SilverPaw

Into Perdition's Jaws

Linus Guiren

Linus' weapons clattered against their body as they ran through the forest, but despite that, they were able to hear the enemy approach, and saw various silhouettes peripherally. Not liking the feeling of someone being directly behind them and them not knowing their exact positions nor what they were like, Linus dashed behind a tree for cover, turned around, and pointed their spear and shotgun in the direction of their followers.

The first one that they saw was an ally, however, the heavily armored and charred-smelling one. They waved at the figure, and greeted it. “Reclaimer? There’s enemies behind, so best take cover, shoot at them, lose line of sight, then dash,” Linus suggested once Corsica was close enough to hear.

After the mortar fire, in midst of the loud assault of various firearms, and to the background of interspersed crashed which reminded Linus of a tank, a dark gray mechanical construct approached and opened fire. In response, the Celaderaka a whole shotgun magazine at it while retreating to another tree. Momentarily letting the firearm swing freely on one of their shoulders, Linus lobed two grenades at the artificial enemy in quick succession, hoping to distract it momentarily. Then they took a hold of Serah, their spear-gun with both hands, aimed it at the base of their nature-provided cover, and uprooted the whole thing with a combination of physical prowess and a cascade of energy blasts. It fell swiftly, and Linus rolled it towards the feet of the mecha, mainly to see how it would react to an obstacle. Of course, they also immediately retreated further into the forest, behind yet another tree.

In the midst of all this, a camera-esque flying droid approached, and Linus almost shot it down on pure reflex, but stopped once it began to relay its message. “Well, I don’t mind following the drone…But we can’t just let these fellas follow us so easily,” they mused. Retreating as needing and vaguely following the drone, they observed the goings on behind them. There were a few familiar shapes approaching – more allied survivors of the wreckage, it seemed. “Wish there was time enough to stack a whole buncha trees in front of these fuckers. Not that it’d deter them for long,” they muttered.

At one point, when they happened to find themselves next to Corsica once again, Linus addressed her again. “Once the others get cleared out of here, what do you think about burning this whole section of forest? If nothing else, it might obscure us from the enemies for a while,” they suggested.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Winton

Jandar’s eyes widened momentarily at Mikhail’s sudden appearance, but his questions had him gnashing his teeth, looking away as the turmoil within him was stirred to a maddening urgency. “They left. During the few minutes that they were alone in that damned changing room, Sybl seems to have convinced Fatima to go with him.

“They must have used a sight shield to sneak out of a back door, then they took to the air,” the Warlord explained bitterly before finally looking back at Mikhail. “Fatima only informed us both mentally that a ‘someone’ is injured and that we shouldn’t worry, after she had already left, of course,” he smiled tightly.

“It is my fault that I have left her out of my sight for even a second. I should have hounded her every step, regardless of how crowded or improper it got. However, I mistakenly believed that she would not trust a stranger so easily, and grew lenient. If something happens to her, I-” he shook his head, a raspy sound escaping him, something between a choke and a strangled, horrified laugh. “Let’s hope we get to that bastard before that,” he concluded, continuing to jog after Dunny.

However, Mikhail’s next muttering couldn’t be ignored by Jandar. “What do you mean about SaDiablo?” he questioned, utterly bewildered. He didn’t know yet why they had to find them and what the Prince meant about dealing with the man, but the former certainly aligned with Jandar’s own interest.

With worries and conversation to spice their way, the group soon arrived to a cliff side. “You needn’t go down the cliff, we will be the ones to do that,” Jandar explained to Dunny. He saw him slip, and immediately crouched to grab him by the ruff of his neck and pull him back from the edge. “Careful there. Now, can you tell us where exactly the track leads? What exactly is down there?” he questioned, as he peered down, enhancing his sight with Craft to attempt discern the answer for himself.

The Devil Hunter Agency

Hoshio

Name: Hoshio Kikuchi

Title: /

Age: 28

Division: Japanese branch

Class/Species: Devil Bringer

Weaponry:

• Bow. Enchanted to shoot farther and more accurately. Blessed to repel devils, and can withstand a few hits from them, but isn’t built for defense.
• Arrows. They disintegrate devils, whether they’re corporeal or not. The larger/stronger the devil, the more arrows needed to kill them. However, each hit weakens them, so even non-lethal attacks are effective.
• Quiver. A tool which replenishes arrows when needed from a designated storage room.
• Switchblade. Corrosive to the touch for devils, it also functions as a mild ward, discouraging them from approaching.
• Tattoos. The enchanted ink inscribed into his skin promotes power, endurance, vitality, and regeneration. Does not at all compare to a Devil Feeder’s physicality, but it is better than nothing. It just helps him to shoot more for longer, and makes him a bit less vulnerable.

Personality:
Hoshio usually comes across as tired, exasperated, unenthusiastic, and just about done with life. Feels older than he is, and insists it’s not only the general ‘approaching 30s mentality’, though he’s objectively not drastically different from others in their late twenties. Passionate about very few things (and even that rarely), and killing devils sure isn’t one of them – though it’s the thing he’s best at (and as much as that is obvious, he sometimes finds it to be depressing). He does experience the so-called ‘thrill of the hunt’, but even that is already part of the routine. Hoshio’s purpose is to make things easier, the world a bit more pleasant one, and that so happens to involve hunting devils and making things better for the mundane – he claims his motives to be selfish, any altruistic consequences merely the natural byproduct of his actions.

That said, he loathes devils much more than he does his job, and he has no problem taking it out on them. He does occasionally gripe to his fellow hunters, but since he rarely meets anyone like-minded or sympathetic, he normally keeps it to himself. As for his attitude to his co-workers, he’s generally accepting of a variety of characters and eccentricities, though he doesn’t get along well with any preachy hard-asses who needlessly and constantly spew about duty or honor and the like (he’s had enough of that with his family). Hoshio spends his off-time doing mundane things, often with mundane folks, keeping as far away from anything hunter related as someone in his position can. He does train regularly, though usually by himself, and catches up with other hunters on a need-to basis.

Background:
Hoshio hails from a family of hunters. His father was a Japanese hunter, his mother an English hunter. On his father’s side, there was a long-spanning tradition of working for the DHA. Though his parents lived on their own and tried to raise him normally, it didn’t really work out that way. They were often busy with their jobs, and so Hoshio was delegated to his other relatives, often his grandfather, who felt much more strongly about their family’s traditions and historical knowledge. So, from a young age, it was learning this, practicing that, training this, proper hobbies that, et cetera. His mother resisted the most and for the longest time, but once his father succumbed to the Kikuchi’s head’s will, it was all over.

‘It’ being over referring to the marriage between his parents. As for the chance of a ‘normal’ life, well, that may have been decided before Hoshio’s birth. When his mother was finally fed up with the situation, she moved back to England, and so Hoshio was left with his father’s family…Not much of a change, really. He regretted at the time that he hadn’t been taken alongside his mother, since he’d also come to find the rest of his family stifling, but he eventually (years later, in fact) came to understand her decision. In the meanwhile, Hoshio grew up under the strict and exacting guidance of his grandfather (and some others). When he was 16, a harmless captured yokai was brought to him to slay – under his elders' supervision and with his previous training of martial arts, Hoshio succeeded. He was enlisted into the DHA, working alongside his father until he was of age.

Once Hoshio had the legal ability to become independent, he did so. He moved out with the money he'd saved, and while he continued to work as a hunter, he no longer associated with his father, grandfather, or any other damned Kikuchi maniacs. Soon after, he moved to England, with some vague ideas about finding and confronting his mother. Sadly, it turned out that she’d died a few years back. Nonetheless, Hoshio stayed in her homeland, working as a hunter while finding information about her. He discovered her remaining family, who was entirely mundane, and did not approve of whatever they thought she had been involved in. He caught up with some of her old acquaintances and co-workers, who revealed to him various tidbits about his mother. Even after his self-claimed mission to learn what he could about her, Hoshio stayed in England, mainly because the newly discovered freedom and lack of any undesirable associations was great. However, at 27, he was called back to Japan due to the emerging youkai situation, where he’s been ever since.

Inventory: His mother’s journal. Contains both professional and personal musings (about devils, her colleagues, acquaintances, family, and life).

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

Asteria

---

---

Yes! Asteria thought triumphantly when she saw the Myrminors emerge. However, despite things going to plan, it soon became obvious that the goblinoids might not have as much trouble with the bugs as they’d thought. That meant they could join the fight to get rid of them for good (perhaps after the insects were done for) or use the opportunity to sneak into their hideout and explore. Moreover, a Hobgoblin discovered that a rock had been thrown to distract them, and while they were all currently preoccupied by the newly emerged bug enemies, if he remembered that there might be someone else afterwards, the rat trio could be in trouble.

Asteria was still considering the options when Ed offered his opinion. “Yeah, that’s alright. I’ll sneak in, and come back when I can, but in the meantime, the two of you should leave the premises and hide somewhere. Maybe just far enough that you can still observe, though depending on whether they remember to search for other enemies when they’re done with the bugs, that could be dangerous,” she expressed her worries. “Anyhow, I’m heading off now. By the way, I think I’ll try and free the troll if I can, because that may cause the chaos we need,” she said, making an on-spot decision about it.

Then she did as she’d said, sneaking towards the previously dug hole by the caged savage troll, passed into the camp, and began to fiddle with the cage. If the lock were something she could easily dismantle while remaining unnoticed, she would do so. Otherwise, she’d immediately head to the hideout’s main entrance while trying to avoid being observed from above – where she knew the leader and possibly some others resided on that ledge. All the while, she used her Beast Senses, Faster II, Muffle II, and Suppress Presence I to get around as quickly and sneakily as possible.

The Devil Hunter Agency

Hope I'm not too late.

Hoshio

Name: Hoshio Kikuchi

Title: /

Age: 28

Division: Japanese branch

Class/Species: Devil Bringer

Weaponry:

• Bow. Enchanted to shoot farther and more accurately. Blessed to repel devils, and can withstand a few hits from them, but isn’t built for defense.
• Arrows. They disintegrate devils, whether they’re corporeal or not. The larger/stronger the devil, the more arrows needed to kill them. However, each hit weakens them, so even non-lethal attacks are effective.
• Quiver. A tool which replenishes arrows when needed from a designated storage room.
• Switchblade. Corrosive to the touch for devils, it also functions as a mild ward, discouraging them from approaching.
• Tattoos. The enchanted ink inscribed into his skin promotes power, endurance, vitality, and regeneration. Does not at all compare to a Devil Feeder’s physicality, but it is better than nothing. It just helps him to shoot more for longer, and makes him a bit less vulnerable.

Personality:
Hoshio usually comes across as tired, exasperated, unenthusiastic, and just about done with life. Feels older than he is, and insists it’s not only the general ‘approaching 30s mentality’, though he’s objectively not drastically different from others in their late twenties. Passionate about very few things (and even that rarely), and killing devils sure isn’t one of them – though it’s the thing he’s best at (and as much as that is obvious, he sometimes finds it to be depressing). He does experience the so-called ‘thrill of the hunt’, but even that is already part of the routine. Hoshio’s purpose is to make things easier, the world a bit more pleasant one, and that so happens to involve hunting devils and making things better for the mundane – he claims his motives to be selfish, any altruistic consequences merely the natural byproduct of his actions.

That said, he loathes devils much more than he does his job, and he has no problem taking it out on them. He does occasionally gripe to his fellow hunters, but since he rarely meets anyone like-minded or sympathetic, he normally keeps it to himself. As for his attitude to his co-workers, he’s generally accepting of a variety of characters and eccentricities, though he doesn’t get along well with any preachy hard-asses who needlessly and constantly spew about duty or honor and the like (he’s had enough of that with his family). Hoshio spends his off-time doing mundane things, often with mundane folks, keeping as far away from anything hunter related as someone in his position can. He does train regularly, though usually by himself, and catches up with other hunters on a need-to basis.

Background:
Hoshio hails from a family of hunters. His father was a Japanese hunter, his mother an English hunter. On his father’s side, there was a long-spanning tradition of working for the DHA. Though his parents lived on their own and tried to raise him normally, it didn’t really work out that way. They were often busy with their jobs, and so Hoshio was delegated to his other relatives, often his grandfather, who felt much more strongly about their family’s traditions and historical knowledge. So, from a young age, it was learning this, practicing that, training this, proper hobbies that, et cetera. His mother resisted the most and for the longest time, but once his father succumbed to the Kikuchi’s head’s will, it was all over.

‘It’ being over referring to the marriage between his parents. As for the chance of a ‘normal’ life, well, that may have been decided before Hoshio’s birth. When his mother was finally fed up with the situation, she moved back to England, and so Hoshio was left with his father’s family…Not much of a change, really. He regretted at the time that he hadn’t been taken alongside his mother, since he’d also come to find the rest of his family stifling, but he eventually (years later, in fact) came to understand her decision. In the meanwhile, Hoshio grew up under the strict and exacting guidance of his grandfather (and some others). When he was 16, a harmless captured yokai was brought to him to slay – under his elders' supervision and with his previous training of martial arts, Hoshio succeeded. He was enlisted into the DHA, working alongside his father until he was of age.

Once Hoshio had the legal ability to become independent, he did so. He moved out with the money he'd saved, and while he continued to work as a hunter, he no longer associated with his father, grandfather, or any other damned Kikuchi maniacs. Soon after, he moved to England, with some vague ideas about finding and confronting his mother. Sadly, it turned out that she’d died a few years back. Nonetheless, Hoshio stayed in her homeland, working as a hunter while finding information about her. He discovered her remaining family, who was entirely mundane, and did not approve of whatever they thought she had been involved in. He caught up with some of her old acquaintances and co-workers, who revealed to him various tidbits about his mother. Even after his self-claimed mission to learn what he could about her, Hoshio stayed in England, mainly because the newly discovered freedom and lack of any undesirable associations was great. However, at 27, he was called back to Japan due to the emerging youkai situation, where he’s been ever since.

Inventory: His mother’s journal. Contains both professional and personal musings (about devils, her colleagues, acquaintances, family, and life).

The Devil Hunter Agency

A few more questions. How are the usual international relations or transfers between DHA branches? I get that various hunters are being sent to Japan because of an emergency (or a developing unusual situation), but are there regular international missions too? If one moves to live elsewhere do they join that country's branch while they reside there?

I forgot to ask this before, but are there enchantments which conceal unusual hunting items (e.g. firearms in Japan would stand out) from mundane people? How widespread is the knowledge about devils among people who have nothing to do with the DHA in any case (does the government know and cooperate)? Do hunters have the cover of being 'special agents' so they can get access to places or have authority over regular people in certain situations, for example if they need to access/evacuate a building?

The Devil Hunter Agency

Since you mentioned that Devil Bringers use weapons, items, and tools, I'm guessing the 'weaponry' category isn't just for literal weapons. Any limits on how much stuff one can have? Also, what effects do the blessings/enchantments have? Just a variety of ways to harm or defend against demons? Or can it include utility-based power-ups (e.g. stealth cloaks, clothes or items that increase the speed or power of the human wielding them, demon-locator maps, healing items...)? And while we're at it, are there supernaturally inclined humans (whether they're actual hunters or not) who provide these blessings and enhancements? Or are such things aquired from contracted supernatural beings?

Oh, and, how well does being a hunter pay? (Are there insurance and retirement benefits/services? And how is it with minors as members?) How common is it to go to school or do another job alongside the hunting? Are demon hunting items or demons-to-be-contracted something a member has to pay for/get on their own or is it provided to them by the organization?

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Winton

Jandar hear Dareen’s voice, but it was part of the background as he furiously and blankly stared into the mid distance, head buzzing, and body trembling from a pent-up fury he had no productive way to express. His hands clenched, drawing blood on his palms as his nails bit in, and that finally pulled him together somewhat. He exhaled loudly through his nose, turning when he saw the Pruulish warrior ambling back from wherever she’d been.

“I see. Flight is possible with Craft, of course, though I hadn’t expected it,” he said, speech clipped and biting. He stared at her blankly, berating himself for not having checked for tracks, for having let his eyes off of the Queen long enough that she was able to flee, for being so helpless, and for feeling so self-pitying.

He smiled grimly when Dareen told him about the child and sceltie duo, though it was much more of a grimace. “That’s…good. Thank you,” he said, not elaborating how truly glad he was that there was someone keeping their cool next to him right now. It helped immensely, though he was still silently fuming – the turmoil of his emotions was definitely starting to lean towards worry, however.

He silently followed the witch, letting her handle the duo, since he wasn’t in the mood to do so. “Yes, please do lead us to the kidnapper,” Jandar requested, the last word emphasized with a hissing growl. “As swiftly as you can,” he added. Then, when he properly looked at the pair, he realized they were spooked, and attempted to force an apologetic smile. “We couldn’t find her without you. I- thank you,” he echoed the gratitude he’d shown Dareen, briefly bowing his head.

Then, he started to follow after Dunny, and was nearly startled into stumbling when Dareen thumped him on the shoulder. He blinked at her, smiling wryly, and simply nodded in reply. Then, he proceeded to jog after the sceltie, silently urging both the hound and himself to move faster. He had to find Fatima, ensure her safety, and then scold her. Thankfully for everyone involved, he burned off some of his rage during the run, and settled on a steadily churning anger with swirls of anxiety and concern mixed in.

The Devil Hunter Agency

Will keep an eye on this.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Winton

“As expected of a sea town,” Jandar nodded amiably. He had no idea what the witch had meant by ‘gifts’ but didn’t dare ask about it and come across as ignorant, since the way she said it, it seemed to be common knowledge. “I must try some good seafood recipe when I get the occasion, then. Any recommendations?” After her answer, Jandar noted Fatima and Sybl left the premises, and excused himself. “Ah, lovely talk, but My Lady seems to be finished, and I must leave as well. Thank you for the chat,” he nodded in goodbye and exited the shop, looking for the escaped duo.

“Dareen? Did you see where they went? They just left all of a sudden a–” Jandar stopped mid speech as he received Fatima’s mental message. “That fucking snake, he lured her somewhere as soon as he learned of her helpful nature,” he hissed, enraged. The Warlord was as angry at himself as he was at both Sybl and Fatima, the former for having taken his Lady and the latter for being still so damnably reckless. “I’m going after them,” he growled. Of course, since they were using a sight shield – and, not that he knew about it, also flying – that would be a tad difficult. He concentrated on the connection between him and his Queen, and attempted to follow. He had a tight hold on his Craft as well; if he sensed the sight shield and got an opportunity to break it, he would do so.