bluejay_gl

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

“Is that so?” she said, crossing her arms and leaning on the table. She deliberated his offer carefully.

Every bounty hunter Densha had met previously had no interest in working with others – after all, the more you have to split the profits, the less you get for yourself – and she was no different. She had never doubted her own ability to find Y on her own, but now that she thought about it, she had no experience in an actual battle. Sure, she hunted animals before, but not people. How did she know Y would be easy to kill? In fact, how did she know he didn’t have cronies – or even an army – on his side?

It’s not as though Densha hadn’t considered this before; she was traveling for a month before reaching Blackwater, alone with her thoughts. But she was so preoccupied with thinking about the reward – the gold, the fame, the honor – that she had fooled herself into thinking she was more capable than in reality.

“Loras, was it?” she said after a few seconds. She looked over his armor, his battle-worn cape, and his peculiar sword. He seemed adept at handling himself in a fight. “I’d be interested in splitting the bounty – assuming we’re after the same mark. Why don’t you tell me who you’re looking for, first?”

Densha doubted that he was looking for Y, too. As far as she knew, news of the Eastwind governor’s death were spread around many countries, but the suspected assassin’s profile was kept strictly within Eastwind itself. She could be mistaken, however; leaks happen all too often, and for a prize of 50,000 gold, she was certain many bounty hunters would be interested.

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

I think a regular post-by-post convo should be fine. I did misunderstand Eyeris's post, my bad! I guess if Haven can't speak (can't believe how long it took me to realize that), she couldn't actually tell Densha anything anyway, could she? Lol

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

Posted. Whoo! Time for some mind games!

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

Densha had only looked away for a moment, waiting until she thought it was safe to look back, and jolted slightly when she saw that the dark-clothed man was directly beside her.

He spoke to her in a low, smooth tone, and made a hand gesture to another table, inviting her to sit with him. He was evidently trying to seem pleasant, but Densha had already seen the way he looked at the halfling and at the other inn goers. That stare was full of distaste, even loathing; he looked at her now with those dead eyes, and she stared back into them, as if staring into an endless chasm.

What does he want with me? Densha thought. He had obviously caught her staring. Maybe he thought she was romantically interested. Maybe he overheard her conversation with the barmaid. Maybe he knows Y… or plans to collect the bounty on his head before she can.

As these thoughts stirred gently in her mind, she thought of how she could best play this in her favor. After a moment, she responded in a cool, collected voice.

“Yes, sure. I’m Densha,” she said, getting up from her table and following him to the adjacent one. She smiled confidently. “And you?”

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

Awesome. I'll be able to put a post up by tomorrow night. Currently out of town, using a tablet. :)

And the darkness fell

Excellent! :) I'd love to play as the cult's leader. He would deliver sermons emphasizing the divinity of "the harbinger of the eternal night", and he'd probably try to sacrifice the hunters to the demon.

And the darkness fell

This is starting to sound really cool. Maybe there can be some characters who are aware of what's happening and seek to destroy the demon responsible. Maybe others are religious fanatics who worship the demon and try to stop them from killing it.

And the darkness fell

I think a supernatural source would be more exciting. Vampires who want a permanent way to avoid turning into ashes from daylight? (Though I believe this was a storyline in Skyrim: Dawnguard.) Or a demon who wants to create another dimension of hell, using the Earth as a preexisting "clay" to form it?

And honestly, a sci-fi would be pretty difficult to pull off. For one thing, if the sun was blotted out, every living thing would freeze to death, so you'd have to come up with a reason why that doesn't happen.

And the darkness fell

Sounds pretty interesting. I guess you would have to develop factions, i.e. some people would be trying to maintain the darkness to facilitate crime for their own purposes, while other people would either be the authority trying to develop efficient/secure artificial lighting or scientists researching the restoration of natural light. I suppose this darkness would be supernatural? Or were you considering more like science fiction, as in the sun being blotted out?

The Faintly Gallows (Dark Fantasy/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural)

Seriously?! thought Densha excitedly. I finally have a lead?

She rocked back in her chair anxiously, watching the girl turn in her order. Densha wondered if Y was staying at this very inn. What if he was upstairs right now? What if she could just charge into his room and launch a crossbow bolt in his chest? After all, the bounty on his head is a legal order made by the government of Eastwind; if she wanted to, she could simply show the wanted document to the innkeeper and have certified permission to kill her mark. However, if Y isn't here, then the whole inn would find out there's a 50,000 gold bounty on a man in this very town, and the last thing she wants is the competition of the strong, shady-looking fellows around her... especially the scraggly man in black sitting across from the halfling jester.

Densha looked at him from the corner of her eyes, observing his ruined cape and his dead stare. The man looked like he had someone he wanted dead, as well, except he seemed more likely to enjoy murder more than Densha. To her, death was simply an inevitability; if killing a man who deserved it, such as Y, earned her a ton of gold and brought glory back to her homeland, then she had no problem with it.

Lost in thought, she suddenly realized she was staring at the dark man and turned her head quickly. Oops. Hope he didn't notice.