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Post by luscen on Oct 5, 2023 20:29:01 GMT -6
The other man's tone was light, matter-of-fact. But Casmir wondered how easy that would be for Sarkany, when the moment came. Perhaps it would be that simple. Or perhaps he'd already grown attached, saw him as some foster-brother to Sjira.
The thought unexpectedly darkened the Hunter's mood at its suggestion. If there were any justice in the world, Sjira would be kept far away from this insanity, and be allowed to have some measure of peace and happiness. To have a life where, the scars of his loneliness being a constant reminder every time he went to wash his hands, was just a dim memory.
"Do what you think is best," Casmir simply said, looking away from the other man. "When you're ready to do your fold, I'll be there. After that, well... maybe we can all of us put this madness to bed, where it belongs."
That had been the last thing of note he remembered, before waking up in a cheap hotel somewhere in France. Sitting up, he scrubbed his face, trying to recollect what he'd been doing there. It had been... to a hunt a monster. The lou carchol. Well, that had explained the tender ribs and the slime clinging to his coat, which hung from a nearby chair. Overall, it hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience, but the deed was done, and he was ready to go home.
Casmir groaned, feeling stiff. He stepped into the bathroom, pausing as he regarded himself in the mirror. His face was... different, somehow. Something about it unfamiliar. He examined himself for a moment: short, blonde hair. A patch of stubble around a strong jawline. A jagged scar running down the right side of his face. A red eye-
No, wait. The eye on his scarred side wasn't red, it was pale and milky. With a frown, he closed his good eye, looking around the room with the damaged one. He couldn't see anything out of his right side, whatsoever. What had led him to think otherwise?
Sarkany.
Who was- the Hunter, however, didn't even need to finish the question before his mind called forth the image of a thin man with shoulder-length grey hair, a sharp, beak-like nose, and piercing gold eyes, like an-
"Osprey," Casmir muttered. He remembered the man - whom he'd never met once in his life - in clear detail. His head throbbed heavily for a moment, the light in the bathroom suddenly too harsh. He stumbled awkwardly back out of the bathroom, snatching his coat, and pulled the key hanging from his neck out from under his shirt. He knew it'd be there, of course. Leaving his hotel room, he found a locked supply closet nearby, inserting the key into it and stepping through into his Safehouse.
"Delphi," he called aloud. "I need to get back to Wathais. Right now."
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Post by luscen on Oct 5, 2023 20:58:05 GMT -6
"Finally!" The Dryder stepped out of the kitchen, a bit of chocolate around her lip. "I've been waiting ages for you to say that! Just a second!"
Delphi swallowed whatever sweet morsel she'd been eating, then excitedly brushed the bit from her mouth. In a rush she clambered over to the far side of the living room, where a particular carving sat on a shelf. One of a woman with an infectious grin and a crocodile tail. It was one of Casmir's, but judging by the frown creasing his face, he didn't fully recognize it.
"I kept it," Delphi said, cradling it tenderly. "Once Sarkany explained the fold, I... kept the things I thought were important. The ones that wouldn't be here, afterwards, if I didn't." She looked up at the scarred man, holding the carving out to him. She watched him take it, blinking slowly, then eyes widening as memories came back to him.
"She's still there," Delphi assured. "Still remembers you. Will you... go see her?"
Casmir didn't reply immediately. "I don't know." He looked down at the figure of Sara that he'd carved, brushing his thumb along the redhead's crocodile tail. "Not yet. I need to find out about Atol, first."
Just speaking the Magus' name, Delphi could see the old anger smoldering like coal in the Hunter's eyes. She stepped forward, placing her hand atop his, the other hand on his cheek, prompting him to look at her.
"You know he's not the same person, right?" she asked him. "He's a child, now. He's not the monster you knew."
"That remains to be seen," the Hunter replied patiently, pushing her hand away from his cheek. He took the other one, placing the carving of Sara back in it, and pushed it towards her.
"I'm not going to find him for you," Delphi sighed, running her fingers through her hair and giving him a shrewd look. "Not until I know you aren't going to lose your head just at the sight of him." She stepped over to the wall where the carving sat, placing the figurine back on the shelf, and ran her fingers along the wall below, webs of light spreading outwards, forming into a heavy wooden door.
"This will take you out near the the WDSA building," she said, folding her arms under her breasts. "Given everyone else who didn't get to keep their memories, I didn't want to make a spare door that stepped right out into an office, somewhere. It'd cause too much of a mess. It's a short walk, so you shouldn't have any trouble."
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Post by luscen on Oct 5, 2023 21:58:25 GMT -6
Casmir stepped out the door with a word of thanks. The west-coast American air of Wathais greeted him, at once both familiar and foreign. He could see the mountains in the distance, even over the city skyline. The lake was there, too. And Sara's cabin, with the ghostly sentry and the crumbling golem-
The golem. The beshilu and the skinwalker. The mysterious party that had been after Sara. Delphi said she was still there, but what had happened, then? It didn't matter whether or not he'd been there; he may have inadvertently driven her into the skinwalker's clutches, but they would been after her, regardless. Then there was the other incident, the kidnapping by Zramek...
'No, you can't worry about that, right now,' Casmir scolded himself. Sara was fine- Delphi would have surely warned him if that hadn't been the case. However she'd gotten out of those two situations, he could inquire after, later. Right now, he needed some answers, and the towering edifice of the WDSA building is where he would find them. He lit a cigarette and turned his collar up at the cold air, frowning when he realized he'd had yet to clear the mucus of the carchol away, but ultimately ignoring it.
As the Hunter set off for the WDSA building, however, a strange feeling gradually began to come over him, until it was practically looming over him like a shroud. A cloying sense of malice, of eyes boring into his back, the itching between his shoulder blades he tended to get when feeling someone watching him increasing by the moment. The feeling clung to him all the way to the entrance of the building, where it became so intense that the Hunter felt his pulse quickening. He slowly scanned his surroundings, looking for anything out of place, any sign of the overwhelming sense of malice.
He saw it, then. A young girl standing near an alley a few buildings away from the WDSA's main office. She was young, around 12 years old, with short brown hair, wearing a simple blue dress with a pleated skirt. There was something disturbingly familiar about her, even though Casmir could swear he'd never seen her before. She, however, was looking right at him, and when he caught her eye, she grinned impishly and skipped into the alley with a laugh.
The Hunter scowled; the WDSA was warded, any hostiles would be hard-pressed to get in. He could simply ignore the situation, step inside, and then leave. But something about the situation was gnawing at him. It felt too familiar. And yet it was too vague to recall, trying to sort through two separate sets of memories. His head was starting to throb again, and so - once he made sure he had his revolver at the ready - he ventured to the alley, creeping inside and watchful for the first sign of trouble.
The alleyway was nothing but silent, no signs of anyone, girl or otherwise. Yet that feeling of hostility had yet to leave. Whoever the girl was, she was still here, lurking about the alley. Casmir kept his sidearm on hand, sweeping the area; the only hiding place was a nearby dumpster bin. The Hunter crept forward, only to hop back as the child leapt out from behind the bin, showing a grin that was far too large for her face, her eyes a horrible, vibrant green color.
"What's wrong?" she asked, almost sounding disappointed. "I figured you would have shot by now." The voice that came out from her mouth was not that of a young girl's, however. It was a boy's. A boy whom Casmir couldn't forget, no matter how long he'd lived.
"... Szymon?" the Hunter asked, dumbfounded. His head throbbed as memories flooded over him, and before he could react, there was a sickening squelch followed by the feeling of warm blood staining his shirt. The girl's arm had transformed into a twisted tangle of thorny vines, which she'd used to pierce through the Hunter's armor. Her green eyes were practically alight with anticipation, and she tore her altered appendage from him, the thorns tearing at skin, muscle, and organ alike.
Casmir gasped in pain, choking on blood that welled up in the wake of the wound. Pawing at his rune bag, he invoked the algiz rune to try and knock this mysterious assailant away, but her small frame allowed her to easily evade it, the kinetic blast crashing into the dumpster behind them and sending it crashing against the wall. Trying to grit through the pain, the Hunter fired off several shots, which tore through the girl's body, only for the holes to close with a hissing rustle as more thorny vines filled in the holes.
"Come on, now," the girl, still speaking with Szymon's voice pouted, almost sounding disappointed. "You're not making this any fun at all! Can't you at least try and put up a real fight?" She quickly whipped her arm forward, the limb shifting again into a corded, thorny appendage that struck the gun from Casmir's hand. In his confused and bloodied state, he could barely resist the second strike that curled around his back, slicing into the side of his neck and opening it up, the thorns ripping into him violently. He struck the wall of the building behind him, struggling to stay upright and glaring at the girl.
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Post by MP on Oct 18, 2023 1:00:37 GMT -6
Like a glint off glass or the sun off the sea, two spots winked to life in front of the child's eyes. They were no larger than fireflies, those silent motes, yet the blaze of them fired the child's features white while somehow leaving Casmir's vision unseared. The light was followed by the sound of hurried footsteps:
"WDSA! Step away from the man. I said step back!"
Aaron's arm was half raised, the spellshield primed and ready to deploy in case the creature took another shot at the civilian. His other hand held something at the ready - not a pistol, but a vial, uncorked and filled with an odd grey powder. A third light floated ahead of him, attaching itself to Casmir's chest and sticking there as firmly as the other two stuck to the child.
Aaron's eyes flickered sideways, assessing the civilian's condition as he passed. His expression caught slightly as he took in the familiar scarred features. But his step never faltered. He positioned himself in front of Casmir and slightly off to one side, acting as physical cover should the man retreat toward the alley's mouth.
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Post by luscen on Oct 20, 2023 16:22:33 GMT -6
Casmir tried to think, plan an escape route, but the loss of blood and the flood of jumbled memories was making him sluggish and sloppy. Conversely, his opponent seemed to be very familiar with the Hunter and his tactics, and had picked him apart the same way a cat toyed with a mouse. And now, even though the mouth of the alley was only a few feet away, it may as well have been a few countries, given the state he was in.
Just before the girl could make a third strike, twin balls of light winked to life right in her field of vision. This was immediately followed by a sharp order for the aggressor to step away, and then Agent Telmore had stepped into the alley.
’The hell did the Glowworm come from?’ Casmir wondered through the haze of pain and disorientation. Meanwhile the stranger, seeing the threat for what it was, hissed and tried to swat away the offending orbs. As the Hunter watched, he saw a trail of smoke start to waft from the skin the light was closest to, like she was a some kind of vampire. Yet here she stood, in broad daylight. Just what was she? The Hunter knew, but currently fumbled for the answer.
“No one invited you!” she snarled, flinging her arm and launching a barrage of gnarled barbs at Telmore. “I’m trying to enjoy my meal!” She stretched her arm behind her, transformed claws clutching the dumpster, and lobbed it at the Agent.
Casmir snagged a rune from his bag and invoked it, a powerful blast of kinetic force smashing into the side of the trash bin mid-flight. The dumpster tipped over, falling well short of Telmore and provoking another feral growl from the girl, who shot him a murderous glare. The Hunter, however, fell to his knees, vision swimming; in the heat of the moment, he’d pushed himself further than his body could handle in its current state, and now it was all he could do to stay conscious.
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Post by MP on Oct 21, 2023 0:44:29 GMT -6
The lights seemed to be working - at least enough to throw off its aim. The barbs went wide, and Aaron placed himself in front of Casmir more directly to stop any stray hits. He winced, feeling the sting of several barbs through the uniform. Things were sharp. He had to get the hunter out of here, and quickly. The sunlight was doing something to it, but he couldn't identify from the reaction what the creature was, or what might be more effective.
That was why he mixed his vials.
Aaron flicked the open vial into the creature's face. A fine dusting of grey - silver and iron powder mixed with fine grains of salt and sage - clung to the creature's face. The combination worked on most unknowns - at least to beat a quick retreat.
"Get up. Get up!" Aaron grabbed Casmir's collar, urging him upright. His eyes and his guard stayed focused on the child monstrosity. "Just get to the street."
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Post by luscen on Dec 15, 2023 21:56:24 GMT -6
The bestial girl snarled as she leapt towards Telmore, only to be left reeling and coughing as the powder struck her square in the face. She clutched at her throat, gagging and gouging marks into the stone as she tried to clear her lungs. Her tendriled appendage flailed wildly, striking the Agent's shield with enough force to knock him against the wall, but it held, thankfully. When she opened her eyes again, the irises had shifted to a sickly green color, the pupil constricted to a fine point and burning red like an angry, open wound. That hateful gaze shifted from Telmore to Casmir, accompanied by a guttural growl, her throat vibrating with the force of it.
The creature's back ruptured as more thorny, vine-like protrusions erupted from it, and like a spider she quickly scurried away and up the opposite wall, leaping over the side and away from view. Despite himself, Casmir tried to detaching himself from Telmore's grip, one hand feebly raising after her, Szymon's voice still ringing in his ears, even as the blood loss finally overtook him and his body went limp, darkness washing over him.
* * * *
When the Hunter came to, he was uncertain how much had passed, but he was alive, and his wounds dressed. His good eye swiveled around the area, which he quickly realized was the medical wing of the WDSA building. Agent Telmore must have taken him here for emergency treatment, given the severity of his wounds- an opened midsection and damage to the carotid arteries was bad enough, but there was also the risk of poison or curses to deal with, as well. Casmir sat up slightly, looking to see if anyone was nearby.
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Post by MP on Jan 2, 2024 19:41:21 GMT -6
Aaron wasn't looking forward to this. He was not the agent to deal with whatever case file the hunter had made out of himself this time, and he'd said as much to to his chief. Prior encounters. Too much bad blood. Unfortunately, he'd been the one to respond to the disturbance. He'd been the only one to see the thing in the alley. And he would have to handle it - at least for the short term.
As he approached the room, Aaron took a deep breath. Put on his best neutral face as he stepped inside. Treat it like any other supernatural assault case. Technically speaking, they'd never met before.
"Mr. Dabrowski." He nodded a greeting, seeing the hunter awake and upright. "I assume you still go by Dabrowski? I'm Agent Telmore. You remember me?"
I bet you do, whackjob. Aaron suppressed that venomous thought, along with his suspicions. He couldn't just assume the hunter's motives for hanging around the building, even if his gut told him otherwise. The agent's tone was perfectly modulated. Polite.
"Our doctors say you'll make a full recovery. No injury to major organs, no breaks. Just some bed rest. I'll be checking in every few days to keep an eye on things. And to take your statement about what happened in the alley. When you're ready."
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Post by luscen on Feb 5, 2024 19:22:49 GMT -6
Casmir's eyes swiveled towards Telmore upon hearing the Agent speak, his gaze flat and expression stony. Unlike when he had his fake eye, the milky orb currently in the right side of his face was staring just to left of the other man's head, while the good eye was locked with the Agent's hazel ones.
"Don't take time out of your busy schedule on my account," the Hunter snorted. He should have guessed it would be the glowworm that arrived, thinking about it- the man would have just been coming in with a fresh cup of black coffee and a load of case files waiting on his desk, same time as he did every weekday. Utterly predictable, just like always. The hell did Sara even-
The thought of the redhead caused the blonde's brow to furrow ever so slightly, and reconsider the situation; Telmore was dull as tripe, certainly, but his punctuality had saved the Hunter's life, there was no denying that. If he'd not arrived when he did, then Casmir probably wouldn't be standing here.
Still didn't mean he wanted to be friends with the pillock.
"Let's get this over with," Casmir grunted, pushing himself out of the bed. His body shriekded in protest, but the Hunter had suffered worse, and his face was just as impassive as it ever was, the only giveaway to his discomfort a slight stiffness in his movements as he made his way over to where his clothing had been folded on the nearby chair. "I'll assume your pet salamander didn't steal my wallet again, right? I don't remember seeing him bringing up your rear."
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Post by MP on Feb 7, 2024 13:31:25 GMT -6
"Let's get this over with," the hunter grunted.
The feeling's mutual.
Aaron glanced down for his phone, more than ready to oblige. A recording would minimize the hassle for both of them, and it meant he wouldn't need to be back except for the bare minimum of checkups.
Aaron felt the briefest pang of guilt. Disliking Dabrowski was one thing, but he shouldn't be shirking his responsibilities over it. Especially not after such a violent attack. Whatever the hunter had been after, it had thoroughly turned the tables. That was assuming it hadn't attacked first.
The moment of sympathy promptly vanished at the mention of Koji. Aaron grit his teeth, praying for patience. One more slur out of this guy's mouth -
He glanced up, hearing a rustle of fabric, and nearly dropped his phone.
"What the fuck are you doing."
He took two hasty steps sideways, as if to block the door.
"You should not be moving around."
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Post by luscen on Feb 7, 2024 22:29:27 GMT -6
"You don't say," Casmir replied flatly, shooting Aaron a withering look as he nudged aside his coat and body armor, and took hold of his pants. His weapons were gone, including his rune pouch and his utility belt. Not really surprising, but still annoying. The key was still there, bound on its cord- it had been altered, but not in a way that anyone short of Sarkany would have been able to tell. So, as far as anyone would have guessed, it was just a spare key of no consequence. The Hunter inteded to make sure it stayed that way.
"You might as well stop gawking," he continued, slipping the cargo pants on. "You wanted to know about that thing in the alley, right?" Careful to avoid showing his hand, Casmir plucked a spare blank rune from inside hem of his waistband. He kept several tucked away in discrete spots, hard for anyone to notice. In this case, it would have been easy to mistake for a spare button. He took his shirt next, as well as the key, tugging the former over his head and using the fabric to hide his motions as he used the latter's teeth to scratch a rune into the surface of the stone.
Clutching the now-inscribed rune, Casmir silently invoked it. "Cholera," he gasped roughly as a pale, greenish-blue hue swept across his skin. He shuddered involuntarily, feeling better, but like he'd been doused in ice water. Gingerly touching his side and neck, the Hunter already felt the soreness had faded.
"Assuming you're recording, I'll tell you about it." The Hunter's voice lacked its usual sardonic quality. Something about the subject had touched a nerve, and he was now in business mode, any snark or sass having been put to the side. The memories had come back, and none of them were good. He needed to make sure anyone close enough to him was properly warned, and Telmore was certainly on that list.
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Post by MP on Feb 8, 2024 1:30:31 GMT -6
Aaron turned slightly, screening his eyes with one hand as the man started changing out of the hospital gown. For a second he swore he'd seen the hunter put something down his pants. Nope. Nope, wasn't going to think about that. He focused on the record button instead, hard.
"I'm listening. Sit back down."
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