform the local authorities and leave it to them, but he's a death mage and an aspiring knight, so how shoddy would that look?]

If it comes back, then...

[He hopes it sounds like a purposeful, meaningful pause, but he's actually frantically grasping for a justification to head back to the hotel.]

Then how can we tell where it'll appear? It may just pop back up all the way in Celliwig. Who knows?

[After a moment, Klaudia nods along like he has a good point. It could pop up anywhere! How could they possibly be able to follow it? What a shame.]

That's true. And if it does pop up somewhere and attacks the living or consumes their souls or something... then it's not really our fault, right? It's not like there's anything that we can do.

[Hijikata had already started to relax at her apparent agreement, so what she says next makes him want to whine in frustration (he suppresses it, though).]

Well... that...

[Ughhhhh!! Why is she like this?!]

That'd be terrible, of course. So let me inform the police, and we'll also keep an eye on the perimeter.

[We. If he has to stay out here, then so does she! He's not facing this horror alone!]

[Oh. Well. That changes things. It's one thing to run around scaring people, but she really doesn't want to get more authorities involved... She doesn't want to be attached to this in any formal capacity.]

Well, you can have fun with that. If there's no ghost here, I'm out.

[And she's going to turn and start walking away.]

There's no ghost here now!! Wasn't it you who said--

[He breaks off with a mix of a sigh and a groan, then wearily takes out his phone to go through with his plan and inform the police of the ghost sighting so they can dispatch some trained death mages or whatever.

He wants to tell Klaudia to not olly out and leave him behind to possibly have his soul consumed, but how can he really command a civilian to stay on ghost watch duty with him? (Never mind that he's a civilian too; he just can't not make his life harder than it needs to be by shouldering unnecessary responsibilities.) It'd only be one more thing for her to hold against him. She can probably hear the whiny strain in his voice as his call is accepted.]

This is Toshirou Hijikata. I want to report a strange ghost-like being that's been moving around in the city centre. Yes, I can give you a description...

[Why does he feel like he has the longest night ahead of him?]

[Oh man. He's glad he's not the only one who decided to engage in this stupid quest, and this version is also extremely funny. He spends a couple minutes laughing at it before replying:]

You fiend.

A true villain, in fact. Or am I?

Maybe I'm just a messenger facilitating the recovery of these poor rabbits. In which case, wouldn't I be a hero?

I dunno, are you giving that 999,999,999G to charity? Then I've gotta admit you're doing some real good in the world.

Besides, I've heard those rabbits are jerks.

It doesn't really matter where the money goes, since money is worthless anyway. What matters is that those sweet bunnies get back home with all of their limbs intact. The more compelling the note, the faster that happens, right?

Are they? I am starting to think all rabbits are jerks. Maybe their cute and fluffy exterior is just a masterful deception.

Edited 2021-07-01 19:51 (UTC)

lol. It sounds like it takes one to know one. You've got a way with words.

You think so? I think that's the first time anyone's said that to me.

Well, said that and made it sound like a good thing, I think.

Yeah, it was a compliment. Maybe it took the power of anon to bring it out of you. People say all kinds of crazy shit when there's no name attached to it.

Hmm. That's true, but I'm not like that.

I haven't said anything that I wouldn't say if you knew who I was. After all, *I* haven't hurt anyone. And nothing I said was wrong.

[ Or maybe you're enjoying a quiet evening at home, minding your own business when a ghostly visage appears in the window. Doesn't matter if it's the first floor or the second floor. It's close enough to the window that you should see its breath--only there is no fog on the glass. Just a faintly human-shaped slightly-glowing face with no distinguishable features. It presses its white glowing hand up against the glass, and the mouth(?) slowly opens wide like a scream, before it sinks below the window frame and out of view. The glow fades shortly after.

The window opens, the Knight sticks his head out. ]

Hello would you care to join me for a drink?

[ He was asking the ghost thing, come back. ]

[...When she was preparing this practical joke, Klaudia had not considered that some people might have the same opinions of ghosts that she did. Or at least the resolve to not be afraid of them.]

[The illusion of the creepy apparition is gone, but she's down in the bushes with a dark cloak pulled up over her hair and horns, huddled against the wall of the building. Maybe if she's really quiet, they'll give up? She's kinda stuck here not making a sound until they do...]

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[open] some dark web quests~

Creepers

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Ransom; un: wolfcountry

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☠🛡️ Creepers [Around Camelot]

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