@ERode If Chloe tries that, she's proooobably going to die.
Iraleth is welcome. Hildegunde feels like she's going insane.
Not if she tries to get Chunji though. Sorry, Chunji, but you scare Hildegunde. Iraleth is a big ball of idiotic heroics to Hildegunde right now and she'd rather have her as a classmate than you.
Haha noooo don't leave her fate in the hand of the others you're so sexy aha.
By all accounts, Hildegunde had no right to be angry at this stranger. But watching her jeopardize her spot, then her life, only to try and leave like that? For better or worse, Iraleth is going to plague Hildegunde's mind for a long time.
That wasn't important right now, however. What was important was that Chunji and Iraleth have the two big threats distracted, and she might not get another non-lethal chance at crossing that bridge. Chunji being behind instead of ahead of her would be a problem, but he at least seemed reasonable, unlike the half elf. She can deal with him by giving him space - and that was assuming he survived at all.
She inhales and makes a mad dash, hoping to get ahead while the others are distracted. Hoping that it would be enough.
If it weren't, however, she was prepared. Prepared to do the heinous, and prepared to come up with her defense. She needed not point her rifle; the bullets would always find their mark. While she couldn't be sure how the half-elf's ethos might interact with her own, it was her best bet at guaranteeing safety. The thought becomes a mantra as she dashes, muscles burning, heart racing.
Chloe. Brainstem. Freikugeln. Chloe. Brainstem. Freikugeln. Chloe. Brainstem. Freikugeln. Chloe. Brainstem. Freikugeln. That last word feels like a caged animal, bashing against iron bars, begging to come out, to be said. And indeed, the moment Hildegunde perceived any threat towards her - or Iraleth - she would utter it. Along with a few other choice words.
Quickly capitalizing on the confusion and fear she had orchestrated with her false threat, Hildegund rushes past the stalling crowd. Briefly, she considered cutting time by going through the crowd, before deciding to stick to the perimeter. This was probably the right choice, she decides, given the abject chaos and violence that has followed her little stunt. She keeps a particular eye on Chunji, who seemed to cut through the crowd with ease and silent determination, marking him silently as a large threat. She would not turn her back on him; indeed, she even slowed her progress, so as to keep behind the man, and not in front. After all, the safety of the border would dissipate on the bridge.
As it was right now, Hildegunde silently enjoyed her relative safety on the perimeter. Free from the brawl, the most Hildegunde had found herself having to do was occasionally duck and weave the occasional blast or flailing arm that would find its way past the crowd. The woman would soon, however, come to a fearful halt herself before she reaches the bridge. She watches the half-elf with narrowed eyes, observing her carefully. The joy she took was equal parts horrific and confusing - she was surely loosing leeway by staying behind and doing this. What was she trying to accomplish? A total monopoly on seats? Did she even care, or did she just want an excuse to revel in her own power?
Then, another equally mind-boggling half-elf joined the picture.
Stupid. She is so stupid. What is she trying to do? Get herself killed? That girl had the opportunity to gain a headstart, and she just wasted it. Turned back, and for what?
She glances at the lack of ink marks on her hand for a split second. The words Freikugeln threaten to leave her lips, but she bites down on her tongue. She only has two controlled shots after all; she best not waste it. As it were, no one was crossing the bridge yet, and who knows what lay ahead. Besides, she still wasn't sure what sort of test this was, and if it were a test of character, she doesn't want to blow it.
She waits and watches as Chunji's stolen dagger flies, breath still.
Alright, hopefully that little use of magic outside of ethos is fine and can reasonably fall into primal usage. I did consider her actually shooting someone in the foot or something, but I think Hilde's trying to keep herself from being a little too chaotic until she has a good grasp of what the rules are before she goes about breaking them.
From the sidelines, in the shadows, Hildegunde watches. Such is her domain as a huntress. Even if not on the job, it is where she finds herself most comfortable. Unseen, unnoticed, until she is ready to strike.
The open chaos is strange; equal parts enthralling and confusing. Her eyebrows furrow as she thinks. 'Proper' society is such a strange beast. This feels like a test of some sort, but she is too out of her depth here to figure out what is being tested. This place is supposedly for heroes - does this mean those who have resorted to violence to secure their spot are already being marked? Or is it truly as it seems - a simple measure of determination and punctuality? Questions, questions. Questions and not enough actions. Whatever the answer, she needed to move, and fast.
Pulling her hood up, she uses a simple codeword. Obscure. She can't imagine what she's going to do is particularly terrible, but just in case this is a morality test, she'd rather not be easily identified. It's not illegal if you don't get caught and all.
She inhales. Points a rifle to the sky. Shoots. Trips someone.
She does not wait to watch her results. She's too busy concealing her rifle and hurrying off.
It's all showmanship, but she hopes if nothing else, it'll cause a ruckus for those who are dumb enough - or, perhaps, smart enough - to care. And that the poor sucker she tripped will be okay. He, like her, was furthest away from the belly of the crowd - it's unlikely he'll be trampled. If nothing else, the sound of a gunshot alone will inevitably cause just enough panic -even if for a moment - that it'll give her leeway.
@ERode The scary thing about Hildegunde is that if she WANTED to go full murder mode, her Ethos would make her scarily effective at it. Being able to make every 2/3 bullets a headshot and 1/3 hit something indiscriminately regardless would be pretty damn scary.
Good thing she usually only points her gun at animals, without evoking it :P Someone needs to be her friend quickly so she can avoid using it recklessly in fear of that third shot hitting them.
Sorry for the wait everyone, writing up my post now.
Hildegunde is a tall, lithe woman, with angular features, tanned skin, piercing green eyes, and short, brown, scruffy hair. Her attire tends to skew dark and neutral in coloration, and plain and unassuming in design, as if to help her blend into her surroundings. Curiously, her hands always have pen marks on them.
(I'll be drawing her or whoever is selected later, note that my styles tend to skew relatively cartoony but I can try to do a more anime-esque one)
Hildegunde is a fairly quiet woman, preferring to listen rather than speak for the most part. Let it not be mistaken, however, that Hildegunde is a polite woman, or that she is a reserved one. While she might not be much for words, she is by no means shy; her actions are bold, and her words, when spoken, are said without much shame or hesitancy. She's a bit of an eccentric, and has a disregard for rules ranging from societal norms to legal law. 'Quietly unhinged' might be the best way to describe her.
She's got a sharp eye, a sharp tongue, and a sharp mind, as well as something of a stubborn streak. Her people skills are somewhat lacking, thanks to her upbringing.
Speaking of people, she tends to keep people at an arm's length; not because she prefers solitude, but because she is afraid of two things. The first is being unable to use her Ethos freely in an emergency, and getting herself hurt or killed as a consequence. The second is accidentally getting someone she cares about hurt, or god forbid killed. Given the nature of her Ethos, and indeed, the history of its discovery, it isn't much of a surprise that she decided to keep herself from getting too attached.
Born to a family of hunters in a small lodge not too far north from Seer's Loft, Hildegunde learned how to shoot a gun before she learned how to read or write. Fairly disconnected from society, Hildegunde's main source of social interaction outside of her family were visits to Seer's Loft, in which Hildegunde's family would shop, as well as trade and sell their wares; hides, furs, meat, sinew, beads of bone, and the like. In lieu of social connection, she became deeply connected to the natural world, in tune with the rhythm and cycles of the earth, and in time learning its magic.
That is not to say that she was a lonely child growing up. Indeed, she was quite close to her parents, as well as her older brother, Gunther, whom she was equal parts full of admiration and envy of. In classic younger sibling fashion, she felt slighted by her brother having more perceived priviledges than her, as well as his perceived unfair advantages. He was smarter than her, quicker than her, stronger than her...it felt as if he simply did everything better than her, with little room to ever surpass him.
That is, with one exception; marksmanship.
Gunther was by no means a bad shot; indeed, he was, at the time, better than her. But the space between them in skill wasn't as steep as it was in other areas, and Hildegun began to dedicate herself to becoming the best shot she could be. It turned towards obsession; she had to make her mark. She had to be better at this one thing, or she would live in his shadow forever. Perhaps it was this obsession with hitting her mark that manifested her Ethos. Perhaps she would be a happier person if it didn't.
It was an accident, of course. She became addicted to praise, to power. It wasn't as if she knew the ins and outs of her Ethos yet; all she wanted was for her to continue to hit with each shot. She knows her gun wasn't pointed anywhere near him when it happened. But alas, Gunther paid the price for her hubris, and in a way she never wanted, she was forced out of his shadow.
The two were hunting alone when it happened, and to this day she has not admitted to anyone the truth, instead framing her accidental murder as his intentional suicide. The guilt, along with the fear of hurting someone again, has made her a lone wolf. She became well known for her skills; skills that she now honed exclusively outside of the use of her ethos. But it lays there, in wait, of course. Her emergency button.
As her skills increased, she became more and more reclusive and her mental health deteriorated. Her parents began to worry for her. Eventually, the decision was made to abandon their fairly self sufficient and secluded way of life and emigrate to the Vaal Shakta, hoping to get her professional help, as well as hoping that a more social lifestyle may help her recover. This has had mixed results; if nothing else, being overwhelmed by city life has at least alleviated a lot of the guilt and gloom that once hung off her.
She has applied to Wingram since, in hopes to hone her primal magic, and maybe even her Ethos. If nothing else, the idea of being a hero of any kind appeals to her ego, even if her personality isn't quite yet worthy of such a title.
Marksman - Freikugeln
It was said that, once upon a time, a marksman made a deal with the devil. He was granted seven magic bullets; the first six would serve the will of the marksman, but the last of which would be at the will of the devil. While Hildegunde has (presumably) never made such a deal, the concept from the fairy tale rings very familiar. Maybe she had made such a deal in a past life.
When Freikugeln is evoked, two bullets will meet their mark with pin-point accuracy. The third, however, is one that Hildegunde lacks total control over - but will always hit something. Perhaps, with time and dedication, she will be able to sway the devil's favour, and gain the fabled six shots.
For obvious reasons, she tries to avoid actually using this outside of emergencies.
Outside of her Ethos, she has primal magic, gained through a connection to nature.
Marksmanship - Hildegunde's got a pretty good aim with guns, with rifles being her specialty.
Survivalist - She's also got a fair amount of general knowledge that has served her well when roughing it out outdoors. Foraging knowledge, how to set traps, fire making, knot tying, that sort of deal. And, of course, hunting.
Butchery - Likewise, she also knows how to butcher an animal, as well as use different parts of it for various uses, such as skinning, bone carving, etc.
Stealth - Hildegunde 's got a very good knack at keeping herself out of the sight and mind of people and animals alike, able to blend in, keep still, and keep quiet to alarming efficiency.
Discerning - Years of hunting has made her very attuned to slight movements, sounds, etc.
Endurance - Hildegunde can go a long time without getting tired, and is very good at handling hunger, thirst, and pain.
Hunting rifle
Bullet brick
Pen and inkwell
Swiss Army Knife
Dried venison
-The Ethos is drawn from the folkloric figure of Der Freischütz, or The Marksman.
-The earliest iteration of what would become the fabled figured of Freischütz was actually an archer and not a marksman, making him an arrow ace. Hildegunde is, similarly, an aro ace. (You may now throw tomatoes at me).
-Hildegunde's biggest weakness is her pride. It's a quiet pride; she is not boastful or arrogant, so it might not even be apparent to most that she even has a massive ego. But she does indeed, and it fuels many of her actions; her refusal to ask for help, her belief that she can do it better than others, et cetera.
-Her biggest strength is, similarly, her confidence. Hildegunde is not one to doubt; she is decisive, quick to act, and not easily swayed or made to falter.
-The pen marks on her hands are to keep track of what metaphorical 'bullet' she is on.
AThousandCurses
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