⭐ HUNTERS ⭐ Urban Fantasy ⭐ IC [Still Open, See OOC]

[Forest State]

Halloween Fight Night
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

“As for tonight, I think you and the others were reckless, which is fine, everyone knows plenty of Hunters are… Not a lot of completely regular people would just throw themselves into a job like this, I mean - but if you want to be reckless, you have to have the skill to back it up. Some people do, some people don’t, judging by the spot you all managed to work yourselves into, you still have some things to work on,” Jordan said with a shrug, speaking to the group in general and not just to Archie.

But her next words were only directed at him.

“You personally, though… You could say I have held a grudge. Not that I have a bad reason for doing so. You see, I’d think you would know more about all of this, considering your family isn’t exactly a stranger to all of this Hunting stuff, but since you’re going to act like you don’t know anything, I guess I’ll have to spell it out for you,” she continued, her eyes still narrowed, her posture looking like she might decide to summon a weapon at any point.

Although, she had been decent with self restraint before - fact of the matter was, she might as well have felt that way whenever she saw Archie, but her career was more important than things like this. So she had held herself back for now, but it didn’t mean the events of the past still didn’t cut deep… Not just losing to a student, that wasn’t what really bothered her. If it had been a clean fight that’d be one thing, but losing to what she considered hardly a legitimate move....

That stuck with her.

“I’ve got a little something called honor. You might find that most actual Hunters have it, too. And I don’t mean chivalry, or some shit like that. No, I mean that I’ve never been disrespected without getting back for it… You take a look at my name, my family’s name, you won’t find anyone gettin’ one over on us and getting away with it. That is the kind of honor I hold,” Jordan said calmly, although she clenched one of her fists as she spoke, her eyes still stuck on Archie.

“So you kinda get in the way with that. I don’t care about what you were taught before. This isn’t wherever you were from. You’re in Santa Marina now, with real Hunters. Most people ain’t going to take your side on this one,” she added after a bit of a pause to collect yourself. “And actions that you take thinkin’ you didn’t do anything wrong still have consequences.”

[Sudbrazil]

DOWNTOWN SANTA MARINA
Leonard Constantinovich
21st October 2016

---

“что делают эти идиоты?”

The Russian was feeling nervous. He knew the dandy beret he had was not going to stop a lightning bolt, but now it was too late to buy that helmet and some plates. They were out in the open, nobody besides him was pulling security, he was low on Mana and that unholy lizard was looking quite hungry. Nobody knew when some other mad mage would stumble upon them, and he was not in the mood to spend more money on ammo, much less on a coffin. After one last glance around, he turned back to the group.

“Mrs. Liao, don't you have better places to be?” he asked as he placed his hand on Archibald's shoulder, “We can discuss family trees later, I have a pretty one I could show over some tea, but we won't get to see it if the dynamic duo makes its comeback right now.”

[Forest State]

Jordan Liao
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

“I do have other places that I could go, yes. I tend to go where I feel that I’m needed at the moment… But there’s a time for everything. Sometimes it happens to be a time to settle the score, yeah?” Jordan replied in an even tone, her eyes shifting to Leonard, not entirely buying into his argument. She still hovered over the ground ever so slightly using the pair of light-construct wings, her arms folded in a fashion that wasn’t atypical for her when she was in an annoyed mood like this.

“I don’t know what the rush is. The place is cleared for now, the fight has moved elsewhere, the enemy was outnumbered and left… I suppose I could leave you by yourselves. Would only put you in a worse position if they decided they were changing their minds and came back to set things straight,” she continued, shrugging.

“So I don’t think I’ve got a reason to rush off right now unless your friend right here wants me to do so… In which case I’d most likely call him a pussy,” she concluded.

[Recuecn]

Tristan Glesbrecht
October 31st, 2019
Santa Marina
Out of Mana

---

Tristan realized in horror as the spikes kept growing taller and taller that he was in exactly the situation he had tried to avoid... he was becoming trapped. He looked down. He was only ten feet up, not too far to jump if he did it right away. Otherwise he'd be stuck up here, still a target, and even further removed from the fight.

One thing was for sure: he was useless up here. To be able to be any use at all, he'd have to get closer. So that left him no choice. He'd have to jump now, while he was still low enough...

Grimacing, he pushed himself clear of the spikes, and let himself fall, remembering to bend his knees as he hit the ground.

[Castelia]

Archibald "Archie" Lawson
Santa Marina, Florida

Hearing her words made him understand her grudge a bit. Archie finally understood fully where she was coming from, why she had acted that way to his actions. Unfortunately, it also triggered something within Archie, something that he had buried deeply the moment he had decided to apply to the Academy.

So, it's the usual after all. Honor and family name and tradition: the very things that my family had eschewed.

The memories of his childhood travels came flooding back to him. The disdainful stares he endured from other mages, the insults that were hurled at his family whenever he was introduced, he remembered it all. Archie found a surge of anger building up from within him, but it quickly died down as he managed to recompose himself. He had endured this sort of thing so many times before, and he was going to endure it as many times as needed again. The fight wasn't here.

"Let's just go back to the Academy, guys. Preferably the same way we came here since I doubt those mages could reach all the way to the sky with their powers, and the dragon travels really fast too."

He then addressed Jordan again. This time, he was resigned. "I fully understand where you're coming from now, and I don't think we'll ever get along even if I didn't pull off what I did in the tryouts back then. But I'm not looking for a fight against you, nor anyone else for that matter. If you decide you want to beat me to within an inch of my life right this moment, then that's on you. I won't make the first move nor will I fight back, because you're not my enemy. Understand that I'm not saying fighting you is beneath me. I'm just saying I don't consider you an enemy, and I don't fight anyone who isn't an enemy."

Walking away from her towards Freya and the dragon, he turned around and said one last thing. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Like you yourself said, you can do what you want. Oh, and for the record, I've been called worse. "

[Confederation of the Equator]

[minecraft villager sound]

[Sraelyn]

Viktor Farkas
Santa Marina, October 31st

---

Viktor took a step away from the mage as it staggered and fell backwards, in doing so, he noticed a surprising lack of pain coming from his leg. Gone was the inch-deep cut that went along most of his thigh a second prior, replaced with reconstructed muscle that felt as good as new. A work of magic, literally. Viktor mentally thanked whichever one of his companions was responsible for it, regrettably being too focused on his own current fight to really observe the rest of the battle going on. The sooner he could incapacitate his opponent, the sooner he would be able to help his friends.

Judging by his own bloodied fingers and his momentarily stunned opponent, it seemed the attack had hit its mark. Yet, before he could capitalize with a another strike, parts of the crystal armour that covered the mage began to detach themselves from the figure and floated into the air. The multitude of shards now in turn began to quickly morph into dagger-like forms, no doubt hellishly sharp. The shards, glistening quite beautifully despite the scarce lighting, all launched towards him in unison, rapidly closing the distance.

Viktor’s enhanced reactions kicked in before he could process much, as he threw himself to the side trying to land with a roll. Glad to no end of having both of his legs now usable, he could only hope it was enough to evade as many of those projectiles as possible, as he let out a short, sharp whistle mid-air. Hearing the order, the now recovering hounds launched themselves towards the downed mage, frothing snouts wide open in search of new gaps in the armour.

---

Mana remaining 40

[Forest State]

Jordan Liao
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

“You’re putting it on me to do something?” Jordan asked, remaining where she was, although she turned slightly as Archie moved, not taking her eyes off him. “Funny. I think you just want to get me to do something first because you know you’re surrounded by people that have no idea what they’re supposed to be or what the fuck they’re doing here, who will just jump on your side and try to say you didn’t do nothing… But like I said. You might be a student but you’re not so far removed from the magic world that you can’t tell the truth… The truth that I’m only saying facts right now.”

“And to the rest of you, if you’re just going to walk off with someone like that and be fine with it, think long and hard about what you’re doing at a Hunter academy in the first place. No one forced you to come here. You could have chosen a safe and regular life or you could even have went off the beaten path and made the choice to go solo as a Hunter or join up with some other less notable group. And you could have done what you wanted, that way. But no, you showed up here. So…” Jordan continued, pausing and clenching her fist once again, looking down at it as she channeled mana around it but didn’t convert it into a spell just yet. She was still weighing her decision. “I’d like to think that you all also accepted what comes along with that.”

“If you want to be a Hunter… You’re stepping into a different world with certain rules. Honor, prestige, all that. There’s a way of doing things, and it’s like that for a reason. You see that city skyline on fire over there? That wasn’t done by mages that care about these things… It was done by mages that would rather tear it down, and people like the Lawsons have more in common with them than they do with any of us in the ranks of the Hunters.” She opened her fist, the mana flowing around her arm and hand, and her fingers, like it was a moving serpent. Ready to be converted and used in a spell at the drop of a hat.

“Then again, sometimes it feels like I’m the last person on the campus that actually cares about Hunting. Kinda fitting, considering I’m something of an independent right now,” she concluded. She lowered her hand, the mana fading away as she rose into the air slightly more using her wings, deciding not to act for now. “I’ll leave you for now… But I won’t be merciful when informing the staff about her,” she added, gesturing to Freya, the one who was largely fine with including Archie in the group in the first place and taking him back to campus now.

“She might be a special prospect according to some… But that’s kinda worthless if people like you are just going to rub off on her, Archie.”

With that, Jordan accelerated quickly into the air, ready to leave, as Freya simply stood on the ground and watched before pulling herself up onto the back of the dragon, speaking through gritted teeth to the others. “Come on,” she said, obviously frustrated, but it was hard to tell the extent and what she intended to do about it when she got back. She wasn’t that obvious most of the time, after all.

Still, this was a rather big event. It was the kind of thing that definitely had the potential to cause a split among some of the closer groups around campus. Both Jordan and Freya had ties to the Void Club after all, even if neither of them was actually in the group, and Freya seemed to be gathering a decent sized circle of her own, while Jordan also had a couple of family ties around here including parents on the staff.

Which meant this would likely only blow up more in the future…

Halloween Fight Night
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

The fall for Tristan could have been worse but it was still an ankle breaking impact with the ground, and he was rather lucky to not just break his legs outright from the tall drop that he’d fallen off from - it seemed fate was with him for now.

And indeed, fate might have been with both of them at this moment, because Viktor’s attack using the hounds, while it wouldn’t do any damage, would at least force the enemy onto the defensive. This time, as the blinded Arcanum staggered backwards and looked for bearings, a ring of hardened earth rose up not to attack an enemy but to act as a circular shield - a cocoon of sorts. It was a defensive position and it also kept the Arcanum from being able to attack while inside of it… It covered everything, and it was almost enclosed.

There had been two attackers but it seemed like the second one was switching off to focus on the hounds right now, lashing out to kick one of them and sending it flying into the air and over the side of the overpass, onto the highway below. Probably enough of a drop to dispose of most enemies whether or not the traffic did - wasn’t like there were very many people out on the road when something like this was going down not far from them, although some people were headed away from them which put a few cars on the road at this time.

One of the other ones was quickly targeted with the club, but that attack still took the focus of their enemy and redirected it from the group of mages, which would possibly give them a chance to get on the move… If they could get Tristan out with his broken ankle. Their decision on whether or not they would stay for some moments longer and pull him out of this mess or go right now would have a major impact on their odds of getting out safely.

[Sudbrazil]

DOWNTOWN SANTA MARINA
Leonard Constantinovich
21st October 2016

---

He watched as the woman flew away with her arrogant wings, stunned. He hated her so, yet she stood for all he loved but never had. The thrill of the hunt, to bask in the glory of the aftermath, to be part of a respectable family, to fight and work at a young age. She had the confidence to turn her back on a battlefield that had been burning a few minutes ago. All he had were a few distant relatives who still hunted, while he was there playing soldier, worrying about “muh perimeter”, catching up to responsibilities he should have taken on long ago. She was arrogant, but she was right. If not tradition, who would chain the proud power of the hunter?

Ironically, she sounded like she was on a power trip. But maybe not. Stuff happened, he barely knew the kid. Maybe he had really screwed up, and she wasn't exaggerating. He didn't know, he was still catching up to everything. His distaste was based on an old envy more than that childlike drama. But she was right. And there would be consequences to his association, no matter how brief, to these people. For now though, he just wanted to go back home.

“Look, uh, Freya, don't want to be annoying, after all you’ve done and that. But, you have some things to explain when we go back.” he mumbled as he tapped the dragon’s back. It didn't matter now if he was on the spawn of an Eldritch dimension, but it would matter sooner or later.

[Durmatagno]

Victoria Aurelia Fawn, The Void Club
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

Victoria panted as she waited for a moment to make sure none of the enemies before her. She released the tension in her muscles, and panted as the adrenaline started to fade from her system. She gasped for air as she realized she'd been holding her breath. Hoping, no, praying that her attack would end this or she'd be out of magical options. She started to move towards the bodies, but stopped and turned when Cassia spoke to her. Victoria looked down as she considered what Cassia was saying. She sighed, and nodded.

"Yeah, got it Cassia."

There wasn't much point arguing, what Cassia had said had been all to reasonable, almost to reasonable. Victoria turned away to investigate the bodies, taking some pictures, as well as pictures of the aftermath. She wasn't the only one that was going to be curious about these...people. With what they looked like, she had to call them that. They didn't seem to be golems, and for all she knew they'd been compelled to fight them. She didn't know for sure, no way of knowing now, but there was a lot of wild magic out there, and who knows what's possible. She herself summoned out of a dimension few if any others touched, a dimension where all three fields of magic she studied intersected. Only thing she could manage without crystals was a fairly small 'golem', in reality it was a native of the dimension, but it looked inorganic and didn't ever speak.

[Recuecn]

Tristan Glesbrecht
October 31st, 2019
Downtown San Marina
Out of Mana

---

Tristan winced and let out a yelp as he landed on his ankle, his face contorting in pain. A faint snapping sound came from underneath him as his foot rolled to the side and he fell. That can't be good, he thought, and he was proved right as he tried to scramble back to his feet--a jolt of pain shot up his leg and he collapsed on the ground again. The ankle was definitely broken.

He took a moment to look around from where he was on the ground, pushing himself up with his hands but with his knees and chest on the ground, like someone who had lost their energy while doing push-ups. He watched as one of the Arcani basically punted Viktor's blood hounds onto the road below the bridge. It didn't look like they would be any more use. It was also worrying that the monsters could dispatch a foe so quickly if they got a good hit in. Tristan felt more vulnerable than ever.

However, between the spells from Viktor and Tavian, and the time the Arcanum had spent dealing with the blood hounds, it looked like there might be a chance for a getaway right now if they went for it. This was their chance to get out safely, they just had to book it.

And here was Tristan with a broken ankle.

He tried to think fast, but his thoughts were still distracted. Maybe it was his life, beginning to flash before his eyes? He was disabled, out of mana, and his companions had to be running low as well. If they came back to try to get him out too, then all three of them would be screwed. It didn't make any sense to put all three of their lives in danger when they probably wouldn't even be able to save him or get him out of there in time. His attempt to use himself as a sacrificial distraction moments earlier had hardly been successful, but now it was imperative that he sacrificed himself if he wanted his friends to survive. There was no question about it, and he didn't think twice.

"Viktor! Tavian! Go!'

He took a deep breath.

"Run now! You've got a chance! Get out of here! Don't worry about me!" His voice cracked. "I'll catch up!" he lied. "You don't have time to wait for me!"

[Sraelyn]

Viktor Farkas
Santa Marina, October 31st

---

Watching the mage surround himself in earth to assume a defensive position felt like a small victory, even if it wasn’t one that would last long. However, the brief moment of respite it offered allowed Viktor the chance to check on the status of his friends, turning around just in time to see Tristan jump from the tall spikes he was atop of. A landing from that height must have hurt, of that he was sure, and going by Tristan’s facial expression as he crumpled to the ground, he knew it was the case. Tristan had probably broken something, but without immediate healing magic it would be a miracle if he was able to run, let alone properly walk right now.

One of the hounds had been violently thrown over the rails of the overpass, hitting the pavement below with a loud, animalistic cry, while the other distracted the mage wielding the club for the time being. Judging by his own mana reserves, he had enough to fuel one more spell, maybe two minor ones. Guessed his companions were in a similar state of depletion, left them with very few option if they all wanted to live until sunrise. Had they gone into this fight with their reserves full, maybe, just maybe, they could have actually ended victorious, but it seemed like such a long shot compared to their current position.

While on the Hunt, death was a normal thing, expected even, and as long as there was a sliver of a chance of exterminating a threat, then it was imperative to keep going and not succumb to cowardice. Such was the Farkas mentality. That was why what Tristan said made no sense.

“Viktor! Tavian! Go! Run now! You've got a chance! Get out of here! Don't worry about me! I'll catch up! You don't have time to wait for me!" Again he went on with this sacrificial idiocy, same as moments ago when he tried to be bait. Why was he so set on the stupidly of an heroic death, when there was no place for such a thing.

“SHUT YOU FUCKING MOUTH AND HOLD STILL!” Maybe it was because Tristan was one of his first friends outside his family, maybe because he was starting to endear himself into Viktor in some other way, but he would drag Tristan out of here if he had to.

Using the last off his mana, Viktor felt as his whole body begun to shift. Bones crackled and popped, while muscle pulsated visibly under his skin, seemingly rearranging themselves as his limbs and torso were forced to rapidly grow in size, tearing open his jacket and shirt from the pressure in the process. A few moments later, he emerged two feet taller, doubling his normal weight, and looking more feral and monstrous than human.

Emitting something close to a roar, he rushed to cross the overpass, in a mad dash to grab both of his companions before it was too late.

---

Mana remaining: 0

[Theyra]

Tavian Arcos
Santa Marina, October 31rd, 2020

Viktor must have wounded that mage since it surrounded itself with a circular mound of earth. A pleasant change of events given their situation, and it gave Tavian to survey the field properly. One mage was temporary out of the fight, and the other mage was being distracted by the remaining bone hound. The other bone hound had been kicked over the side of the overpass and down on the highway below. Tavian almost missing watching Tristan falling from the spikes he was atop of. Falling what looked like a high height that he would not be surprised if Tristan had hurt something.

Not to mention he was running low on mana, he had maybe two good spells left more or less. Depending on what he does next and he does not want to try to stun there mages with his electric touch. Seeing how dangerous these mages are in a melee and watching his lightning doing minor damage. Who knows if he would be allowed to stun these mages with their heavy armor. Viktor and Tristan must be low as well, or going to be low. They only managed to hurt one of these mages and who knows how they could take them down.

Then he heard Tristan speak up, "Viktor! Tavian! Go!' "Run now! You've got a chance! Get out of here! Don't worry about me! I'll catch up!" You don't have time to wait for me!"

Leaving Tristan behind to the mercy of these mages was something he did not want to do. He knew he would regret it if he runs for it knowing what will happen to Tristan. But, Tristan was doing this to try and save him and Viktor from these mages. He was conflicted and as he was going to choose, his friend or safety. Viktor shouted, “SHUT YOU FUCKING MOUTH AND HOLD STILL!” Making it clear what his stance on the situation. Then transforming into to what looked like a tall feral monster, Tavian was startled by the sight of Viktor's transformation and the roar but quickly banished his fear from his mind. He should not need to fear Viktor right now, and that fear would distract him from this fight, which every second counted. Tavian was not about to leave both of his friends behind and elect to stay and help.

Betting that Tristan was hurt, Tavian focused on Tristan and cast Divine Heal on him, healing his broken ankle. Tavian now was almost out of mana, maybe one good spell left, one more heal. Tavian watched Viktor make a mad dash towards Tristan, possibly to pick him, and if Viktor did, Tavian would be preparing his next move, either making a run for it with his friends or casting one last spell to help his friends. No one needs to die tonight, at least that what Tavian hopes.

Mana left - 25

[Forest State]

Halloween Fight Night
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

Turning back might not have been the best idea.

Sure, Viktor’s heart was in the right place with trying to help his fallen ally, but in terms of the practical situation… Well, it wasn’t good. He had no mana. The enemy was physically stronger. And the enemy also didn’t seem to be running out of mana anytime soon - even if he was just intending to get in and then get out as fast as humanly possible, it was still walking into a situation which presented a disadvantage in every way… The odds were somewhat slim that everyone involved in that situation would come out of this one alive.

Really, it was a matter of not quitting when they were ahead.

The Arcanum that hadn’t been blinded took a wild swing at Viktor but missed, as he moved to grab Tristan and get out… Considering Tristan’s ankle had been healed, however, the reckless charge in might not have been necessary in the first place. But it was the heat of the moment. Hindsight was always 20/20 in these types of things, as they would find out if they all survived and looked back at what had happened.

Still, the enemy missed - the blow went wide, didn’t hit Viktor but rather just brushed against him, the aim not quite being accurate enough to connect. A stroke of good luck for him, since it would almost certainly have knocked him to the ground even with his physicality enhanced right now. The opponent here was just that powerful.

But they were fighting a magical enemy and one couldn’t expect only fists from an opponent like that.

The Arcanum’s hand lashed out with a sudden spell, and the ground rose up once again, the dirt and stones packed under the asphalt rising through it and creating a quick wall that hardened up within seconds in front of Viktor and Tristan, blocking their path. Fact of the matter was, the Arcanum didn’t have to get the kill here to have a success - if they were prevented from leaving, there would be more time to get the kill than there was right now. And their opponent was now closing in, since their path had been cut off…

It was perhaps the price of messing with something stronger than them and not getting out when the chance was in front of them.

[Sraelyn]

Viktor Farkas
Santa Marina, October 31st

---

Sprinting across the overpass, he had hoped the mage would be distracted by the bone-hound for just a few more seconds. His vision had become tunneled as he moved forward, so much that he didn’t see the club swung at him until it was too late to evade. Clenching his jaw, he braced for an impact that never came. Instead, the club caught only the cloth of his jacket, missing Viktor’s actual body by a hair. His path now open, he closed the remaining distance to Tristan.

Looking back for a second at the succession of events that had formed this chaotic night, it felt like things had gone far too fast. They were now in a situation far over their heads, fighting what ended up being much stronger mages than them. Yet maybe, just maybe, they could all end the night still breathing.

Just as he stretched his hand forward to grab Tristan, the concrete beneath the rumbled. A wall of stone erected itself in front of them, forcing Viktor to stop on his tracks, their way out of there now blocked.

“Shit.” They were, quite literally, between a club and a hard place. On one side was a ten foot tall slab of stone, while on the other the approaching Arcanum, its intent quite clear. Desperately looking around for another way out bore no results, until Viktor saw the rail at the edges of the overpass. “We need to go down.”

Rushing to the side, Viktor grabbed the rail before vaulting over it. Hands tightly latching on, his torso hit the side of the overpass, taking away his breath from the impact as his legs dangled several feet over the pavement. Seeing no car directly below him, he let go of the ledge, falling to the highway below.

---

Mana remaining: 0

[Recuecn]

Tristan Glesbrecht
October 31, 2019
Out of Mana

---

Tristan wasn't quite sure what to think as Viktor transformed into a something more scary in his own right--and then started to sprint toward him. An arcanum swung at him but narrowly missed. But then, as he drew near, a sudden wall of earth sprung up, blocking off the escape for the pair--an escape that would have been feasible, perhaps, since Tristan's ankle had suddenly started to feel just fine again. He glanced over at Tavian. Yup, he'd definitely used some kind of healing spell. Tristan waved his thanks.

Tristan wanted to run back to Tavian, dragging Viktor with him. But the wall and the second Arcanum were both in the way. that wouldn't work. In fact, the situation looked pretty grim, and Tristan couldn't see a way out. This was just the situation he'd been trying to avoid when he had chosen the spikes over being trapped in mud walls.

Suddenly, Viktor blurted out, 'we need to go down.' And just like that, he was to the edge of the overpass, threw himself over the barrier, hung for a moment, and dropped onto the road below. Tristan almost screamed as Viktor let go of the railing and dropped out of sight. It was as if he had jumped off a skyscraper.

What was he thinking!? Is he trying to kill himself? Did he just kill himself? Jumping off an overpass onto a freeway didn't seem smart. Tristan had just jumped maybe ten feet down from the spikes a second ago, and that had broken his ankle. And now Viktor expected him to blindly follow him off a bridge?

On the other hand, the choice he had made earlier of throwing himself on the spikes rather than being trapped by the earthen walls the Arcani kept throwing up had been a logical one, even if it was a split-second decision, and the same principle applied here. Maybe it was better to break a leg and hobble away than be stuck here and killed. He yelled to Tavian away and across the wall: "Run, Tavian! We'll meet up!" And with that he made a bolt for the side of the bridge Viktor had gone over to attempt to vault the railing.

[Theyra]

Tavian Arcos
Santa Marina, October 31rd, 2020

No, was what Tavian was thinking when the wall of stone rose up and blocked the Viktor and Tristan's path. That was their way out, and now it is blocked. These mages sure like to summon barriers to encase their foes and themselves if needed. What to do, what do to, Tavian frantically thought. He's got one spell left in him maybe two if he decides he wants to try and stun these mages at point-blank. Which Tavian feels is just going to not to be worth at all.

He tried to look to the sides of the wall to see Viktor and Tristan and then saw something that looked like Viktor hanging from the railing and then drop to the ground. Tavian rushed to the railing and looked down, did Viktor just drop down? That is crazy, to drop down from this height, he thought. Is that really the best option for them in this situation? Tavian shrugged, maybe it is considering how dire the situation is.

As he backed away from the railings, Tavian heard Tristan shouting, "Run, Tavian! We'll meet up!"

So Tristan is planning on doing the same thing he guessed. Tavian shouted back, "I will find you two". Then with Viktor and Tristan jumping over the railings of the overpass and hopefully safe from these mages. Tavian turned around and started to run as fast as he can away from the fight. Who knows when those mages will notice that he has left and he hoped that he and his friends will make it though this night.

Mana left - 25

[Forest State]

Halloween Fight Night
Downtown Santa Marina
October 31st, 2020

---

Their attacker was left to watch without an option to follow after them - the considerably heavier being would have a worse time hitting the ground if it followed after the pair of mages that had went over the railing… And there was still Tavian, but he was across the dirt wall, and would probably have some time to get away.

And so the hunt ended here, unfortunately. Maybe an undeserved victory for the mages if they could even call it a victory. They weren’t coming out of the fight with no harm, after all, considering Tristan had already broken his ankle once and jumping over the side of the overpass would just serve to break it again despite the healing spell that had been applied… The on the spot healing could only do so much versus resting and letting the body part get back to full strength.

It had been a defeat to opponents that they overmatched… But the Arcanum were left with little to do but to back off, watching the path of their former targets as they moved on the highway, standing there on the overpass for a moment more before turning, heading in the direction of the original goal that they had chased after. They’d had other things to handle before getting interrupted, after all. One of them was too injured to fight, but the other one, at least, could continue the task…

So the fight would end like this, both sides wounded, one side getting out alive. Either an extremely positive or extremely negative outcome, depending on just which lens you looked at the incident through.

[Recuecn]

Tristan Glesbrecht
Tristan vaulted himself over the bridge overpass railing--without looking before he leapt. As he flew over the railing and began to fall, he was partly surprised that the Arcanum hadn't been able to grab him as he made his last dash for freedom. Then, he looked down...

He let out a small, terrified scream as he fell. The overpass was a lot higher than he had realized. He thought to himself, bend your knees, but as he hit the pavement again, he heard more snapping sounds. Of course. The same ankle had snapped again. Once more he was face-down on asphalt.

"Viktor, help,' he mewled. "Let's get out of here."

---

Later

Tristan lay in the hospital, his leg in a cast, held aloft to prevent swelling. Apparently for the effort it took to permanently fix that sort of injury with magic, just using normal old medicine was better. His phone, sitting on the bedside table, began to ring. Tristan answered it. It was the Hunter Academy administration, returning his call.

"I'm not a quitter, I swear," he said. It sounded like he himself wasn't quite convinced. "It's not just that all my recent off-campus experiences have so nearly ended in death... I mean, I don't know if that's maybe part of it. But I don't think I can continue my classes how I am now, all laid up in this hospital bed."

The voice of the administration assistant on the other end of the line didn't sound so understanding. Presumably they had students laid low in magical battles all the time, but most of them stuck it out.

"No, no, no," Tristan hastened to explain. "I don't want to withdraw. I'll just need medical leave."

"For the rest of the semester?"

"That's like a month, and the doctors are saying my foot won't be healed by then. I think I need the whole academic year."

He could feel the judgment over the telephone. Maybe that was just part of his psychic abilities. But as he finished the phone call and hung up, he was judging himself as well. He had failed.

[Forest State]

CHAPTER FOUR: DARK GRASP

---

Santa Marina Hunter Academy, Santa Marina, Florida
November 10th, 2020

---

It was safe to say that the city was… Shocked by what had happened.

It wasn’t every day that the magic world attacked, and quite literally in this sense. Sure, things happened all the time, both in public and behind the scenes, and that was the entire reason why Hunters existed as a concept. However, most of the time, it was further removed. People heard about others who had been affected by the magic world. Not everyone necessarily experienced it themselves. Or when something really big did happen, it happened somewhere other than Santa Marina.

That wasn’t the case on Halloween.

The city had been hit by the biggest attack since well… No one could actually remember a time when the city had been threatened more in such a direct way. Not in the way of some scare that was based off projections and hype, but something which had panned out into actual events which shook the city to its core. The damages were still being repaired and would be repaired for the coming weeks, the fires had burned for a couple of days before they were completely put out, and it had taken a few days before every one of the attackers had been extinguished - even when the Hunters had won, it seemed they had received plenty of calls about some lone goblins that had managed to survive despite the fate of the rest of their side, or some other similarly powered creature that had slipped through the cracks.

The Hunter Academy hadn’t taken losses in the incident but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been shaken in their own way - many of the students had received a taste of what it was like to face off against real opposition. Opposition that could and would do anything they could do to win.

The fact that they had held their own against these odds and avoided losses was the only reason there weren’t widespread punishments for the students who had went against the better advice of the school, which had told them to stay in and leave things to the more experienced senior Hunters. The one person who couldn’t avoid punishment, however, was Freya, who had been the one to organize one of the main trips to the city to fight against the enemy as it arrived.

She was still in detention. Not in the sense of having to sit around in a room with others who were in detention, but in th sense of being physically detained. The school hadn’t taken kindly to her stunt. And behind the scenes, they had other reasons why they were extra careful with her - this wasn’t her only offense after all, although the staff already expected her to have the support of the other students who would likely take a more simplistic view of things and take her side without asking too many questions about why she was being treated this way.

Sometimes, the students had to be allowed to doubt, because there wasn’t really an option. This was likely one of those times.

By now, the dust was clearing and the school was starting to get back to regular activity. Which was the reason a number of students were now being told to meet at one of the standard classrooms, for their next assignment… Just because they had been knocked down didn’t mean they could sit around forever. And they had work to do.

[Sudbrazil]

HUNTER ACADEMY
Leonard Constantinovich
10th November 2020

---

Leonard still thanked the Lord that no inquisitor from the Academy had passed by his door and shaken him up. Despite the return to normality, there were still whispers in the air and a certain uneasiness which conveyed questions the Association simply could not yet answer. Though ruthless routine had reprised its rhythm, Constantinovich could still see its marks in the damaged buildings. Indeed, he had a shameful yearning for the situation, no matter how short and terrible it was. It had been his first large-scale combat operation, unsanctioned in many respects, yet he was still proud of it, and had even kept a few spent casings as a souvenir.

Not all was boredom in his routine though, Constantinovich thought as he entered the classroom. He sat down and produced his notebook from his best pocket, eagerly awaiting the briefing that would be delivered.

[Theyra]

Tavian Arcos
Santa Marina Hunter Academy, November 10th, 2020

It has been a week since Halloween and Tavian is stilling thinking about it. He was laying on his bed, deep in thought, while it a good thing that he was spared punishment by the academy for taking part in the fighting. Which while other students went into chaos, for Tavian and his friends, the chaos came to them that night. Tavian was just glad that he and his friends got out alive and saved some people in the process. The goblins were the easy part of the night compaced to the twin heavy armor pair on the highway. It was touch and go for a while with those things with only Viktor actually hurting one of them. Jumping off that overpass was risky for them but, everyone got out alive with a few broken bones. Better then the alternative if they kept fighting, low or empty on mana against those things. They could have died that night but, fate had other plans. Tavian had visited Tristan in the hospital after that night and it looks like he will recover though not anytime soon.

Still, there was an uneasiness in him, how did this happen? Who or what caused that night to turn from a night of joy into terror? While everything is normal now, Tavian could not help but think about that. Maybe planning with Viktor and Tristan to do a proper night out will help with him getting his mind off it. After Halloween, it would be nice to be out with friends without the threat of death. Though with Tristan in the hospital, that night with have to be planned much later. Perhaps working on his book will be a better option, he certainly got some inspiration from that night. Tavian smiled at the thought, guess that is some good things that came from the night.

Tavian got up from his bed and went to his desk to work on his book when he heard that he should go to a classroom for their next assignment. He sighed as he put his book and pencils away, writing will have to wait. As long as he does not get shot up by gangsters this time then he will be fine was what he thought as entered the classroom and sat down near the middle.

[Confederation of the Equator]

[minecraft villager sound]

[Forest State]

Santa Marina Hunter Academy
November 10th, 2020

---

Standing in front of the instructor Sieg was a decent collection of students - of varying levels of suitability for the whole Hunting thing. On one hand, they had survived the encounters in the streets on Halloween, which was more than some people could say. On the other hand, just surviving was only so much of an accomplishment. They had to win at some point, but that was the reason they were training. More concerningly, they weren’t even supposed to have been out there in the first place…

But maybe with the ‘ringleader’ of the little excursion spending some time detained, they would think about their actions a bit more before taking them the next time. There wouldn’t always be a Hunter on station to save them if something went wrong. Or even a Hunter willing to save them - the earlier dispute between Archie and Jordan had come back up on Halloween after all and it didn’t seem like it had an end in sight… There likely wasn’t going to be peace between the two. Just another reason the school had its doubts about this current class.

They would get a fair chance to turn those doubts around, at least, starting right now with the assignment they were going into following the Halloween action cooling down.

“I’m sure some of you might have been hoping for an assignment related to the events of Halloween night. Unfortunately, there’s other things in this city that need to be handled. Aiding the Hunters Association in one of these other things in the assignment that you’re getting. Specifically, looking into something that may or may not have any connection to Halloween - but whether it has a connection to it or not, it’s a danger to everyone. Know that this is a danger to you, too - just because this is an assignment doesn’t mean all risk has been removed. That’s not possible when dealing with field work,” Sieg started.

“You’re going to have a look into the recent phenomenon of apparitions which have appeared in this city and influenced others mentally - usually in a negative way. Since Halloween, one of these apparitions in specific has gained strength and stood out… And the rate at which these things have affected others has increased multiple times since that night despite it not being that long since Halloween in the first place,” Sieg continued. “We also believe we may have one or more suspects connected to the appearance of the apparitions, or who are potentially under their influence…”

“But first things first, how many of you have followed the situation and are familiar with what I’m talking about?”

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa De Inferenza
Santa Marina, November 10th, 2020

"I've... Encountered what I think are the same apparitions once or twice." Gabriella said, speaking up. "Bullets don't seem to be effective against them, but other than that I can say little about them. We don't know exactly what they are, what they can do, what their behavior is like in enough detail to properly use it..." She shrugged helplessly.

She didn't like dealing with unknown quantities more than anyone else did, but sometimes you just had to get by with the bare minimum of info. No Hunter was ever lucky enough to enter a situation with a perfect picture of what they were dealing with, figuring out unknowns and how to best deal with them while still in the field was just part of the job. "I don't recall hearing anything else that could be of use, however."

---

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, November 10th, 2020

Olympia was silent; she didn't have anything to say, and really she'd never been one to pay attention to the news, but there was a slight tension as she sat there, mulling over the information she'd been told. It didn't sound that hard or different from what she'd done back home; investigate, shoot things as necessary, repeat until whatever the original investigation led down the trail was resolved. Just with probably a few more complicating things in the way, but nothing she probably couldn't handle.

Probably. She'd spent most of Halloween by herself near the edges of town, so really, she hadn't had to face much, and she hadn't been stupid enough to think she could be some kind of hero by dealing with it solo. She knew what she was capable of, and that she wasn't. So she just listened, for now.