isleofavalon | March Adventures

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March Adventures

WHO: Hijikata and... YOU?
WHAT: Hanging out with his ghosts (and perhaps a visitor?) and questing!
WHEN: Throughout the first half-ish of March
WHERE: Forest of the Felled, Ash Mountains, Nicnevin
WARNINGS: Past fatal injury descriptions (including that burned ghost from last time) in Prompt 1, violence against the undead in Prompt 2A, violence against anthropophagi in Prompt 2B!

1) Back Home

[After the siege last month Hijikata spent about a week at Rinea's place in Camelot City to recover from the after-effects of Augusto's curse and the draining ritual Morganna asked them all to perform, but as soon as the new month arrived he convinced her that he was well enough to head home. He knew there was much repair work to be done in the city, plus the preparation of the farms north of the city and around at least one of the new townships, but he desperately needed to get away from it all for a little while - not so much because of the people, but because he was internally grappling with his first-hand experience of the illness that killed the woman he loved back home.

Now he's back at the outskirts of the Forest of the Felled, and at least on this evening his gloomy thoughts are dispersing as he spends time with his ghost subordinates (not all of them; one division is in Camelot City while the other one has a night off). Life has been returning to the forest now that it's free of vengeful ghosts and the dark season is drawing to a close, from young plants to the colourful prism tweeter birds that migrated here. Hijikata made a small campfire halfway between the hut and the bridge, his two pet compsognathuses are running around and playing after devouring a whole lot of cat food (he can't be arsed to buy them expensive meat from the butcher anymore), and the ghosts are working on their spirit magic. Tonight is an important occasion since several of them want to implement a permanent appearance change spell after much practice.

Everybody watches as they do their best, and Hijikata feels deep satisfaction and gratitude as he sees each of them succeed. Ugly flesh wounds disappear from a young man's form, the gaping cleft between an elder spectre's neck and shoulder closes up, and the young woman Hijikata only knew as a charred, blackened body that always drew a ghostly cloud of smoke behind her gets her skin and features restored. Their comrades are happy for them and congratulate them, and Hijikata pours more beer into the fire to vaporise and raises his own mayonnaise-filled Bottomless Mug.]

Well done! You've all been working hard to protect the living here on Avalon, but don't forget to look after yourselves, too.

[Leading the currently 20 ghosts has been a veritable full-time job in which he doesn't only need to give them orders but also also listen to their concerns, complaints, worries and fears, resolve any conflicts they can't resolve among themselves, encourage and try to comfort them when they're in a crisis... that's what makes a good Commander, isn't it? He can only hope that he's been doing right by them. Seeing them happy now, floating around and mingling around the small fire, chatting and laughing and practising smaller magical feats, he feels like he has.

It's a remote area, but if anyone finds their way across the Bridge of the Pure of Heart they'll be welcome to join in, even if they can't see his subordinates.]

2) Quests

A ⦿ Our Neighbour Growboro (for

itsmypower)

[2 months ago Hijikata and Shoto took care of their first official quest as knight and squire, and it was a great success - apparently they both are so adept at hiding their emotions, and so fast and brash in their way of attacking, that they easily subdued the dangerous enemy before any cognitive magic attack could be levelled at them.

This time they decided to tackle the matter of the undead creatures loitering in the ruins of the southernmost mountain and scaring off the benevolent forest spirits. By now Hijikata managed to procure some gear to protect him from the daylight, so he currently looks like a mix of a motorcyclist, a ninja, a special operations soldier, and a knight (since he's still wearing his chainmail-enforced cloak on top of the double-layered full-coverage suit). He's grateful he was able to procure the outfit; coming here at night would have made the fight much harder for him and Shoto. Naturally he filled his squire in on his predicament.]

Ugh... I think I can already smell them, even with this helmet on. It's got to be zombies, maybe skeletons too. Let's put them back in the ground where they belong.

[Unless Shoto has other ideas about that - luring the undead away from this location shouldn't be too difficult.]

B ⦿ Knight Quest (for

luciing)

[Last year Hijikata and Somnus tried to investigate the mysterious anthropophagi quest and whether it resulted in any such creatures actually being summoned to Avalon, but their search left them in a dead end... until now.

As soon as Hijikata learns what the latest knight quest entails he loses no time contacting Somnus. He's very relieved to find the other man back among the living after he perished during the siege - it seems that he found a competent necromancer. Part of Hijikata thinks that he really should start studying up on that discipline of death magic, but another part of him simply doesn't want to meddle in reviving the dead and puppeteering corpses around. It feels like a slippery slope, somehow.

With Somnus' agreement to come along on the quest the two of them soon find themselves on the way to the mountains. It's a two-day journey, so Hijikata provided a horse for Somnus (he brought his Black Star for himself) and brought camping gear in his huge inventory-slot-enhanced backpack. Again he's totally sun-protected behind layers of black specialty clothing, plus the helmet with a dark-tinted face shield. He disclosed his predicament to his companion, of course; this kind of outfit begs an explanation.

After the long journey they dismount at the foot of the Lotus Pod Mountain. Hijikata unfolds the map he's been given of the devastated settlement's location.]

It shouldn't be too hard to find. At least it's not inside one of the caves. Now we can only hope that those bastards haven't moved on to the next place yet. I'd say we first try to confirm that, then we can decide when and how we want to attack.

[He already let Somnus know of his other predicament, too - his weredog affliction. Last night when they slept in their tent the moon wasn't quite full enough yet, but this coming night it will be. Whether they wait until then, attack in two waves, or use the night to hunt down any escapees, his enhanced strength and speed might come in handy.]

C ⦿ Secret Knight Quest (for positive CR - please see note at the bottom!)

[It's been a long time - just over a year - since Hijikata last spoke with King Arthur one-to-one, but he's been acting as a knight in his service ever since he gained the title, loyally protecting his kingdom, enforcing his orders, and looking after his people to the best of his abilities (... okay, so he meddled with some sketchy business here and there, but only to stop it!) And now the king has entrusted him with a special task.

Usually Hijikata is happy to work with just about anyone going on the same quest as him, but this time he had to carefully choose his companion - and even this trusted person wasn't allowed to learn the truth behind this mission. Hijikata found it hard to lie, but there's just too much at stake, for everyone involved. If nothing else he'll be the only one who can be held accountable if they are caught (which, naturally, he's hoping to avoid). Nicnevin Castle lies before them in the moonlight.]

Alright. Should we go over the plan once more?

[OOC: If you'd like any additional prompts and/or would like to do the secret knight quest with Hijikata please feel free to hit me up on my plotting post (in the latter case it's because he'll tailor a different lie depending on who goes with him)! PMing me is fine too. If more than one person would like to do the secret knight quest please be aware that only one mission will have a chance of succeeding! Also here are Hijikata's permissions.]

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[Hijikata nods - much as the helmet hides his face and muffles his voice, at least such basic body language can still be conveyed easily enough.]

Yeah, I doubt that they took any care, going by how brutally they apparently massacred the people.

[Maybe it's for the better that his expression isn't visible, because it's a little murderous. He really wants to ruthlessly eradicate the anthropophagi. Clearly they're not a species that can live in peace and harmony with others. As they ascend the mountain proper, leaving the horses behind where they can graze and seek shelter under the trees, he goes through their attack options.]

I guess I'm going to be our main damage dealer, given your magic types. Depending on the exact location of the village I may be able to weaponise the mountain and cause an avalanche, probably coupled with a landslide to hinder them from running away. The problem is that soil and rock are my weakest elements.

[ The new magic types he has are both ill-suited for combat. That doesn't mean he's useless with simply his technical skill with the sword. ]

Let us not use your weakness so early into battle, then. [ A landslide would be a last resort. ] Are they legion? If not, we may pick them off at a bottleneck.

We may also wait for cover of night, if necessary.

I'm not sure how many they are, but once we're there we can make a rough guess. Only one person survived the onslaught, so based on how big the village is we can calculate how many anthropophagi there have to be - at least one per household, I'd assume, otherwise more people might have made it out alive.

[Luckily the settlement isn't too far up the mountain - understandable, given the rough climate, difficult terrain, and lack of basic resources up there -, so they won't have to climb much higher.]

If we wait until nightfall I'd have the full moon's strength at my advantage, but sadly I'm not as strong as some other lycanthropes. I got a... lighter variant of the curse. Still, I'm sure those bastards are stronger than humans, but I'm confident I'll be their equal match. We can try to take them out one by one in the darkness, and only take more drastic magical measures if we're discovered.

Then let us ascend this mountain some, then wait for nightfall. [ He concludes, then adjusts the sword strapped and sheathed across his back. Without kinetic powers, carrying things are far more cumbersome.

He's ready to begin the trek when Hijikata is. ]

[It's only about half an hour later when they, moving carefully and keeping in the cover of overhangs and other large rock formations, do see some smoke. They still ascend higher up, keeping some distance to the village, deciding to best get an overview from above that will also offer them some protection from prying eyes.

The view they eventually get from a relatively flat overhang makes Hijikata's blood run cold. He knew that the anthropophagi were cannibals, that's the whole reason he and Somnus investigated them last year, but somehow he wasn't prepared to actually see them prepare their meals over a fireplace, as casually as people would roast pigs, and happily tearing into roasted body parts as they sit scattered in small groups making conversation.

He draws back, careful to not move too fast or too noisily, and hopes that he can avoid being sick in his helmet. Is this what livestock feels like when they're on a meadow next to a barbecue?! It's enough to seriously make him consider turning vegetarian. He needs a minute to recover enough to peek down again, this time to count the enemies.]

I see twelve, thirteen, fourteen... fifteen. That's if none are in the houses or wandering about... but they don't need to forage for food right now, and they have shelter right here.

[His voice comes out pressed and heavy. Several huts are destroyed and partly still smoldering, as Somnus predicted, but more than half are still standing. Hijikata's eyes flicker. This is too grotesque and vile to just witness; he has half a mind to unleash hell on the cannibals immediately, even if it won't help the unfortunate villagers anymore. But how strongly can he even rely on his magic right now, still subject to the after-effects of the ritual? Somnus is right in favouring a more cautious approach.]

[ If the imagery of spitroasted carcasses disturbs him, he does not voice it. The grim severity of his mien remains a constant, even as he crouches in the cover of the rocks. The smoke carrying the scent of cauterized, charred flesh does cause his nose to scrunch, however, as if it were nothing more than a rancher burning part of their pasture.

While Hijikata wears a mask, concealing Somnus from reading any unpleasantness written upon his face, Hijikata's tone gives away that he's effected.

Best to redirect his focus back to planning. ]

We wait until nightfall. In the interim, we assess for any more that may gather. Perhaps they will be sated. Should there be survivors, it it likely they will not be consumed until later.

I don't think we should have high hopes of there being survivors. According to the report those monsters slaughtered everybody. But who knows? Maybe someone managed to hide away.

[He draws back from the edge again for the moment, wary of the sunlight possibly reflecting off his helmet and attracting attention. They're high up enough to not be able to overhear anything spoken between the anthropophagi, so they're likewise unlikely to be noticed by them, but it's better to be on the safe side.]

Could you keep an eye on the village to track their number for now? I'll investigate how many routes lead into and out of the village. We don't want any of them to get away, after all.

[He won't descend from their hide-out or move out of earshot of Somnus, just get a better idea of the surrounding area. Before long he returns with the information that there are two paths - one down the mountain, one up the mountain -, while Somnus will have noticed no change in the anthropophagi's activities.

About an hour after the two men took up their post the cannibals hold an assembly which, assuming all of them are in attendance, confirms that their number isn't higher than initially presumed. It seems like they're social creatures who enjoy to all eat together, macabre as it is. Somnus and Hijikata can't understand what is being discussed, but several of the headless beings proceed to looks something up on smartphones, presumably taken from the villagers.]

What the hell are they doing...

[He takes out his own phone - the burner phone he got from Rei - to investigate, and after a while he lets out a low groan.]

These monsters seriously put up a dark web quest?!

[ Somnus, still far behind in terms of becoming accustomed to technology (or magical technology), does at least know how to open and browse for the various quests posted.

He looks over to Hijikata as he opens his phone, then back to the village as the monsters begin to sup. ]

Steady. We will banish them before they find such defenders once night falls.

[He nods.]

If anyone does show up in their support I'll cut them down first. What a lowlife would that have to be?!

[As the sun starts its descent they have time for a quite decent dinner consisting of the provided provisions, plus anything extra they brought along, while keeping an eye on the anthropophagi activities. A small group left shortly after the assembly, but since they went down the mountain they don't pose a risk for the two men at the moment, and the buckets they took with them indicated that they only went to fetch water, which is confirmed when they return.

As darkness slowly falls Somnus and Hijikata have to pay closer attention again: how are the cannibals going to secure the village at night? Not very well, apparently. A pair of anthropophagi stations itself at the village entrance and exit respectively while the rest of them continue socialising by the fire and gradually retreat to the remaining huts. Hijikata scoffs.]

They sure feel very safe, huh? As if nobody would dare attack them! They'll be surprised.

[ The idea that the monsters might have thought to devise and secure traps about the village seems far-fetched. At this point in Hijikata and Somnus' vigil, undoubtedly they would have seen the anthropophagi attempt to ensure their devices were still working. That, or set more. He also notes that no scouts of the monsters return to the village, as if their count is indeed all that there is.

...Perhaps this does not need to be more complicated. These creatures are in a constant state of hunger and starvation, their minds on food, not defense.

With night lending them the cover, Somnus raises from his crouch, careful to remain under deeper shadows. He'll allow Hijikata space to... do whatever he needs to do, to become a werebeast. ] We take out the monsters put to watch-- without alerting them.

Then, we destroy the rest.

[Hijikata carefully waits for the sun to disappear behind the horizon completely before he takes off the helmet. He's lucky that his transformation is about the softest one could imagine and doesn't involve any tormenting bodily restructuring. His pointy black dog ears are already there and pop up from where they were flattened against his head. His tail is uncomfortably crammed into his clothes - the inner layer is a stretchy suit to prevent any accidental sun exposure due to movement -, so he excuses himself and changes into his usual gear behind some rock formation.

When he returns he's in his standard black uniform, with his chainmail-enforced knight cloak on top. Naturally he keeps his swords on him (since the start of the year he carries a short sword in addition to the long one).]

Hah... the night vision comes in handy. I can smell the bastards, too.

[Being a weredog Hijikata is less bloodthirsty than a werewolf, but he still feels the urge to run and chase and hunt, and he needs to be careful to not lose control of himself. His swishing tail, in any case, indicates a degree of excitement.]

Let's go down, shall we? Oh, wait - do you want to use my shield by any chance? I have it in the backpack, but I won't need it in this state.

[ It's probably not a very pleasant smell.

Somnus only has his greatsword upon his back, and that hasn't changed in the past year and three months. While he occasionally carries a javelin, today, it is not with him. He declines the offer-- ] Unnecessary. [ -- and turns, beginning to set out on foot down the rocky slope.

It doesn't take long to near the entrance of the village, coming in towards it along the side. They have both the cover of night and of robust bushes. ]

Flank from the other side. On a bird's call, [ That's Ye Olde Speak for a 'whistle'. ] let us attack both guards at once.

Let's.

[There is no need for further considerations. They're as close as they can get to the guards, and it's clear that each of them will take the one on his side. As soon as the anthropophagi start talking to each other and lower their guard Hijikata bursts forth, his extra strength giving him a boost in speed, and horizontally slices through his opponent's chest and face at once (now that unsettling placement is convenient!). His attack is so forceful that the cannibal immediately drops dead, gushing blood.]

[ The other monster is met with a similar fate, and Somnus steps over the corpse, avoiding staining his boots red. That's two down-- and all without alerting the others to their presence. ]

We split here. I shall see you when our task is done.

[Hijikata nods and sneaks off to enter one of the huts where the monsters lie sleeping. The irony of him and Somnus massacring them just like they massacred the villagers isn't lost on him, and for once he feels fully justified in taking such an honourless approach.

They actually manage to make very good headway with their slaugher, until one anthropophagus who ventured back outside notices that something is off and alerts the rest. At this point, though, only about half a dozen remain alive, and the two swordsmen are driven by an intense sense of vengeance - at least Hijikata is sure that Somnus feels the same as him - and don't hold back.

The cannibals are vicious and brutal, and Hijikata, seeing red at this point, enters close combat with several at once and takes a couple of serious hits - however the wounds immediately heal shut while giving off a faint steam, and he sends the enemies to their deaths without hesitation. Only silver weapons can hurt him right now.

Once all the anthropophagi are felled he doesn't check on Somnus immediately, instead prowling around and checking the fallen adversaries for any signs of life, jabbing his sword down into their bodies multiple more times if he suspects that they're not full dead yet, growling and snarling with bared teeth. It takes him quite a while to clear his senses and act more like a human being again, but he doesn't seem to mind being splattered in blood.

Instead of saying anything he walks over to Somnus and looks him over for injuries. The enemies were numerous, and he himself would have ended up badly hurt if his curse hadn't protected him, so chances are that his companion needs medical aid.]

[ Somnus cleaves through his share of the anthropophagi. Being no more than a human during the night, his monster-death count may be less that Hijikata's, but he's manages to work himself up to have a decent amount of exercise.

After the battle, he still stands uninjured save for a single gash upon his right arm, upon which he holds pressure with his left hand. Apart from that, only his hair is tussled. When the other man approaches, Somnus turns to greet him, immediately giving him a once-over. ]

Are you well?

[ Hijikata is covered in his fair share of blood, after all. As a minimalist with his attacks, Somnus' kills had left him relatively cleaner. ]

[Their different fighting styles became very evident here. Even when not in a weredog state Hijikata doesn't pay any attention to the mess he creates, fighting in a forceful and unrefined manner, yet with a distinct style and method rather than just blind slashing. He nods in response - he's unhurt -, and his eyes rest on Somnus' injury.]

Let's head back up to our lookout. We can treat your wound and keep an eye on the area, just in case they did have a second contingent somewhere, though I doubt that. I've got good night vision, so I can keep watch until dawn.

[He'll have to spend the day sleeping in the tent in his sunlight-proof gear. If he were alone he'd totem-travel back home well before dawn, but having come here all the way together he now doesn't want to leave Somnus to make the long way back on his own with both horses and all the equipment.]

I'll notify King Arthur, too, so he can send a clean-up crew here.

[He really is used to leaving that part to other people...]

Very well.

[ Somnus takes one last look at the village and the slaughter before turning his attention to the route back to their camp. Perhaps when Hijikata needs to sleep during the day, he will return to bury the victims' bodies. ]

[The village has been thoroughly turned into a place of death and carnage, having seen two massacres in a row. It is as it always is: revenge does not restore the dead to life, it only perpetuates the cycle of killing. Hijikata has no regrets whatsoever, of course. On the ascent to their makeshift campsite he calls the court official responsible for the quest's organisation and informs him of their success in plain terms, soon hanging up contentedly before turning pensive again.]

...

I wonder if any ghosts were left behind. I can't imagine that most people could move on peacefully after meeting their end like that. They probably fled to not have to see their loved ones be cooked and eaten, but maybe they'll come back now.

[If he sees any he'll go back down and speak with them. As Somnus may take care of their bodies come morning he will see what he can do for their souls, much as he's a sorry excuse for a priest.]

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March Adventures

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CW: Graphic Cannibalism

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CW: Battle Violence

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