[LOG] Hunting the Lionine Monster in Arden
Adrianna gets to watch two very Pretty Boys kill a monster and take its diamond claws just for her. Oh, and one of Julian's Hunts comes to a satisfactory completion.
If the City is a smoke-throated woman in a clinging black dress, sidling up to you in a dive bar and propositioning you in a husky whisper, Arden is her trailer park cousin, teeth rotten from biker meth and tattoos sagging under a halter top, offering to do something awful to you in exchange for a bottle of Mad Dog.
Thankfully for everyone involved, the City isn't a smoke-throated woman, and Arden is actually quite nice, for an ancient impenetrable woodland rife with face-eating horrors. At least they don't have tattoos. Theo is leading the way down a narrow game run, eyes skimming across the terrain to either side, alert for something.
Valentine follows along behind Theo, not actually whistling jauntily because he's under the vague impression that's considered inappropriate behavior when hunting something large and deadly. On the other hand, if it's large and deadly and they want to get its attention... Still, no whistling right now. He is actually slightly better at walking quietly than one might expect a city boy to be.
Addison is... hanging back away from Theo, hoping that whatever is going to hop out is going to eat off Theo's face first. It's not that he doesn't like Theo, it's just that he is fairly sure Theo can regrown an eaten off face, and thus, has a face he can donate to the cause. He does have a hand, at least, on the hilt of Nex Fovi, which is just being black and ominous and sword-like.
Adrianna has not brought her tattoo equipment, and so the face-eating horrors of Arden are safe from gaining tattoos this day. She moves carefully in the wood, following the others, clearly not accustomed to tromping through the forest, even the majesty that is Arden.
"So," Theo wonders. "Does anyone want to know what we're hunting, or do you want to be surprised when it eats Addison?"
"Hey!" Addison protests. "I'm thin and gamey. Not even close to a meal. And yes, I'd like to know what face-eating horror we're hunting tonight, please."
"I love surprises," Valentine says cheerfully. "But I wouldn't mind a hint or two."
Adrianna notes, "My sister would be rather upset if I let her Addison become a meal for something, or even a light snack. She is a very stabby woman." It runs in the family. "I would not object to a hint or a dozen."
Theophrastus nods. "Feline, we know that much. The last scout to see it said it's about twenty feet long. Scouts being what they are, I'd guess fifteen. Claws. Sharp claws. No teeth though."
Valentine says, "Then how does it eat faces?"
Theophrastus says, "Good question. We've found some of its prey. We think it's a blood drinker."
Adrianna arches one brow. "Interesting."
Addison says, "Maybe it mounts on faces and sticks a tail down your throat and then sends pheromones into your system to override your brain making you a living zombie."
Valentine says, "Fun!"
Theophrastus says, "Wow, I almost hope that's true."
Valentine says, "I totally hope that's true. It would make for a great story, assuming any of us survive to tell it."
Addison says, "It will make this a bit more challenging."
Adrianna looks at the three men like they may be more than a tiny bit crazy.
Addison gives Adrianna a great big shiny happy Addison smile full of hope of feline fuzzy toothless facehuggers.
Valentine gives Adrianna a nice cheerful Valentine smile that confirms, yes, he might be just a tiny bit crazy.
Theophrastus laughs, though still cautiously subdued. "Think of it this way, Phoenix. The truth can't possibly be more horrible," he says, dooming them all.
Adrianna looks adoringly to both Valentine and Addison, then laughs at Theo's words. "Dragon, darling, I certainly hope not. I suppose it won't be dull, at least."
Addison pushes blond hair out of his face and says, "Now I'm all excited about this hunt. Let's start this! Just... last time I went on a hunt I had to get basically naked, covered in paint, and eat its heart. I would like to keep my clothes on this time."
Ahead, a few hundred yards, there are the sounds of a scuffle. Cracking wood animal sounds, growls and squeals. Theo holds up a hand, for stillness and silence.
Valentine does not say something about heart barbecues, under the circumstances.
Addison stops when Theo holds up a hand and stays quiet and still.
Adrianna goes still and silent, one hand resting by her hip. Her eyes narrow slightly.
The quartet stays quiet, and still, and the sound of the battle stays distant. Then, suddenly, it ends. The sound that concludes the battle is horrible, something like the sound of a pig being fed whole to a garbage disposal.
Whole, and alive.
Addison whispers, "That does not sound like a friendly neighborhood facehugger."
Valentine shakes his head, and murmurs back, "Dibs on not being eaten first."
Adrianna murmurs, "What was that about our desired beast not having a mouth?"
Valentine says, "Strictly speaking, I think Theo only claimed it didn't have /teeth/."
Addison starts to creep forward slowly to try to get a better look at the thing in the clearing.
Theophrastus grins, showing an unnerving number of his own teeth. His eyes are bright. "Claws," he says. "Start spreading out as we get closer, divide its attention." With that, he draws his sword, handling it easily despite its size, and starts /towards/ the sounds of horrible carnage.
Valentine draws his far less impressive rapier, and follows Theo, angling off towards the right.
Addison glances at Theo as Theo grins and starts walking forward. For a moment, he thinks very strongly about his Theo-getting-face-eaten plan. But that would be unfair so he starts forward, too, but off of Theo's left.
Adrianna has the demeanor of a woman that knows that she's acting on what might not be the brightest of ideas. Still, she draws her rapier and starts to follow, angling further to the right than Valentine.
Careful steps are stealthy enough, and the four get close enough to see what's going on, without being noticed. It's pretty much horrible.
The loser of the fight was probably one of the enormous boars that call Arden home. Intact, it would have weighed as much as a small pony, and could fight off a pack of hounds or even several armed hunters without too much difficulty.
The boar was the loser, though. And it's not intact. Instead, it appears to be ripped open and scattered into a smeared mess on the forest floor, and the winner is rolling around in the blood and bone and entrails. Vaguely leonine, a dozen feet long without the tail. Fur once white is dense, and matted red with the boar's blood, and its claws sparkle like glass. It does, in fact, lack a mouth.
Addison takes one look at the smeared boar all over the ground and the monster rolling in its blood and stumbles back a few steps and, as quietly as he can, gets down on his knees and gets rid of any inconvenient lunch he might have been using. Which he is not using. Not any more.
Valentine watches with his head titled to the side in a "What a fascinating example of biology that I haven't seen before!" kind of way.
Adrianna stands completely and totally still. This involves her mouth hanging open in a manner that is not exactly ladylike. She's suddenly a bit pale but does not start losing her lunch. Yet. She does sway a bit from side to side, however.
Addison stands, with a handkerchief over his mouth, and sort of gazes at the thing in the clearing.
Theophrastus doesn't seem troubled at all, or curious. To his credit, at least he doesn't look hungry. With a cavalier disregard for his own life, he steps forward into the clearing. The beast looks up at his approach, an odd cross-shaped nostril flaring in the center of the blood-soaked muzzle. Theo grins, and draws his sword back to aim the point at that spot...
And the monster is suddenly /behind/ Theo. Face-deep in boar one eyeblink, behind the gaunt man the next. Its fur is whiter as well, the blood appearing to fade. Claws flash diamond-bright, shredding the tail of Theo's coat and a large portion of his thigh at the same time.
Maybe two seconds have passed.
Addison drops his handkerchief and does not hesitate to pull Nex Fovi. The black on black with extra black and a bit of black on that sword comes snicker-snack out of the sheath and Addison is pushing his way through the brush to get into the clearing and to the monster, hoping to Nigel he doesn't step on any boar on the way.
Valentine circles further to the right as he advances with his pretty dragon-headed rapier that's looking somewhat toothpicky next to the size of the monster.
Adrianna cannot help but admire the sparkling claws, being the sort of woman that she is. She blinks, clearing whatever thoughts of what a lovely creature it is that just shredded Theo and holds her sword more firmly. "Killing or putting it back in place?," she questions.
Theophrastus's answer is a rather surprised yell, and a nontrivial amount of bleeding.
RPG: Addison challenges a difficulty of 8, using his Wits plus SKL-WM STY-UE. Addison succeeds.
RPG: Valentine challenges a difficulty of 7, using his Grace plus STY-SW. Valentine succeeds.
RPG: Adrianna challenges a difficulty of 7, using her Wits plus GAT-WK. Adrianna succeeds.
Addison draws the attention of the horrible horrible horrible beast by attempting to look small and helpless and highly edible. If he looked any more edible he would be covered in condiments. Or boar. Or worse. He lowers the tip of his sword. He looks horrified by Theo's now bleeding wounds. He draws its attention. And then, when it comes to eat him, he springs out with actual ability to use his weapon, side steps, and goes stabbity stabbity stabbity stabbity like a crazed Addison-shaped weasel until the thing pulls away from him, having learned a useful and educational lesson.
The monster is drawn by the highly edible nature of Addison, and in fact pounces. Stabbing is not immediately helpful, though, as the dense fur seems to deflect the worst of the stabbinating. However, Addison is nimble and wary enough that he does not end up like Theo, who is holding his leg and breathing with a deep, intent focus.
Valentine takes advantage of the pouncing of Addison by dashing in from behind, rapier flicking about as he tries for some enthusiastic stabbing from /that/ direction. It's not a very large or powerful sword, but the nice sharp tip is useful for sliding in at joints. He is, however, mostly trying to stab at the neck, as most animals are less likely to have thick skull-like encasements around that part of the body than, say, the brain. Even enormously monster-like animals.
Adrianna's wrist turns, the blade flipping in her hand. Her brows are furrowed with concentation and the woman slams the hilt of her blade into the ground. The earth around her starts to glow, fire bright, and a serpent encrusted in runes circles her, the protective field about a armspan around. "Here, kitty," she purrs out softly, blue flames dancing in her eyes.
The monster is poked and prodded and annoyed, swiping at random at Addison and Valentine both. But Adrianna is in the center of something bright and glowing, and the beast winks out, winking back in behind the woman. Blue sparks fly, fountaining out where the claws hit the ward.
Addison goes running across the squelchy field of death, his boots getting coated in ex-boar, and charges after the teleporting monster, Nex Fovi held at ready. He tries to aim for anything that looks plausibly soft on the monster -- an upper arm, an underbelly, a neck, anything that is exposed at his angle. He takes a swipe and attempts to distract the thing from taking a chunk out of an Adrianna.
Valentine swings around from the other side, circling the glowing circle of sparking doom to harass the monster from the other side. His rapier flickers about, while he dances back away from any hints of claws coming his way. "Bad kitty. No treat."
Adrianna draws her blade up from the ground, holding the hilt now. She grins, lovely and triumphant. There's even a bit of soft laughter as the feline's claws fail to reach her. "We need to find a way to keep it from teleporting," she offers in Montevalnan.
Addison does not understand Montevalnan that well, and certainly not under pressure. "We need to find a way to keep it from mamboing? Wot? It doesn't look like it's dancing to me!"
Valentine suggests in Montevalnan, "Maybe if we could pin it to the ground? Does anyone have a really enormous spike at hand--" He looks at his rapier. "Oh, wait, right." To Addison, he makes a helpful impalement gesture with his free hand, and then rolls backward to avoid being even more demonstratively impaled by a claw.
The beast shifts to try to keep clear of the stabbings of beautiful young men, its movements and the density of its pelt meaning only one out of every five pokes makes it through. Its fur is almost entirely white again, the blood soaking in. There's a brief moment when it tries to teleport, but it reappears mere inches away - pelt gone snow-white, the monster crouching and looking momentarily piteous.
Adrianna purses her lips as the feline doesn't manage to teleport very far. She turns in the circle around her and murmurs, "I can break this ward from the inside, but I'm not sure if that's what is keeping it from doing its little trick."
"I vote we just stab it lots," Addison says, Nex Fovi at ready. "Until it dies horribly."
The beast starts backing away, swiping with glittering claws at anything coming too close. It's backing towards the remnants of the boar.
Valentine bounces back to his feet, and moves back to interpose himself between boar-bits and beast. "Keep it away from the meat. --Adrianna, can you get over her to ward the carcass?"
Adrianna turns the blade in her hand once more, lining up her hilt with the beast. "Darlings, if I get horribly disfigured in this attempt at bravery, please do not look at me." And with that, she takes a step forward, the ward crumbling, and attempts to slam the seal at the bottom of her hilt into the creature, the blow aimed -away- from the carcass.
Addison moves to back Adrianna up, ready to poke the living hell out of the creature if it comes at Adrianna's face.
There is a flash of blue, a flare bright enough to leave spots in the eyes of anyone looking directly at it, and the beast is sent tumbling towards the edge of the clearing. Claws dig furrows in the earth as it stops itself, but it is slow to rise again. Too slow. Vulnerably slow.
Addison runs at the creature full tilt across the clearing, black trenchcoat flapping backward dramatically, hair in the wind, a whole mess of costuming and makeup at work, and then he leaps and stabs downward into the giant white and fluffy and attempting to be adorable's left eye.
Valentine follows Addison a moment behind, leaving boar remains unguarded. A good stabbing deserves some help.
Adrianna leaves the men to the task of stabing fluffly monsters, while she takes off towards the former boar. She very nearly slips in the blood, but manages to turn it into an elegant twist of body that allows her to watch the goings on.
Pretty boys with pretty hair and pretty swords stab pretty much accurately. And in unison, too, which is extra hot. Two swords stab through two eyes, and *tink* against each other inside one brain. The monster shakes its head just enough to rattle the hilts in the men's hands, then slumps to the ground and goes still.
Addison YANKS Nex Fovi out of the thing's eyeball and it comes out thick and gooey and nastier than usual. Addison gives his sword one great big shake and goes, "Ew. Disgusting."
Valentine yanks his rapier out, and says, "You see? Eye protection. /Very/ important when adventuring."
Adrianna calls out, soft and questioning, "Dragon, darling?" She does not take her eyes away from the feline.
Theophrastus sounds like he's standing. "Sharp," he grunts. "I've got it under control. Look for a mark - looks like a brand, a claw in a circle."
Addison eyes Valentine, and then looks back at the creature. "I am going to spend so much money in Glanworth's shoppe. I need a new pair of goggles, clearly." He starts walking around the monster but does not dare touch it -- yet.
Valentine tries to shake some gore off his rapier. "Theo, need any friendly medical attention for spots you can't reach easily yourself?"
Adrianna asides, "Those claws will make some lovely jewelry."
Theophrastus shoves his sword into its sheath, not without a wistful look at its lack of gore. "I'll be alright. Going to be a slow walk home, though."
Addison reaches out tentatively to touch the carcass. Then he pokes it. Poke. Poke poke. Then he pushes it. Heave. Once it does not move, he starts looking for the mark.
There is a black mark in the fur on the monster's rear hip, and the claws look for all the world to be carved of diamond.
Addison bends down and peers at the black mark. Then he calls out: "Found it!"
Valentine pokes incautiously through the beast's fur with the tip of his rapier, around the claws. "If I can work out how to keep the jewelry from stabbing the wearer, they'll be lovely."
Theophrastus says, "Julian wants the mark - the claws are yours. If you have a young lady in mind who like gems, it might be useful for getting in her good graces."
Addison works on attempting to... ew... carve the mark... more ew.... off the hide... really ew really and oh god it is spewy... of the monster.
It is possibly a relief that the monster's blood is translucent white and gooey, rather than red. Possibly a relief.
Addison calls out: "Valentine? It is bleeding snot all over me."
Valentine crouches down and begins sawing off claws. "You and me both, mate."
Addison looks down at himself and says, sadly, "I've been epically sneezed on."
Theophrastus grunts. "Hand me the mark," he says, fishing at his belt for a card.
Addison walks over and hands Theo the gooey, snot-covered mark with the tufts of white fur around it.
Adrianna moves away from the corpse of the boar, now that it's clear that the beast is not moving anywhere. She still keeps her sword out, however. "Shame it was such a nasty thing. It was lovely."
"Was," Theo says, turning his attention to the card.
Valentine begins wrapping gooey claws in a handkerchief. "And bits of it still might be." He eyes the white hide thoughtfully.
Theophrastus is somewhere in Arden. He is favoring one leg, and holding a scrap of white fur, dripping with ichor, in the other. "The Lion is dead."
Theophrastus says, "Yes, sir."
Adrianna looks to the claws, and Valentine, with hope in her eyes.
Theophrastus tucks the card back away. "Take what you want as a trophy, leave the rest for the worms. We need to be moving before the larger scavengers notice."
Addison works on trying to get the nasty off Nex Fovi. Oh Nex Fovi. One of his sexiest, sexiest friends. Addison would never leave a friend covered in monster snot.
Valentine smiles brilliantly at Adrianna, tucks away the claws, and does some /very/ fast skinning to get a bit of fur to take with him before they go.
If the City is a smoke-throated woman in a clinging black dress, sidling up to you in a dive bar and propositioning you in a husky whisper, Arden is her trailer park cousin, teeth rotten from biker meth and tattoos sagging under a halter top, offering to do something awful to you in exchange for a bottle of Mad Dog.
Thankfully for everyone involved, the City isn't a smoke-throated woman, and Arden is actually quite nice, for an ancient impenetrable woodland rife with face-eating horrors. At least they don't have tattoos. Theo is leading the way down a narrow game run, eyes skimming across the terrain to either side, alert for something.
Valentine follows along behind Theo, not actually whistling jauntily because he's under the vague impression that's considered inappropriate behavior when hunting something large and deadly. On the other hand, if it's large and deadly and they want to get its attention... Still, no whistling right now. He is actually slightly better at walking quietly than one might expect a city boy to be.
Addison is... hanging back away from Theo, hoping that whatever is going to hop out is going to eat off Theo's face first. It's not that he doesn't like Theo, it's just that he is fairly sure Theo can regrown an eaten off face, and thus, has a face he can donate to the cause. He does have a hand, at least, on the hilt of Nex Fovi, which is just being black and ominous and sword-like.
Adrianna has not brought her tattoo equipment, and so the face-eating horrors of Arden are safe from gaining tattoos this day. She moves carefully in the wood, following the others, clearly not accustomed to tromping through the forest, even the majesty that is Arden.
"So," Theo wonders. "Does anyone want to know what we're hunting, or do you want to be surprised when it eats Addison?"
"Hey!" Addison protests. "I'm thin and gamey. Not even close to a meal. And yes, I'd like to know what face-eating horror we're hunting tonight, please."
"I love surprises," Valentine says cheerfully. "But I wouldn't mind a hint or two."
Adrianna notes, "My sister would be rather upset if I let her Addison become a meal for something, or even a light snack. She is a very stabby woman." It runs in the family. "I would not object to a hint or a dozen."
Theophrastus nods. "Feline, we know that much. The last scout to see it said it's about twenty feet long. Scouts being what they are, I'd guess fifteen. Claws. Sharp claws. No teeth though."
Valentine says, "Then how does it eat faces?"
Theophrastus says, "Good question. We've found some of its prey. We think it's a blood drinker."
Adrianna arches one brow. "Interesting."
Addison says, "Maybe it mounts on faces and sticks a tail down your throat and then sends pheromones into your system to override your brain making you a living zombie."
Valentine says, "Fun!"
Theophrastus says, "Wow, I almost hope that's true."
Valentine says, "I totally hope that's true. It would make for a great story, assuming any of us survive to tell it."
Addison says, "It will make this a bit more challenging."
Adrianna looks at the three men like they may be more than a tiny bit crazy.
Addison gives Adrianna a great big shiny happy Addison smile full of hope of feline fuzzy toothless facehuggers.
Valentine gives Adrianna a nice cheerful Valentine smile that confirms, yes, he might be just a tiny bit crazy.
Theophrastus laughs, though still cautiously subdued. "Think of it this way, Phoenix. The truth can't possibly be more horrible," he says, dooming them all.
Adrianna looks adoringly to both Valentine and Addison, then laughs at Theo's words. "Dragon, darling, I certainly hope not. I suppose it won't be dull, at least."
Addison pushes blond hair out of his face and says, "Now I'm all excited about this hunt. Let's start this! Just... last time I went on a hunt I had to get basically naked, covered in paint, and eat its heart. I would like to keep my clothes on this time."
Ahead, a few hundred yards, there are the sounds of a scuffle. Cracking wood animal sounds, growls and squeals. Theo holds up a hand, for stillness and silence.
Valentine does not say something about heart barbecues, under the circumstances.
Addison stops when Theo holds up a hand and stays quiet and still.
Adrianna goes still and silent, one hand resting by her hip. Her eyes narrow slightly.
The quartet stays quiet, and still, and the sound of the battle stays distant. Then, suddenly, it ends. The sound that concludes the battle is horrible, something like the sound of a pig being fed whole to a garbage disposal.
Whole, and alive.
Addison whispers, "That does not sound like a friendly neighborhood facehugger."
Valentine shakes his head, and murmurs back, "Dibs on not being eaten first."
Adrianna murmurs, "What was that about our desired beast not having a mouth?"
Valentine says, "Strictly speaking, I think Theo only claimed it didn't have /teeth/."
Addison starts to creep forward slowly to try to get a better look at the thing in the clearing.
Theophrastus grins, showing an unnerving number of his own teeth. His eyes are bright. "Claws," he says. "Start spreading out as we get closer, divide its attention." With that, he draws his sword, handling it easily despite its size, and starts /towards/ the sounds of horrible carnage.
Valentine draws his far less impressive rapier, and follows Theo, angling off towards the right.
Addison glances at Theo as Theo grins and starts walking forward. For a moment, he thinks very strongly about his Theo-getting-face-eaten plan. But that would be unfair so he starts forward, too, but off of Theo's left.
Adrianna has the demeanor of a woman that knows that she's acting on what might not be the brightest of ideas. Still, she draws her rapier and starts to follow, angling further to the right than Valentine.
Careful steps are stealthy enough, and the four get close enough to see what's going on, without being noticed. It's pretty much horrible.
The loser of the fight was probably one of the enormous boars that call Arden home. Intact, it would have weighed as much as a small pony, and could fight off a pack of hounds or even several armed hunters without too much difficulty.
The boar was the loser, though. And it's not intact. Instead, it appears to be ripped open and scattered into a smeared mess on the forest floor, and the winner is rolling around in the blood and bone and entrails. Vaguely leonine, a dozen feet long without the tail. Fur once white is dense, and matted red with the boar's blood, and its claws sparkle like glass. It does, in fact, lack a mouth.
Addison takes one look at the smeared boar all over the ground and the monster rolling in its blood and stumbles back a few steps and, as quietly as he can, gets down on his knees and gets rid of any inconvenient lunch he might have been using. Which he is not using. Not any more.
Valentine watches with his head titled to the side in a "What a fascinating example of biology that I haven't seen before!" kind of way.
Adrianna stands completely and totally still. This involves her mouth hanging open in a manner that is not exactly ladylike. She's suddenly a bit pale but does not start losing her lunch. Yet. She does sway a bit from side to side, however.
Addison stands, with a handkerchief over his mouth, and sort of gazes at the thing in the clearing.
Theophrastus doesn't seem troubled at all, or curious. To his credit, at least he doesn't look hungry. With a cavalier disregard for his own life, he steps forward into the clearing. The beast looks up at his approach, an odd cross-shaped nostril flaring in the center of the blood-soaked muzzle. Theo grins, and draws his sword back to aim the point at that spot...
And the monster is suddenly /behind/ Theo. Face-deep in boar one eyeblink, behind the gaunt man the next. Its fur is whiter as well, the blood appearing to fade. Claws flash diamond-bright, shredding the tail of Theo's coat and a large portion of his thigh at the same time.
Maybe two seconds have passed.
Addison drops his handkerchief and does not hesitate to pull Nex Fovi. The black on black with extra black and a bit of black on that sword comes snicker-snack out of the sheath and Addison is pushing his way through the brush to get into the clearing and to the monster, hoping to Nigel he doesn't step on any boar on the way.
Valentine circles further to the right as he advances with his pretty dragon-headed rapier that's looking somewhat toothpicky next to the size of the monster.
Adrianna cannot help but admire the sparkling claws, being the sort of woman that she is. She blinks, clearing whatever thoughts of what a lovely creature it is that just shredded Theo and holds her sword more firmly. "Killing or putting it back in place?," she questions.
Theophrastus's answer is a rather surprised yell, and a nontrivial amount of bleeding.
RPG: Addison challenges a difficulty of 8, using his Wits plus SKL-WM STY-UE. Addison succeeds.
RPG: Valentine challenges a difficulty of 7, using his Grace plus STY-SW. Valentine succeeds.
RPG: Adrianna challenges a difficulty of 7, using her Wits plus GAT-WK. Adrianna succeeds.
Addison draws the attention of the horrible horrible horrible beast by attempting to look small and helpless and highly edible. If he looked any more edible he would be covered in condiments. Or boar. Or worse. He lowers the tip of his sword. He looks horrified by Theo's now bleeding wounds. He draws its attention. And then, when it comes to eat him, he springs out with actual ability to use his weapon, side steps, and goes stabbity stabbity stabbity stabbity like a crazed Addison-shaped weasel until the thing pulls away from him, having learned a useful and educational lesson.
The monster is drawn by the highly edible nature of Addison, and in fact pounces. Stabbing is not immediately helpful, though, as the dense fur seems to deflect the worst of the stabbinating. However, Addison is nimble and wary enough that he does not end up like Theo, who is holding his leg and breathing with a deep, intent focus.
Valentine takes advantage of the pouncing of Addison by dashing in from behind, rapier flicking about as he tries for some enthusiastic stabbing from /that/ direction. It's not a very large or powerful sword, but the nice sharp tip is useful for sliding in at joints. He is, however, mostly trying to stab at the neck, as most animals are less likely to have thick skull-like encasements around that part of the body than, say, the brain. Even enormously monster-like animals.
Adrianna's wrist turns, the blade flipping in her hand. Her brows are furrowed with concentation and the woman slams the hilt of her blade into the ground. The earth around her starts to glow, fire bright, and a serpent encrusted in runes circles her, the protective field about a armspan around. "Here, kitty," she purrs out softly, blue flames dancing in her eyes.
The monster is poked and prodded and annoyed, swiping at random at Addison and Valentine both. But Adrianna is in the center of something bright and glowing, and the beast winks out, winking back in behind the woman. Blue sparks fly, fountaining out where the claws hit the ward.
Addison goes running across the squelchy field of death, his boots getting coated in ex-boar, and charges after the teleporting monster, Nex Fovi held at ready. He tries to aim for anything that looks plausibly soft on the monster -- an upper arm, an underbelly, a neck, anything that is exposed at his angle. He takes a swipe and attempts to distract the thing from taking a chunk out of an Adrianna.
Valentine swings around from the other side, circling the glowing circle of sparking doom to harass the monster from the other side. His rapier flickers about, while he dances back away from any hints of claws coming his way. "Bad kitty. No treat."
Adrianna draws her blade up from the ground, holding the hilt now. She grins, lovely and triumphant. There's even a bit of soft laughter as the feline's claws fail to reach her. "We need to find a way to keep it from teleporting," she offers in Montevalnan.
Addison does not understand Montevalnan that well, and certainly not under pressure. "We need to find a way to keep it from mamboing? Wot? It doesn't look like it's dancing to me!"
Valentine suggests in Montevalnan, "Maybe if we could pin it to the ground? Does anyone have a really enormous spike at hand--" He looks at his rapier. "Oh, wait, right." To Addison, he makes a helpful impalement gesture with his free hand, and then rolls backward to avoid being even more demonstratively impaled by a claw.
The beast shifts to try to keep clear of the stabbings of beautiful young men, its movements and the density of its pelt meaning only one out of every five pokes makes it through. Its fur is almost entirely white again, the blood soaking in. There's a brief moment when it tries to teleport, but it reappears mere inches away - pelt gone snow-white, the monster crouching and looking momentarily piteous.
Adrianna purses her lips as the feline doesn't manage to teleport very far. She turns in the circle around her and murmurs, "I can break this ward from the inside, but I'm not sure if that's what is keeping it from doing its little trick."
"I vote we just stab it lots," Addison says, Nex Fovi at ready. "Until it dies horribly."
The beast starts backing away, swiping with glittering claws at anything coming too close. It's backing towards the remnants of the boar.
Valentine bounces back to his feet, and moves back to interpose himself between boar-bits and beast. "Keep it away from the meat. --Adrianna, can you get over her to ward the carcass?"
Adrianna turns the blade in her hand once more, lining up her hilt with the beast. "Darlings, if I get horribly disfigured in this attempt at bravery, please do not look at me." And with that, she takes a step forward, the ward crumbling, and attempts to slam the seal at the bottom of her hilt into the creature, the blow aimed -away- from the carcass.
Addison moves to back Adrianna up, ready to poke the living hell out of the creature if it comes at Adrianna's face.
There is a flash of blue, a flare bright enough to leave spots in the eyes of anyone looking directly at it, and the beast is sent tumbling towards the edge of the clearing. Claws dig furrows in the earth as it stops itself, but it is slow to rise again. Too slow. Vulnerably slow.
Addison runs at the creature full tilt across the clearing, black trenchcoat flapping backward dramatically, hair in the wind, a whole mess of costuming and makeup at work, and then he leaps and stabs downward into the giant white and fluffy and attempting to be adorable's left eye.
Valentine follows Addison a moment behind, leaving boar remains unguarded. A good stabbing deserves some help.
Adrianna leaves the men to the task of stabing fluffly monsters, while she takes off towards the former boar. She very nearly slips in the blood, but manages to turn it into an elegant twist of body that allows her to watch the goings on.
Pretty boys with pretty hair and pretty swords stab pretty much accurately. And in unison, too, which is extra hot. Two swords stab through two eyes, and *tink* against each other inside one brain. The monster shakes its head just enough to rattle the hilts in the men's hands, then slumps to the ground and goes still.
Addison YANKS Nex Fovi out of the thing's eyeball and it comes out thick and gooey and nastier than usual. Addison gives his sword one great big shake and goes, "Ew. Disgusting."
Valentine yanks his rapier out, and says, "You see? Eye protection. /Very/ important when adventuring."
Adrianna calls out, soft and questioning, "Dragon, darling?" She does not take her eyes away from the feline.
Theophrastus sounds like he's standing. "Sharp," he grunts. "I've got it under control. Look for a mark - looks like a brand, a claw in a circle."
Addison eyes Valentine, and then looks back at the creature. "I am going to spend so much money in Glanworth's shoppe. I need a new pair of goggles, clearly." He starts walking around the monster but does not dare touch it -- yet.
Valentine tries to shake some gore off his rapier. "Theo, need any friendly medical attention for spots you can't reach easily yourself?"
Adrianna asides, "Those claws will make some lovely jewelry."
Theophrastus shoves his sword into its sheath, not without a wistful look at its lack of gore. "I'll be alright. Going to be a slow walk home, though."
Addison reaches out tentatively to touch the carcass. Then he pokes it. Poke. Poke poke. Then he pushes it. Heave. Once it does not move, he starts looking for the mark.
There is a black mark in the fur on the monster's rear hip, and the claws look for all the world to be carved of diamond.
Addison bends down and peers at the black mark. Then he calls out: "Found it!"
Valentine pokes incautiously through the beast's fur with the tip of his rapier, around the claws. "If I can work out how to keep the jewelry from stabbing the wearer, they'll be lovely."
Theophrastus says, "Julian wants the mark - the claws are yours. If you have a young lady in mind who like gems, it might be useful for getting in her good graces."
Addison works on attempting to... ew... carve the mark... more ew.... off the hide... really ew really and oh god it is spewy... of the monster.
It is possibly a relief that the monster's blood is translucent white and gooey, rather than red. Possibly a relief.
Addison calls out: "Valentine? It is bleeding snot all over me."
Valentine crouches down and begins sawing off claws. "You and me both, mate."
Addison looks down at himself and says, sadly, "I've been epically sneezed on."
Theophrastus grunts. "Hand me the mark," he says, fishing at his belt for a card.
Addison walks over and hands Theo the gooey, snot-covered mark with the tufts of white fur around it.
Adrianna moves away from the corpse of the boar, now that it's clear that the beast is not moving anywhere. She still keeps her sword out, however. "Shame it was such a nasty thing. It was lovely."
"Was," Theo says, turning his attention to the card.
Valentine begins wrapping gooey claws in a handkerchief. "And bits of it still might be." He eyes the white hide thoughtfully.
Theophrastus is somewhere in Arden. He is favoring one leg, and holding a scrap of white fur, dripping with ichor, in the other. "The Lion is dead."
Theophrastus says, "Yes, sir."
Adrianna looks to the claws, and Valentine, with hope in her eyes.
Theophrastus tucks the card back away. "Take what you want as a trophy, leave the rest for the worms. We need to be moving before the larger scavengers notice."
Addison works on trying to get the nasty off Nex Fovi. Oh Nex Fovi. One of his sexiest, sexiest friends. Addison would never leave a friend covered in monster snot.
Valentine smiles brilliantly at Adrianna, tucks away the claws, and does some /very/ fast skinning to get a bit of fur to take with him before they go.