Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

If Fleuri had known in advance that they'd be fighting the Midnight Hunt, he would have gone back to his family mausoleum to borrow Armand's enchanted weapons, because his mundane greatsword was rapidly becoming inadequate for what they were expected to face. Fortunately, Lord Arken was able to augment their weapons with magic, which should enable them to strike down supernatural foes.

Hopefully the new sword he had commissioned from the castle smith was almost finished because there would be no better swan song for Fleuri's current weapon than this. Facing down the Midnight Hunt, imbued with magic enabling it to cut what it ordinarily couldn't...he could think of no better final job for his sword than this.

Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but he really believed they could pull this off. Between Merilia's training and Arken's magic, the knights were a force to be reckoned with. Besides, surely the Moonlit Queen wouldn't have gone for such a lopsided wager- eleven souls for a mere fragment of one- if the odds didn't favor the knights, right?

---

This was it- the legendary Midnight Hunt was upon them. Fae and spirits emerged from the woods, ready to fight. Among them were the infamous Knights of the Midnight Hunt sitting upon their mounts, massive polearms in hand. But even more distinctive than the fae knights was a quintet of unique figures, the most notable of which was Rozenalt himself.

A few weeks ago, Fleuri would have considered it unthinkable for himself and the rest of the captain's favored band of knights to face down such a foe with an expectation of winning. However, as much as his heart was racing, he believed Merilia had prepared him well for this. Training with the Mirror Knight and facing Merilia's tests had not only greatly improved his martial skills, but also steeled his mind for going up against figures of legend.

The confidence in Fanilly's voice, and the (possibly literal) bloodlust exhibited by Tyaethe at her chance at facing Rozenalt again only further fired him up.

Renar moved to face the fae with the bear trap, while Gerard challenged the woman in white. With those two occupied, Fleuri's eyes, concealed by his helmet's faceplate, turned to the houndmaster. He would take on this one. He was unsure if it controlled just the two hound-beasts on its leash, or if it give commands to all of the twisted hounds brought along to this Midnight Hunt, but regardless, it was clearly an important figure among their adversaries and needed to be dealt with.

Fleuri lunged forward, cutting down one of the hunched creatures in his path and bringing his blade through what almost looked like a shadow at his flank- but was unsure if he had hit anything with that strike. He brought his sword back around and brought it to a stop when it came to point towards the hound handler, then raised it and gave his tournament salute, as if to mark them as his foe. He saw no reason to speak- from the tales he had heard, the Knights of the Midnight Hunt never spoke, and he would repay them and their kin the same courtesy.

The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel

Verius Sanctian

I had almost forgotten about how much I disliked the desert sun Verius mused, scowling slightly beneath his helmet. The Alik'r Desert was much more challenging to traverse than Colovia or The Reach, and typically required special preparation for those who did not want to risk death. And to complicate matters, clothing meant for desert travel wasn't typically very effective against the blades and bludgeons of Dwemer constructs.

Still, there were creative ways to circumvent it. Verius knew of some defensive magical techniques, and with deft enough use of a sword and shield, their foes' blades need not ever reach him.

"A straightforward assignment, we will take care of it," Verius replied. "Who or where might I be able to get the details of the job from? I'd like to know exactly where we'll be heading ahead of time."

He hoped that most of this expedition will be spent within the much more tolerable climate of the ruins' interior. He wondered if the Empress still had Auriel's Bow, or if it had made itself scarce as Tamrielic artifacts were reputed to do.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

The back alley didn't provide them with a great deal of options. One path looked clear but it led to what was no doubt a pack of zombies. As the only of the group who had so far been willing and able to fight, Javal wasn't too keen on pitting himself against multiple undead at once. As for the other path, there was no way of knowing what was behind it until they climbed over the debris. There could be undead on the other side...but unlike the other path, it wasn't a guarantee.

Right now, Javal trusted more in his ability to scale rubble than fight off several undead at once. There was also the option of the front entrance, but Javal wasn't particularly confident in that option, since he had already seen the dead shuffling around out there from the upstairs window.

"I'll get a look at what's beyond this path," he announced as he began to carefully scale the debris. "I'd much rather risk climbing over the blocked path than wake the other way right into a pack of zombies. Are your new bodies are dexterous enough to follow?"

@VitaVitaAR@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The knights now had an objective and a location. According to the Moonlit Queen, a Midnight Hunt would end if its leader was defeated. Thus their goal- and their condition to win the wager and recover the Duke's sanity- would be to strike down Sir Rozenalt. This was easier said than done, of course- Sir Rozenalt was skilled enough to fight Tyaethe to a standstill (in the very least, neither managed to kill the other), and he wasn't alone. The knights would be also facing whatever fae and spirits that the Hunt threw at them, meaning that in a best case scenario, most of the band would be occupied holding off the rest of the hunters while the others (almost certainly Tyaethe, plus whoever she permitted to aid her) dealt with Rozenalt.

Fleuri wondered what Rozenalt thought of Tyaethe. Perhaps he was yearning to face her again, in hopes of correcting his previous failure to defeat her. Or, at the other extreme, perhaps he barely remembered her and gave no thought to Tyaethe's survival in the previous hunt.

As for exactly what they'd be facing in addition to Rozenalt, Fleuri had a vague idea. It went without saying that the Unseelie would participate, particularly the Knights of the Midnight Hunt. The hunt was also said to involve evil spirits, but Fleuri was unsure what manner of foes they'd be. He reckoned it wasn't entirely impossible (although pretty improbable, since Thaln had no shortage of deceased evildoers) that some of the souls of their previous foes, like Jeremiah or the necromancer, might be joining.

It wouldn't be long before they found out. With a guide to take them to the location of the hunt, they could be assured that they'd soon be facing down one of the most terrible supernatural phenomena in Thaln.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

That was quite different than doing it in a game, Javal thought to himself as he looked at the fallen zombie. It was his first time he had ever pummeled something to death, but at least he could take comfort in the fact that it was an animated corpse that needed to be put to rest. It wouldn't be the last time- given the shadows lurking about outside, and the armor on his body, he'd need to be ready for more violence if the trio wanted to get out of here alive.

The elf's hunch was correct in that the cellar was where they'd find intact food. It wasn't hard to find some preserved meats and barrels of alcoholic beverages. They had no idea how far they were from intact civilization, so even a few provisions could go a long way.

"This looks like a good start, I think. The meat should be easy enough to take with us, and if we find some bottles or skins, we could fill from the barrels. Speaking of which," he turned to Lena, "Does your new body still eat and drink, Lena?"

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

Javal's blow caused the zombie to lose its balance and stumble to its knees. As it tried to regain its footing, the former pilot moved back. He had slowed the zombie down so far, but it was still moving and he could really use a better weapon than a table leg...

It was just at that moment that Lena came to his side and presented him with a mace. Had she found this on the knight's corpse? This was no time to overthink it, so he took the mace from her without questioning it.

This ought to give much better results, he thought.

He struck at the zombie's other knee as it tried to get back onto its feet. As the shambling corpse stumbled as its other knee was broken, the swung at its neck vertebrae, its shoulders, and its skull, not ceasing his blows until the zombie had ceased to move. Once he was sure it wasn't even trying to move, he stopped, breathing heavily.

"I...think I got it..." he said as his pounding heart began to slow down.

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

Javal was a little disappointed that the tumble down the stairs evidently hadn't broken any of the zombie's bones. According to his companions, who were evidently a little more versed in fantasy than him, blows to the head wouldn't do anything and he'd instead need to cripple the legs.

As it came back at him, he'd duck under its arms and swing his weapon at one of the zombie's kneecaps, following the advice of the elf and doll.

"You find anything useful on that corpse? Any weapons?" he shouted to the doll as he swung the table leg. He could hear her doing something back there, but was too busy focused on the pressing threat to look back and see.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The Moonlit Queen proved to be quite easily offended, cursing Fionn and Gerard by turning their hair luminous. Fortunately Fleuri's etiquette proved sufficient to not invoke any retaliation beyond a blunt expression of ignorance of him. While some might perceive it as an insult, Fleuri could concede it was a not-unreasonable reply for an otherwise unreasonable fae who spent most of her time within her private little world.

What Fleuri was not prepared for was where the Moonlit Queen's line of thought would lead. It was clear that they'd have to wager for it, and she seemed to have recognized their skill and experience in combat, but he did not anticipate the queen announcing that they'd be facing the Midnight Hunt.

He had heard the stories of the Midnight Hunt. It was an evil tradition by evil beings that saw all others as nothing more than prey to be hunted. In his eyes, the mere notion of a Midnight Hunt being held within Thaln's borders ought to prompt as strong of a response as when Anzel Cazt rose up against the crown in rebellion.

This time, however, they'd be forced to face foes that could fight back.

The odds were lofty for sure, however. It was not enough to survive, if they wished to win the wager they would have to defeat them. From what Fleuri had heard of the tales, the hunters would keep coming endlessly until the night ended. Even so, Fleuri knew all too well that you didn't necessarily need to kill an enemy to subdue and defeat them. Fleuri couldn't help but wonder if this was the challenge that Merilia foresaw the Roses facing, and the reason that she helped to strengthen them.

Facing a legendary figure like Rozenalt would be a monumental challenge in and of itself, but they had Tyaethe on their side, and from the look of her manic grin, this was a rematch she had been waiting for.

The Moonlit Queen's terms were not negotiable and very lofty- if they lost, Fanilly and the Roses would belong to her. This wasn't up for debate- but it sounded like her wager was. He wondered- just what would the Moonlit Queen be willing to put up to match the bet that she demanded of the knights? Could they gain boons from her? Or, perhaps they could compel the Unseelie queen to release some unjustly stolen souls.

Fleuri said nothing at this time, but looked to Fanilly to see what her reaction would be.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

Javal finally was able to see exactly what was menacing this place- a zombie. Such a thing was utterly impossible on Earth, but the short time he spent so far in this new world had prepared Javal for the possibility that just as this world had elves and supernatural powers, it also had undead. Luckily, it didn't appear to have any spark of intelligence, but he wasn't yet sure just how durable the zombies of this world were.

No time like the present to find out.

The moment the zombie began to emerge from the cellar, Javal swung the table leg at its face, attempting to knock the shambling corpse off the stairs and back down to the level below. If any of his companions had any tricks of their own for this situation, now would be the time to use them. If not it may be up to him to beat this thing until it stopped moving.

Another Life in a Fantasy World (Invite Only)

Javal

Javal listened closely to Lena's explanation for touching them. She justified herself with a claim that she could discern the material makeup of objects by touching them. An odd claim, but Javal saw no reason to cast doubt on her at the moment. After all, he entered this world with a boon of his own- his armor.

Steel with mithril- that'd explain why it feels a bit lighter than it ought to.

It's true that it might not be useful in this immediate situation, but it could be an amazing ability further down the road, once they were out of this mess. As for the elf, she had the look of a mage, and that staff definitely looked like a mage's weapon. She hadn't announced her ability, but if Javal had to guess, the girl's boon was the ability to use magic.

Speaking of the elf, as the doll moved in on her, she announced that she heard something moving in the cellar. Apparently this abandoned building was not as secure as they previously thought.

"We'd better check it out, then. It could be dangerous but we don't want it getting the jump on us," Javal stated, walking towards the cellar door, with a tight grip on his improvised club. He didn't know what awaited them, but between the three of them, they should be able to handle a little bit of danger.

"Sephily, what can you do with that staff of yours?" he asked as he slowly reached for the cellar door.