Private Tales The Hunt

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Kael Westryn

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The morning light broke through the clouds in soft gold and pink, spilling across the dewy fields. Horns sounded in the distance as the noble hunt began, banners snapping in the wind, hounds barking, riders shouting with laughter.

Kael turned in her saddle, a grin tugging at her lips. "Thank you for joining me on short notice sister. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help me uphold our family's tradition, bringing back the largest prey" Her gaze snapped to the tree line where nobles were already riding ahead. "Any idea what we are going to find out here?"

It was a long held tradition to mark the beginning of spring for the noble houses to host a hunt, though the location changed each year. This time, it was held on the fringes of their land, an area known for its beauty, dangerous beasts, and less fondly, the restless northern tribes. It had been years since the nobility had dared hold a hunt here. Kael had insisted, determined to show all the assembled that the border was secure and their realm unshaken.

As she watched the nobles vanish into the forest, Kael noticed one stretch of woods few seemed willing to enter. She tiled her head towards it, sunlight glinting from the gold trim of her armor as she spurred her horse forward. "I think we should go the path less traveled," she said over her shoulder with a teasing tone. "And don't worry, I'll try not to scare off the quarry this time." Her knowing smile was the same one she'd flashed since childhood, equal parts charm and challenge.

Before long, the laughter of the others faded behind them, replaced by the thud of the hooves and the hum of early spring insects. Kael's gaze sharpened as she caught sight of impressions in the dirt, many prints long and narrow, too symmetrical for many of the prey she thought lived there.

She dismounted, kneeling beside the tracks to inspect them. "Evangeline, I am no hunter of your renown," she said, brushing her fingers along the soil, "but these aren't natural... Are these what I think they are?"

She frowned at the tracks in front of her, expression darkening as realization set in. Seriak. She saw several sets of overlapping tracks with varying degrees of freshness, some fresh, some days old. "Damn it," she muttered, rising to her feet. "There's a village a few miles from here. If these things have been raiding, I can't ignore it. The hunt will have to wait." These creatures usually didn't amass in large numbers, unless many had scouted and began picking through this village's entire food supply.

A flicker of worry and frustration crossed her face before she masked it behind a familiar confident smile. "But knowing you, sister, perhaps we'll return with a Seriak as our prize instead. Imagine the looks on the other's faces!" Her laugh carried through the still morning air, bright and fearless despite the looming shadows gathering at the edge of these woods.

Evangeline Westryn
 
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As her sister set about being all charm and smiles Evangeline's eyes were never set on any one spot for long. She was not here for the pomp, the circumstance, and only scarcely for the tradition. The golden armor of her sister, the sycophantic fraternizing with the other families, it made Evangeline's narrow features scrunch just barely in distaste. At Kael's thanks she simply nodded, her gaze not quite severe as she looked at her elder sister, never for Kael, and at her direct question Evangeline considered the situation before simply responding.

"More than we expect."

Evangeline would follow along with Kael silently, the still, deadly shadow to her sister's radiant sun and charm. Kael tried to compliment her, to draw her interest, and Evangeline sighed silently, relenting only a little as she gingerly looped the bridle of the horse to one of the nearby trees, approached the trees, and knew at a glance what it was they faced. Kael, it seemed, did not need her to confirm, as they mentioned a nearby village.

Evangeline's hands twitched toward her blades, a slow, hissing inhale through her teeth heralding her interest up ticking by a notable margin. Her tongue would play across her lips, her god's baying for combat and bloodshed thunder in time with her own pulse, and she would give a more curt nod as Kael mentioned slaying one of the Seriak. Her fingertips gently drumming along the hilt of Sacrifice in rapt impatience as she murmured in a sharp exhale of air.

"I am less concerned for the look on their faces, Kael, than dealing with creatures that threaten our people."

Striding forward without another word Evangeline would deftly weave between branches, her fingertip taps to her blade hilts turning into almost affectionate caresses as she spied the break in the tree line. Saw the smoke of chimneys and the light of civilization along with.... there.

Hunched, splotched and malformed creatures that only vaguely resembled humans the Seriak had too-large mouths, too-long stomachs, gangly arms and squat, powerful legs. There seemed to be... three.... their teeth the size of dagger blades were not suited for combat, but were instead thick, flat things that were meant more for breaking wood or bone, or crunching through all kinds of food. Evangeline would kneel just inside the tree line, waiting for her sister, restraining her bloodlust for the moment, before sliding Duty and sacrifice silently from their sheathes. Kael would be able to tell her sister was as taught, as ready, as a pulled bowstring, ready to hunt.

Kael Westryn
 
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At Evangeline's chiding remark, Kael's smile vanished replaced by a mask of steel. Her sister would know, of course, that Kael's first priority was always the safety of their people. This is just Evangeline, she thought to herself, stern, no-nonsense, as always. Kael drew a steadying breath and followed her sister, knowing this was her arena of expertise.

Her eyes tracked every movement, noticing the exact instant Evangeline spotted the Seriak, her bloodlust palpable. Though Kael swept the surroundings before giving her the go ahead. Just for a moment, she looked around. The smoke coming from the chimneys, it wasn't the usual light gray color of burning wood, but rose with a heavy gray and black curl, as though something was burning. And the Seriak who rarely ever moved in daylight, were already stirring with an unusual boldness that set Kael's instincts on edge.

Something was off. Her strategist mind raced, if they gave in to Evangeline's bloodlust now the creatures would scatter. Hunting even one was a challenge at the best of times. She knew her sister would pursue all three to the bitter end, reveling in each kill. But she resisted the pull, feeling her twin deity's presence guiding her, reminding her that patience and planning could save more lives than a single act of carnage.

No, not yet. First, they needed to understand the village, assess the danger, then strike. Gently, Kael rested her hand on Evangeline's shoulder, signaling for silence. In a whisper so soft it may have been carried away by the wind, she said, "Something's wrong here. We need to see the villagers before we make any move. Let's approach quietly and understand what we're dealing with first."

Evangeline Westryn
 
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The touch to her shoulder made Evangeline tense down to every taut muscle fiber, her teeth clenching with disagreement with her sister and a desire to exterminate the vermin. But.... her sister was in charge, as usual, and so Evangeline settled back onto the balls of her feet and gave a single, terse nod. The movements of the Seriak were routine, save the time of day, as they always poked, prodded and scouted for vulnerabilities before acting. They were not intelligent, not truly, but just the same as a rat avoids open spaces so as to elude the gaze of a cat, so too did the Seriak wait for ample opportunity to move.

Evangeline would give her sister a sharp glance over her shoulder, not a glare, but would move back deeper into the tree line before responding in a more cold, steel like whisper of her own. Her emotions fading as the prospect of battle grew more distant.

"And what seem so odd about it?"

Evangeline's eyes dulled, her jaw setting into a neutral expression, and she would search Kael's eyes as if the answers would be physically written there.

Kael Westryn
 
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"Those tracks we saw, they show the Seriak coming here repeatedly over several days. There's enough evidence that I half expected we would be greeted by starving villagers upon our arrival. Yet, they're still back for more. And no noble houses have reported any Seriak infestation, nor requested extra supplies beyond the usual. Then, there's the issue of the smoke. Look closely, that doesn't seem like the typical chimney smoke we see. It's blackened and heavy like they're burning something."

She paused, letting her gaze sweep the perimeter, "And there's no sound. No dogs, no children. That's why these creatures feel so comfortable moving around. Maybe I'm being overly cautious. I have nothing concrete, but we must act carefully. Let's see what's going on, quietly. From now on no speaking until I give you the signal for the clear. Stay alert."

Kael began moving closer to the village, each step measured with the silence pressing around them. A small part of her bristled at the idea of taking such precautions only to find nothing amiss. Yet the pull of her deities' guiding presence reminded her to strategize, to plan, to hold herself in check just as surely as she knew Evangeline's god lusted for blood.

As they approached, a strange coppery sweetness tinged with rot filled the air. No villagers were working, no smoke drifted from hearths in the usual manner. Kael considered that perhaps it was simply too early in the day, but the unnatural stillness gnawed at her. She signaled for Evangeline to follow and edged toward a house where thick black smoke curled from the chimney.

They came up cautiously from the back of the property. The air felt heavier with each step, dread coiling in Kael's chest. She gripped her halberd tighter and pushed the back door open, ready for whatever waited inside.

Nothing could have prepared her for the scene. In the fireplace lay the corpse of a villager. Kael swept the room, halberd readied, ensuring no one remained. The house was empty of living people though, aside from her and her sister. The house was disheveled and dried blood stained the walls. She stepped forward, her face stoic, as devoid of expression as her sister's. Death was not new to her, but this deliberate and intimate atrocity was beyond even her experience.

It was a lone woman's body, along with her corpse were a few unknown belongings still smoldering. It was fresh, likely just hours old unlike the blood surrounding them. Kael's voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with devastation. "Evangeline, if this is what awaits in every home, this is beyond us, we need to rally help, notify the noble houses. Let us return to the fields. May the gods guide her soul to rest."

Her head bowed, the sight burdening her soul when suddenly, an arrow smashed through the window, and the front door slammed open. Robed assassins charged in through the window and front door, weapons drawn, the glare of killing intent in their eyes. She and her sister now faced 3 trained killers, but the deities' presence lent her clarity, an unshakable calm amid the chaos keeping her mind sharp and every movement precise as they prepared to strike.

Evangeline Westryn
 
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Evangeline gave a slow, approving nod at her sister's observation skills. Sometimes it was all too easy to believe Kael's mask of being nothing more than an easy smile and party tricks, but Evangeline knew different, and she was internally glad to see her sister living up to some of her potential. Even if her eyes remained dull and expression stoic. At her sister's commands he would nod, kneeling low, and begin to move through the foliage with her.

The approach to the house was uneventful, no threats, and as Kael had said no noise. Evangeline expected an ambush, doubly so upon entering the house and finding a clean, intimate killing. The bladework and wounds on display precise, the seemingly disheveled mess purposeful and deliberate. Evangeline knew battle, knew bloodshed, and so her blades cleared their sheathes the moment before the arrow smashed through the window. Duty cut the offend projectile out of the air well before it reached her sister before Evangeline plunged the blade into the smoldering fireplace to drink it's flames deep.

The first of the assassins to move through the door would meet a gout of concentrated flame along with a supernatural lunge, blade and flame piercing their chest, then Sacrifice joined it's sister blade, drinking deep of the assassin's blood. The assassin, a she given their build, was dead before she hit the ground. A second assassin attempt to cut Evangeline off at the elbows, literally, and she would release her blades to deliver an unnaturally swift backhand that audibly dislocated the assassin's jaw.

She was, in truth, smiling just a bit now. These assassins were skilled for normal people, a threat were she and Kael just pampered brats, enough so that Evangeline's supernatural backhand was met with the assassin rocking with the motion and sending a retaliatory spinning heel kick in the same motion. Evangeline was impressed, if only slightly, before caught and gripped the leg of the assassin before genuinely giving a bloodthirsty smile.

If Kael was still in her own duel it would be interrupted, if Kael was already victorious it would be a bit gratuitous, or if Kael was in trouble it would aid her, that Evangeline spun her own body and simply threw the assassin in their grip bodily into their ally, hurtling them like a shot put hard enough to send both flailing in a mess of broken bones and regretted decisions before, licking her lips with her eyes now shining with silver gleam, would yank Duty and Sacrifice from the fallen corpse in two swift motions, stalking toward the two disoriented, mangled assassins with slow, even footfalls. Evangeline never minded combat, loved it even, but to threaten her sister? THAT made her revel in butchering these idiots so, so much more.

Kael Westryn
 
She didn't need to tell her sister twice to act. Without even looking her way, Kael faced the assassin. There was something different about the one who stood before her, set apart. The twin deities inside her stirred, an uneasy ripple through her spirit as though they recognized the danger he carried. With her halberd drawn, she didn't have much time to dwell on the sensation before they were dueling.

As steel clashed against steel, the world around her narrowed to the duel. The air felt still, she could feel her pulse thrumming, see the man moving before her. He tried to close the distance, but Kael's halberd kept him at bay, striking in disciplined movements that denied him any ground.

She didn't intend to kill him, not yet. She wanted to observe him. The robes bore no sigil, no mark of allegiance. By watching his fighting style, she hoped to glean a bit more about his origins. With the strength in which he deflected her blade, she could tell he was an ordinary man, skilled for one unblessed by divine power. If he wasn't blessed, what had her deities reacted to..?

The clash of fighting echoed behind her, as Evangeline closed in on the men like prey. The thick smell of copper filled the air, a sign her sister's battle fared well. Once Kael had seen enough, she moved to end the fight. With a swift and precise motion, she slid her halberd across the man's dominant arm. His weapon clattered to the ground as pain twisted his features.

His eyes met hers, unrelenting and defiant, but carried that familiar flicker she had seen on many men's faces before death claimed them in battle. She leveled the blade to his throat but did not strike. She needed answers. this man would face questioning before the courts-

-but before she could speak, a blur cut across her vision. A body collided with the assassin, and both men were flung into the air before slamming into the wall with a sickening crack. The heap that remained was mangled and still.

Frustration flared hot in Kael's chest, "I see you still have trouble thinking before killing, Evangeline. Now how are we to learn what happened here?" She exhaled and steadied herself, calm rushing in "Still... I know your intent was pure. I can't fault you for that. But next time, unless I'm struggling, allow me to fell my own opponents." She secured the halberd on her back and softened her tone, "I'll seek my patrons' guidance, secure the perimeter, sister. We need to know everything we can before we return. And be careful."

Turning her back, Kael moved closer to the bodies to inspect them individually. They held no trinkets, no personal belongings, nothing identifying. Their weaponry was unmarked and simple, tools of trained killers, not soldiers. But on one of them was a folded scrap of parchment. The writing indecipherable, it appeared to be some kind of code. She tucked it into her pocket for later study.

Finally, she approached the fireplace. Finding some water, she doused the flame and waited for the smoke to thin before examining the remains. The woman's body was barely recognizable, flesh sloughed away, belongings turned to ash.

Circling the room, she noted that dust has been disturbed in certain areas, signs of struggle or deliberate searching. This was more than the work of 3 men, and the blood age was older than the fire. It also didn't match the tracks of the Seriak, coming and going over several days.

She drew a slow breath and reached inward, "So much," she murmured, "and still nothing certain." As the silence thickened around her, Kael knelt and closed her eyes. The air shifted, then went still again. Her thoughts quieted as the presence of her twin deities unfolded within her like twin currents. One bright and patient as dawn, the other shadowed and sharp like dusk. Their voices did not come in words, but in impressions. Ashes, deceit, hunger, silence.

Flashes flew inside her mind's eye, the Seriak running through the smoke, a hand striking a match, a symbol carved into wood then erased. Her breath caught. Whatever happened here was no random slaughter, it was deliberate and orchestrated. When she opened her eyes again, the faint scent of incense lingered, though none was burning. "The gods see what I cannot," she said as she rose, "something is binding the truth beneath layers of falsehood. We are already in the grasp of a greater plot."

She made her way outside to see if Evangeline had found anything, tell her of what she had seen, and discuss their plans on how to move forward. Kael also wanted to kill the Seriak to prevent them from taking any more of the resources from this village, afraid that they may disturb valuable evidence.

Evangeline Westryn