The Hunting Grounds IV: Drops Contain 0% RNG

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

"We were told the fellow we are hunting is cunning and smart. This may be an attempt to lead us in an ambush." Mister Slash doesn't seem to have any better ideas, however, than just stride in to trigger the ambush knowing about it. "There's more dead and death along here. You see it?" Mister Slash gestures at the traces of them with his large shard of broken glass.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Amalungak had shaped this axe for him. Given it purpose.

True, it is meant to be an instrument of vengeance, fueled by Damon's desire to lay low those who have wronged him, and he has no such rage to direct against their quarry today. But perhaps its power to banish misdirection would still work to some degree here? How nice it would be to cut straight through whatever deception the carrion knight has woven around this place.

"Two thingss sspring to mind. One, the holess - any one could be a sspot from which to ambussh, and if they connect, then our target may have the meanss to run ringss around uss. Equally, ssecond, the arrowss make me think of an archer lurking amidsst the treess. Above or below, he could be hiding anywhere." Damon adjusts his position, putting his back against a tree. He experimentally lobs a ball of black fire into the large hole, curious to see if it provokes any reaction.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Damon's ball of fire seems to hit something. The smell of burning chitin wafts out of the hole. Immediately after, there's another response. Without a sound, creatures come out of two other holes and head straight for the two hunters. Long insect-like monsters covered in thick carapace, each segment of their bodies seeming to move independently. Multiple legs scurry along the forest floor with nary a sound. Their goal seems to be to cut them in half with the massive mandibles their heads end in.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

Mister Slash reaches into his pocket as the insects approach, pulling out a razor-sharp shard of glass, passing it to his opposite hand and pulling another shard out of the same pocket. He'll crouch into a fighting stance and slash as they approach. The glass blades are very sharp, but don't cut the bogeyman, and he's aiming at points that would paralyse or cripple, rather than kill.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

You know, it's strangely unsatisfying to be right about this sort of thing. Freaky giant insect things are never fun.

He reaches behind him and sends a burst of fire arcing up the tree behind it, using it to transport himself rapidly to the top of the tree.

Sure, he's started a small forest fire, and the tree he's on now is probably going to collapse in a few minutes, but right now it gives him a chance to see if these bug-things can climb!

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The insect charging Mister Slash turns out to be rather more clever than you would expect such an animal to be. Instead of launching itself at him, it's trying to flank him, jabbing at him with its mandibles and actually avoiding or deflecting his cuts.

Meanwhile, it seems that the insect after Damon can't climb... or won't, rather. Because instead it unfolds a pair of wings from its back and stretches, somehow becoming longer and skinnier, before taking into the air and flying straight at him.

The presence that devours light in addition to Damon's black fire is intensifying. Something or someone is watching the fight unfold.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

Well, that won't do. If it's avoiding his attacks, he's going to dodge its own- though he's not the most agile of bogeymen, and doesn't have a trick that would help him in dodging the attacks. He closes his organic eye as he does, and focusing his sight through the glass orb he traded his name for, he will strike a crippling blow at the insect- but not one aimed at where it is. He's trying to aim for where it's going to dodge into. He's also deliberately not aiming to kill, although he could; his nature is not one that rewards a quick or a clean kill.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Being watched is concerning.

As are flying semi-shapeshifting insects.

Damon hisses irritably and throws an arc of flame at the creature, aiming to obfuscate its vision for a moment, hopefully keeping it from reacting as he leaps out of his tree, slicing with his axe to try and cleave its wings clean off.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Mister Slash strikes the insect where it hurts this time. Under one of its carapace plates, near its head. The creature recoils, paralysis spreading through its body, causing confusion and pain.

Damon's tactic proves somewhat less effective. The fire engulfs the insect, but its vision doesn't seem to be its most important trait. It twists its body out of the way when he comes at it with his axe, which gouges a deep line in its body but doesn't take off the wing. Clearly in pain, the creature tries to latch onto him and bite with its pincers.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

The bogeyman leaves the insect that attacked him to struggle into paralysis and pain. Instead he strikes at the one attacking Damon. As before, he's aiming to paralyse or cripple; leave it alive, but scared and helpless, and hopefully capable of feeling pain.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Well, that's unfortunate. Damon twists in the air as best as he can to get out of the way, but hisses in pain as he feels one of the pincers rake across his side when it tries to get a grip on him.

That's gonna sting.

Speaking of stings, Damon's form shifts and grows as he takes on the shape of another one of the demons he's consumed - in this case looking like a quite traditional winged demon with black leathery wings and vicious clawed hands. More importantly though, this particular demon's tail ends in a vicious-looking stinger, which he lashes out with, aiming to curl it round and pierce the insect's underside, whereupon it will emit a burst of black flame.

Its outside might be proving frustratingly flame-resistant, but maybe its innards are more flammable.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The insect's underbelly is far softer than its carapace, as is often the case. The fire scorches its insides, dooming it to a slow and painful death. It flails silently, no longer maintaining its flight and dropping to the ground unless Damon holds it up. Mister Slash might find it difficult to get there before that happens, since both Damon and the insect were in the air.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

It looks like Damon had it handled, then. So he'll spend his time tormenting the other insect, until Damon's ready to leave. "Nice shapeshifting. Not a trick I've learnt, but I've met bogeys that can." Mister Slash mostly hides in other ways.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Damon circles back round to the ground, shifting back to his normal self, and taking a moment or two to withdraw his flames from the surroundings before he ends up actually setting half the forest on fire.

"We are being watched." Damon mutters, not addressing Mister Slash's comment. "Whatever controlss thiss darknesss, we have itsss attention."

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The flames that Damon did set fade... entirely too quickly, in fact. The feeling of being watched fades slightly and there's a sense of movement, perhaps underground. They will hear a sound, as if something being dragged and picked up, in the direction where they saw the bisected elf body and the shadows thicken there.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

"Yes, I feel it too. Not something I'm used to." Mister Slash turns at the noises behind them, and stares at where the body lay. "We'd best get looking. I think we just lost our previous clue."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Not having complete control over the environment irritates Damon. He's not used to being at such a disadvantage. Indeed, the last time he felt the environment being turned against him so was back at the temple.

Not fun.

"They're toying with uss, but asss long asss they have thesse tunnelss to essscape through, we'll have a difficult time boxing them in."

Perhaps they've been left another clue to follow in place of the body? Something to goad them into walking into a trap, maybe? He walks back in the direction of the body, eyes scanning the holes for any sign of underground movement.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The forest is silent once again - more so, in fact. The darkness and silence seem to close in on them. Fortunately, neither of the hunters is likely to find himself very unnerved by it. The body is predictably gone, but there's a trail of blood and other fluids along the ground, leading off into the darkness between the trees, off to the side from the way they came. Was the one who took it in a hurry? Or is it bait? They left no other clues or tracks.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

"If they're toying with us, then they know where we are. And they're confident in their abilities. It saves us time; we won't have to find them, just be ready for when they get bored." Mister Slash bends over the blood trail, dipping a finger in it and raising it to his mouth. He's seen trackers and hunters do it, and hopes it will provide him with a clue. It seems to work for them.

Had his sojourn through the Tenements and the Abyss worked out differently, perhaps the trick would work for him, too. But it didn't, so he can't gain much information from tasting the blood. "The trail goes that way. Probably a trap. Want to spring it?" As Mister Slash sees it, they have nothing better to do.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Damon seems less than thrilled at the thought of blundering into a trap, but they don't have many other options available. He gives a hissing sigh and nods to Mister Slash. "Sseemss we have no other option."

Still, there's no point making this too easy for their foe. He coats himself in flames once more and sets off after the blood trail, making sure to follow along parallel to it a few paces away, rather than directly along the trail.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The trail goes into the quiet woods. The air is still, all voices are dead. Not even insects gather to feats on the corpses and blood. Finally, the silence is broken by the sound of blood dripping on the ground. It's falling in small droplets from the top of a tall tree, shrouded in deep shadow. There's a sound of flesh being eaten from within the darkness.

"You have gone to much trouble to find me," says a voice from the same direction. "Did the fool Silent Feathers Drifting send you? If he cares so much about his apes, he should come take it up with me himself."

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

"Would you believe us if we said no?" The answer is, in fact, no, but Mister Slash isn't sure he wants to give away their true aims yet. If the fae they're dealing with thinks they're here to negotiate on behalf of Silent Feathers Drifting, it's likely to lower its guard and that would make killing it easier.

He puts his hand in his pocket, grasping a shard of glass within so he's ready to fight, but isn't being immediately threatening.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Well, Damon was of a mind to just start chucking fire, but Mister Slash's words make him pause. He glances across at the bogeyman and gives a single slight nod, he'll hold back and let Slash engage in a spot of banter for now.

It's been a long time since he's had to contend with someone who dwells in shadow and wields it in the same manner as himself. It's...more than a little irritating.

Damon takes a few steps back, slowly circling, looking for an angle where he can actually get a view of their mark.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

The voice seems to be moving around as it speaks. But there's a pattern to the movement; if they listen they might be able to predict it...

"I would not. Who else could it be? This is no one's land. No one cares for those I lure here. They come to hunt or die."

Damon will see glimpses though the darkness. Feathers and rusted armor, crawling among the branches. Their movement doesn't seem to match that of the voice.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

"I do not care for those you have lured here before, and neither does the one who sent us. Because there is another, one who you should know. One who has returned, and is displeased by what he has found of his prior underlings." At this, Mister Slash will move towards where he thinks the voice will be coming from; he noticed the pattern, and is acting upon it. He pulls a long glass shard from his pocket as he goes, though he doesn't know what to expect nor how easy it would be to kill with the broken glass he uses.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

It seems unlikely that ol' rust and feathers up there is unaware of Damon's location, but just in case, he chooses to keep quiet for the time being, keeping himself pressed up against a tree and watching those movements, keeping track as best he can.

At the very least, it will hopefully ensure he doesn't get the drop on him, if things go sour.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

...no, that's... he wouldn't. He's too weak, he means nothing anymore. Whatever he offered you, it's a lie."

The voice is clearly nervous; their composure is shaken. Damon will notice that the voice now follows the silhouette of their body and is moving more slowly. Mister Slash might notice the same. The Carrion Knight is now low in the branches and briefly troubled by the implication of what they said.

[Earl of Purple]

Forest of Stilled Voices

Mister Slash doesn't say anything further, moving toward the silhouette and pulling the glass blade from their pocket as he does. He's moving fast- supernaturally so, but only just outside human ability- and aiming the jagged piece of broken glass in a sweep across what should be the figure's throat. He's not sure if that's going to be fatal or not, but he doesn't think he should play with this one.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Damon chuckles. So much for being sneaky, but the poor carrion knight's denial is just too amusing.

"You think him weak? You think hisss offerss to be liess? No. Hiss word iss true, for he blesssed me with the meansss to cut away liess and deceit. And I sssay no more hiding. Reveal yoursself!" He shouts, brandishing his axe.

Ideally, Damon is hoping the axe's purpose will shine through, literally, and spread its pale moonlight glow to the Carrion Knight, thereby hindering his ability to hide. But he really doesn't know how to use the thing, so it might just do nothing. Hopefully Mister Slash will prove suitably distracting in that case, though.

[Morty]

[Forest of Stilled Voices]

Damon's hope seems to be well-founded. The axe's blade burns brightly and sends an arc of moonlight towards the darkness where the Carrion Knight is hiding. The figure of a crow clad in rusty, jagged armor is now clear, hanging from a now branch. Mister Slash can't reach their throat with his glass, but he should be able to catch them in their wing. Even though the bird's face and eyes are fairly expressionless, both Mister Slash and Damon might feel palpable terror from them.

This axe! How...?