{ GM ORP } Unexpected Circumstances (FINALE P 12!)

[Kyrieko]

Still squirming in her seat and trying to find a way that might allow her to Not Have to Give Up Shiny Things, Saiyuri squeaked - which seemed to be her default sound - when someone next to her spoke. She blinked at Mmur, head tilted before remembering she had to speak when someone spoke to her!

"Lord Death wants our shiny things back." A pause. "Distortion crystals." Another pause as she looked back towards Death, wrinkling her nose. "And he said we can go- no no. Visit home one last time!"

Saiyuri scooted closer to Mmur - almost in the uncomfortably close state - to point at Thera. "And that one asked Lord Death to this Prom thing." Because clearly that was Very Important.

Smerdle

ohai thar owo

iStoleYurVamps

 

[Xaki]

Mir showed up at the meeting, idly curious about what this person was to say~ After recent events, it was difficult to gauge anything correctly these days. Pulling her cloak up to her shoulders, she relaxed upon a seat. "Hmm.."  

[Smerdle]

Shinies? Oh, that was okay! Mmur didn't really own any... oh. Distortion crystal shinies. The Famine soldier's fingers rose to his forehead where his own swirling crystal hung, partially obscured by his dark hair. It wasn't like he had really used it for much of anything that he was supposed to, but it certainly went with everything and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to part with it yet.

"Why does he want..."

Mmur's voice faded away as Saiyuri scooted closer. He held his breath in anticipation as he registered the universal sign for the start of a Very Important Conversation. His mouth had remained open after he had stopped speaking, and now it pursed into an 'o' before he continued, a tinge of wistfulness in his voice. "Ah, prom. Yes. I suppose Lord Death has been asked many times this year." He nodded. "Very popular."

But what had she said about home? They were going to be able to go there? He swallowed, looking from Death to Medea to the guy with the oven mitts. As much as he missed it, the idea of going back was actually a little scary, and if he thought about it for too long... Mmur's hands squeezed into fists for a second before he deliberately spread them over his thighs. No, he wasn't going to think about it at all.

Kyrieko

 

[Zoobey]

The questions became hurried, falling out of sequence, one after another, so many, too many. It reflected the general anxiety, the disorganization of the horsemen, their own insecurities and disbelief. Perhaps that alone was enough to justify a much needed change.

The Horsemen of Death simply watched as several clansmen began to talk and then squabble with each other. Those that highly disagreed. Those that were unsure. Those that were curious, and those who were still insecure. As he waited, his eyes crinkled as he smiled at Aisa and then paused to consider Yves question, then Lifen's.

"For everything else," he waved a single bony hand in light dismissal, "well, I believe actions speak louder than words. Instead of telling, why not show? But I'm getting ahead of myself here, one step at a time. This teamwork thing might be a little difficult to remember, but it does have its merit. Your crystals and the real secret at the end can wait." He for a second, sounded like someone keeping a very amusing secret. "As it seems to be a concern as to how to behave in public, I have brought a guest speaker from Halloween Town themselves to explain this sort of killing thing."

A wave of his hand again.

The new arrival didn't seem very excited to see the horsemen at all, a lean figure wearing a long cloak over his bright orange bandana. The emblem around his cloak was obvious, the insignia of a Trick or Treater, if any horsemen even retained a semblance of knowledge regarding the social structure of Halloween Town.

Said arrival cleared his throat before turning to the singular leading figure of the horsemen, holding up one finger. "This is just one favour, just one. And please don't credit me for helping out, this is purely a favour." The new arrival curtly turned to face the majority of the Lost Clans. "I'm Noxious Firth, a Trick or Treater. In case you don't know what we do, it's easy, we cause mischief, mayhem, and more importantly, we're the reason Halloween has Fear in a perfectly healthy way. Moderation is key. Fear harvesting in moderation." He paused. "Now, as a favour, I have been asked to explain to you guys how to us citizens harvest Fear in moderation. If you want to even still be considered Halloween citizens then at least trust a citizen themselves to tell you how things run around here."

Nox paused. "Let me try to give you a very, very, very, very short, very abridged version. If you don't Jacking kill the Human, there will be some more Fear for everyone in the long run. Seriously, just stop and if you have problems, consider asking one of us." He shook his head. "If you keep on doing this killing thing and leaving bodies behind, the Boogeymen are going to be riding your a-"

-"I have a solution for that problem, at least." The Horsemen of Death smoothly interrupted the sentence, holding up one skeletal hand. "Charon, Medea, when you are ready."

Both stood up, in different intervals, Medea a little slower.

"Now," the Horsemen of Death smiled, "All together now."

And just like that, their setting shifted. It was dark, a lot darker. They were standing on a strange slope, facing downwards, an overhang half-hidden by forest. Below them however, to many of the earlier Horsemen who awoke, was a familiar sight:

They were on an island, tropical in nature, staring at the pathway leading up to an impassive, gated facility. They were at Deus Ex Machina.

Nox looked like he was about to have an epileptic seizure, having been brought along for the ride - against his intentions, while the Horsemen of Death only sighed and shook the pocketwatch he carried in one hand. "Must be broken." Oddly enough, Medea only rolled her eyes while Charon drew his weapon, a simple runed sword.

"Well," continued the Ancient, closing his pocketwatch with a click, before taking brisk steps, "while we are here, we might as well make the best of this. Shall we?"

- They took about as much as two minutes of a walk before they were immediately apprehended, unsurprisingly, by Hunters. Nox had disappeared sometime in between, and oddly enough, so had Medea, leaving only Charon, with his weapon still drawn, and the Horsemen of Death.

Both parties just stood there for a long moment, the Hunters in white, and the horsemen in their motley Clan colours, mostly the Horsemen of Death looking extremely amused, arching one eyebrow, before the inevitable happened. There was shouting, a lot of shouting that happened to be mostly of not horsemen nature before the Hunters descended into their ranks, weapons flashing. Though several immediately engaged the horsemen, it seemed none of them actually noticed the newly appointed horsemen leader, considering he was standing in there in point blank range. He winked. "Remember what they taught you, do be gentle. And try to get collect as much as Fear your crystals will allow you, we're on a tight schedule here." He might even have had said something like in moderation but it was lost to the battle.

OOC

PHASE 2: VERSUS THE HUNTERS:

gaia_crown There will be one more phase for this ORP before the final reveal! gaia_crown
- If you have not posted yet, you are still free to come in at any point in time! Simply write a reaction post and then continue onwards!

Of course it would be Hunters, despite Death's nice sugar coated words and Nox's lecture, it seems like a battle with their age-old enemy was inevitable. Maybe this method wasn't so different from Medea's after all, except much more unannounced. At this point it seems almost inevitable now, the clash with the Hunters, if not methodical. You feel stronger, your Fear more focused. You charge into battle.

gaia_crown FARMING FEAR:

- The general exercise is to FARM FEAR by downing as many Hunters as you can. Killing them is an OPTION you can choose whether or not to kill them. No battle mechanics are involved just pure and simple slaying. Roll 1d4 and match your dice roll to the results below. Make sure you read the prompts ACCORDINGLY before reacting to it. As you are attacking the Hunter you will be rping your horsemen AND GMing/ NPCing the Hunter you are attacking.
- Once you have +5 Fear Points you are good to go! You may keep on rolling until you get that much. Once you hit +5 Fear Points you can choose to FINISH OFF THE HUNTER.

THE ENEMY (Hunter) :

show spoilerhide spoiler

You meet to intercept an enemy, but something feels off, and slightly familiar. Their weapon rings in a certain way that you cannot explain, and as you look at them, their weapon, everything about them, a shocking revelation hits you.

They are you.

Or literally, they look like you. They feel, act, and even attack like you, but the only difference is oddly enough, they are very human. Instead of exuding your Fear, their weapon does.

Rolling at 1: You manage to wound them a bit, perhaps you are confused as to their reaction because they behave in pretty much the same way you would. They say something to you, perhaps, having realized the same thing you did. You gain +1 Fear points.

Rolling a 2: They manage to wound you, but you narrowly evade. Their is something about their triumphant expression that unnerves you.

Rolling a 3: You see a flash of weapon and barely counter it, before attacking. This time it's a smooth cut, and you watch as they retreat temporarily to get healed. Whether or not you chase after them is up to you. +2 Fear points.

Rolling a 4: Your attack lightly skims off their Fear shield. They taunt you and then question your existence. +1 Fear points.

FINAL KILL: Once you have + 5 Fear points accumulated you may choose to do a final kill (OPTIONAL). If you do, rp out both parts, the reaction of the horsemen, and the Hunter who is literally your horsemen if they were in another timeline. Feel free to rp out the dialogue for both, or just a clean and simple reaction as you finish them off. At this point you can "assist" others by rping with them (just rp, don't bother rolling) and quoting them to show assist, or simply retreat and wait for further orders.

random artist

x_nata_x

demon_pachabel

grey dragon

OOC

HEIRS: You might notice that the Hunters you are fighting seem to have fancier coats and are a little harder to kill....

 

[xoxomenai]

This must be ... trance?? ... Kiwi had experienced Medea's dream states enough times now, to recognize the familiar shift in atmosphere. But something about this one, initiated by Death himself, seemed a bit different. Odd.

And then he realized, they were standing just outside the hunter's headquarters.

Was this a dream?? ... or reality?? ... Regardless, he wasted no time in summoning his weapon as he launched into the fray. His scythe swung out through the ranks, only to be deflected by a lone hunter.

How dare he. The horseman leapt from the ground, closing in the space between them as he brought the sickle around in one hand. Blade and runes clashed in a sheen of sparks, and Kiwi's eyes grew suddenly wide.

Golden eyes. Choppy brown hair tied up. This hunter, while significantly human, looked very similar to himself.

It, it couldn't be.

"Wh-wha, you're ..."

Ocher eyes flashed and narrowed, as Kiwi brought the blade slicing into the hunter's shoulder. The Queen be damned if he was going to let an illusion such as this influence him. It ... was an illusion, right?? ...

FEAR Points: 1/5+  

[Ice Queen]

Fai blinked as he found himself face to face with a human with long dreadlocks--one that had a very familiar face indeed. "I might ask--"

A meteor ball flicked out, slamming into his chest before he could finish the question. He could FEEL his own Fear coming from the weapon--he could see himself in the man. It was unnerving, and the expression of smugness on the man's face made it even moreso.

This was a hunter? This didn't feel... right.

FEAR: 0  

[Seiana_ZI]

Nkosazana was not really the most ... violent of the Horsemen. In fact, as far as Horsemen went, she basically looked like a pacifist in comparison. The Hunters certainly incensed her, though, and it was something of an exception to her usual preference to stay back and not attack, only heal her others so they may keep attacking.

In some ways, though, that made Death's methodology work better for her. Gather FEAR, but don't kill. She could handle that... she hoped. Nkosazana never quite had the stomach for committing too much violence for her own part, biting her lip as she followed the other horsemen down to Deus Ex Machina.

The location, at least, and the sight of those present, seemed to get her a bit more energized, sharpening her senses and making her more determined to get done what was needed to be done. They needed to attack, as Death said, and try to do it with moderation. She could not make those of Deus Ex Machina pay with their lives, but she could make them pay in FEAR, and that was what was expected of them as citizens of Halloween... if that was really what they were.

Nkosazana wielded her blade, charging towards the woman who charged at her.

And suddenly faulted when she saw the other woman's face clearly.

Same nose. Same hair. Same dumbfounded expression. Same hips, same build, even the same weapon. It was not quite the same, the runes of the ... other ... hers seeming to exude FEAR in a way that Nkosazana knew only as a Hunter, but it was ... her. It was enough to throw her off, make her lose her ground for a moment, but not for long, rebalancing with some amount of determination in her stance.

They needed to farm FEAR, and so she would.

She swung her sword, bouncing off the shield with a ricochet that made her wince in irritation. She needed to get better at swinging that... Apparently the other her agreed, the rather victorious grin on her face saying that much. It was a proud grin, with signs that, well, she didn't expect it to work, especially considering the way the woman faltered before grinning, just like Nkosazana herself might.

Then it fell and the young woman asked, "What are you doing here? How do you exist?"

Nkosazana the Priestess blinked. "I could ask you the same."

Quote:

Fear Collected: +1

 

[Ice Queen]

Fai twisted, shooting out his own meteor ball at the hunter, hitting him with a glancing blow. "Who--why do you look like me?" the hunter asked. "Although freakishly distorted, of course--"

"I would ask you the same," Fai replied.

FEAR: 1  

[LOLTERNATIVE]

Eitri didn't have time to react - to look for Ying among the crowd and make sure she was okay. He didn't doubt her; he just worried. The flash of a weapon alerted him of his target and he faultered for a brief second; enough that the weapon came too close for comfort. He countered, his sickle appearing in his hands - steel meeting steel before steel met flesh in a clean cut.

The hunter ran and Eitri took chase. He wasn't one to kill, normally, but he wasn't going to let someone with his face run around causing trouble.

Fear: 2/5  

[Syusaki]

Recently, she had developed the nasty habit of walking silently, mutely. The warrior’s shoes barely made a sound against the ground when she entered the meeting. Sea green eyes were an unusually dark shade as she peered at the other horsemen while she lingered at the edges. It was easy for the bluejay to spot familiar faces, but now wasn’t the time to be speaking. Jay hadn’t been in the mood to speak anyways. Having to be babysat was an incredibly poignant slap in the face. Short and childlike as she was, she looked like a pouting, indignant kid as she took in the unfamiliar faces. Sighing, half-lidded eyes took in the Horseman of Death while she leaned her head to the side and rubbed her exposed neck with a bandaged hand. Jay eyed him carefully. How long had it been since she’d seen his face? There had never been a need to count the days, not unless it was her own Horseman of War, but alas she was long gone. Her jaw clenched. She grit her teeth together. Jay wanted to recoil at the sight of the island, covered in grey and a shade of the past. She wanted to screech, but remained silent and reproachful. She wanted to hiss as the Ancient spoke. It was like receiving a gentle lecture from one’s parent, but the bluejay sucked it up anyways. Holding back the urge to stretch out her wings, Jay observed Death as he mentioned the crystals. Her lips moved to form a silent response. Oh. She resisted the temptation to mumble and instead half-listened to the questions thrown at him. He seemed polite enough as he answered, but by now she just wanted to leave already. Perhaps climb a tree. Take a nap. Something like that.

She narrowed her eyes at the speaker. Lips twisted into a sneer, but at least the talk was to the point. Jay could appreciate at least that. The horseman of war considered the piece of advice carefully. Her previous self would have dismissed it entirely and immediately, but the times were different now. She had to actually think it over, much to her chagrin. Her gaze turned toward the three just before the setting shifted to someplace semi-familiar. Jay shifted uneasily in place, but remained rooted to her spot. If she had possessed fur, it would have bristled at the sight of her other self. “What is this?!” she hissed to no one in particular as the familiar weight of her dagger fell into her hands. There was no hesitation when she threw the blade, but it only grazed the shield. Her other self laughed a familiar tinkling laughter while tossing a strand of hair over her shoulders. “Was that all?”

FEAR: 1  

[Kyrieko]

The Famine horseman gave a small shrug at the half formed question, before giggling at Mmur. "Is that a good thing? To be asked by so many to Prom?" She still didn't understand what 'Prom' was. And why those creatures of Halloween got so excited over it.

Maybe there were treasures to be found! Or lots of head pats? Ooooh~ Maybe she should follow someone there!

Saiyuri opened her mouth to either ask a question or add on to her 'gossip', but Lord Death was speaking again. And some funny and angry Halloweener was stepping onto the stage. She just blinked owlishly at him, not comprehending a word he said. Not kill? Why would they do that? Wait... how did... she wrinkled her nose, trying to put two and two together. It... made sense, if she thought really really hard on it. But it would make sneaking shiny things away from them much more difficult!

... And fun!

Yes. Yes she could do that! Let them live. And make a new game out of it-

Saiyuri let out a small squeak of surprise, not managing to get her feet under her quick enough before she fell to the ground. She stared up at those around her, moving into a crouch. Head canted, she looked towards Lord Death. So it was him! Sneaky Lord Death.

"I wonder where we are... " The question was barely murmured before she got her answer. Hunters.

She purred, fingers itching to wrap around one of them. To snuggle up and bite their flesh~ "Awe, so we have to play nice?" Saiyuri pouted just a bit at Death's parting words. Oh, right. They weren't supposed to kill. But... surely it was different with Hunters? Maybe.

"Lets play!" She giggled, galloping right towards the nearest Hunter. But her target quickly changed as something came at her from the side. Saiyuri twisted in an inhuman manner, crouching down low again to grin at the her opponent. Curling her fingers, the horseman lunged like a feline to wrap her arms and legs around the Hunter. Who shrieked in surprise and disgust.

"It won't hurt that much!" Saiyuri laughed, sinking her nails into the human before biting her shoulder. And just as swiftly she was bounding away like a little kid, turning back to grin. "Still want to play with me?" She purred and then frowned. "Hey... are you my ugly twin?"

[ FEAR Points: 2 ]  

[Seiana_ZI]

"Could you?"

It seemed that Nkosazana the Hunter was not going to wait for Nkosazana the Priestess to answer, deciding that the response to strange new doppelgangers was not to talk, but attack. There was a moment of hesitation, but then Nkosazana caught the blade in the air, eyes widening in alarm.

It was only a snap reflex that managed to stop her own self from ending up dead and buried.

If this was no time to talk--if not even her own doppelganger would not speak to her, then so be it. Nkosazana's eyes narrowed in determination once again, attempts to get the other to talk abandoned in favor of launching a counterattack before the her own doppelganger of a Hunter swung once again. Considering all of her own hesitation, this seemed to catch the Hunter off-guard--or, perhaps, they just were not aware of what Nkosazana was planning--and she managed to draw some blood with this strike.

And some FEAR.

Nkosazana basked in the sensation of more FEAR filling her crystal, but that was soon overridden by the moan of pain from Nkosazana the Hunter. The woman clutched her shoulder, trotting off to presumably get themselves healed.

It was a Hunter, she should pursue and cut them down now.

... At the same time, it was her.

So she waited instead.

Quote:

Fear Collected: 1 + 2 = 3