lostcarnival | ⇨ WYLD HUNT

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⇨ WYLD HUNT

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 100
Where: Shabondamashii
What: The Wyld Hunt unexpectedly crashes the Shabon's dimension, leaving chaos in its wake. Those that have been with the carnival for a while might recognize it as the personal army of a fae called the Huntsman - also known as one of the Ringmaster's age old rivals, whom she dethroned thousands of years ago. The last we heard of him, he was pursuing the carnival, and it turns out he found them faster than anyone thought.
Warnings: Violence, theoretical cannibalism.

THE AUTUMN MOON↴

There isn't any warning. You might not even notice what's happening at first, with the approach of the threat happening as spontaneously as a zombie uprising. You're minding your own business, enjoying Shabon, when a random alien charges you on foot with sudden and aggressive intent. Whether or not you can throw them off or defeat them, you'll soon find they weren't alone. An entire army is descending upon the city now, and the carnival is the target.

► THEY ARE LEGION: The Wyld Hunt comes in all shapes and sizes, with beasts and men from all kinds of different universes having been caught up in its sway. Those that have been in the Hunt for a long while have more or less completely lost themselves - they now function only as part of a pack, hunting whatever the Huntsman wishes and consuming what their prey leaves behind upon death. Some members of the Hunt are newer and more unsure, but they are all a part of a psychic hive mind that compels them to move as a unit. Everyone in the Wyld Hunt instinctively know what the Huntsman wants them to do, even if they never speak to him.

Their skills, powers, and physicalities are all over the board, but there are a notably large quantity of Wyld Fae among them, often being used as mounts by more powerful humanoids within the Hunt. When NPCing members of the Hunt for threading purposes there is a lot of flexibility to what you face, including entities and beasts from your own worlds - provided they are creatures capable of functioning independently.

► HUNT OR BE HUNTED: When set upon by the Hunt, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Unfortunately, in that situation, the only way to beat them is to join them. Beginning to hunt alongside the others will immediately pacify them against you. As soon as you start to follow, the thrum of the Huntsman's will will start to take over - the more you hunt, the harder it is to turn away from it. If you do stop, or successfully oppose the compulsion, they will be quick to set upon you again. Like the others, you will feel the craving to consume any individuals the Hunt has felled - you must resist this, because once you have eaten the prey of the Hunt, you'll be trapped within it indefinitely.

► WORN OUT WELCOME: The people of Shabon are used to crisis, but this is a bit beyond what even they are prepared to tolerate. The Hunt will be causing collateral, both of the human and the material sort. While the workers in Shabon have very well practiced escape procedures in the event of something like this, the other guests are not as fortunate. Plenty of them are capable of fighting back on their own, but they will not always be capable of avoiding the hordes. The longer this goes on, the worse it will get. Eventually, the Shabon workers will realize who the Hunt is after and start actively trying to turn carnival members over to them in order to make it stop.

► IN TWO PARTS: Tragically, this turn of events and the realization that she's managed to put everyone in danger once again will be what finally causes the Ringmaster to split in two. One side will immediately become disinterested in using violence to counter this problem, while the other will be desperate and reckless. This will also completely screw her ability to get anyone back to the carnival in time. There will be at least one Megathread dealing with her actions during this.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a conflict the carnival is meant to survive, not win. The main point of this is to get the plot rolling in a new direction, so don't worry about figuring out how to defeat the Huntsman, because in this moment it basically won't be possible. Have fun threading out the crisis, and see where it leads. I wanted to be up front about that, as opposed to letting everyone grasp at straws to prevent a result that will be inevitable, even if the details will shift.

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Rita takes some time to mull over the fae's words. He's appealing to her because she distrusts him? That's... stupid. He can't...

And yet, she doesn't quite doubt him. Even though there's a part of her that wants to dismiss him, and another part that was only recently shaking with fear at the thought of what he might do to them... when he says he wants her to survive, she believes him. Even if she doesn't understand it...

"If we think about it the other way around... if we can get this half to agree to favorable terms, then the whole may be obligated to follow through," she begins, then stops... and lets out a deep sigh.

"But if we do that, we won't exactly be negotiating in good faith..." Which a united Ignatius might resent, and furthermore, Rita doesn't care for it. If Ignatius is willing to take the hard road by presenting this deal to the one person who hates him most, what would it say about Rita if she took the easy way? "Fine. Peridot's right. Even if the other Ignatius won't make it easy, we need you back together."

Edited 2018-09-18 17:22 (UTC)

Yuya wants to argue that of course she's going to survive, but--the chaos has thrown him off, and the gravity of everything fills him with just enough doubt that he can't quite confirm it even for himself--not until he hears from her. He covers his mouth, looking down as it feels like something pulls inside him... but he takes a deep breath and shakes the thought away.

"He won't get her that easily." That, at least, he can feel confident about. She's the one who stood against him all this time, isn't she.

"We'll talk to the other you. Your soul is probably split, and even if he doesn't like these feelings--you know what it's like to be broken that deeply. It's not good to stay this way." Especially when his heart has already been severed. He looks back up at Ignatius. "If we have to, does everyone have to be yours? Or can you protect the carnival as... an extension of one of us being yours?"

"I could only fight for leniency against those under my care," Ignatius says simply, though he's looking at Rita as he does. He doesn't have a lot to say to her suggestions, but he's actually pretty interested to hear her work through the problem. "Which means that every individual would have to make the choice for themselves."

So, don't try martyring yourself or anything, Yuya.

"If getting our Heart back is a possibility, then he could probably be convinced. He wants that more than anything."

The good thing about them being at a spa is that there's water everywhere. And in the current chaos, pools have been splashed, basins and vases have been overturned, and drinks have been dropped. Even considering the limited zoom capabilities of his scrying, finding a reflection near the other Ignatius is easier than Strange expects. And now that he knows the reflection exists, it's easy enough to magically link them.

He can only hear snippets of the conversation: Strange is mostly focused on the magic. But he's well aware of the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, there's definitely something that the rest of the team needs to know before they go deal with other Ignatius.

"Do we have a plan?" he calls out, still standing in front of the mirror as he finishes up and holds the magic. "Because I've found the other Ignatius and he's armed."

Peridot glances up from her radio with a panicked look; she has a vice-grip on the device. She has some bad news of her own to go alongside Strange's.

"She's not answering her radio. The Ringmaster-- I'm not getting any response from her! It's--"

She breaks off. She can't be having a meltdown in front of these guys when she's supposed to be the supervisor here! She takes a deep breath.

"I'm sure it's fine though, she's probably just on another call! Definitely, that is what she is up to, she's definitely on another call and NOT busy fighting her sworn enemy to the death, I'm sure of it because I'M A SUPERVISOR!" Peridot babbles, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"In other words, she's not in any position to veto whatever decision we come to here," Rita says, looking relatively calm next to Peridot. Even though she doesn't feel put-together right now... The last time she was in a position like this, people didn't exactly like the result.

"... My mind's made up," she declares, straightening her shoulders and facing the others with a determined look. "Assuming a better way doesn't present itself in the next few minutes... I'm willing to try Ignatius's idea. I don't like it, but I'll do what it takes if it means we make it out of this alive."

This could be a mistake. This could end in all of her worst fears coming to life. But she can't afford to be indecisive. Not now.

"Strange, can you tell where the other half is?"

Peridot's attempt to be assured are, well, not assuring. He only looks at her in increasing distress as she can't get ahold of the Ringmaster.

Thankfully the conversation pushes forward before he can begin to cycle over that panic over and over. Rita is not the one he expects to be ready to jump onto this suggestion so easily, and he stares at her in apprehensive confusion.

"W-wait, Rita, you're sure?" He reaches for her arm. Even Yuya was reluctant to come to a decision until Igantius is one piece again, but are they only on worse circumstance the longer they take?

Edited 2018-09-18 19:07 (UTC)

When Strange looks back to his scry, the other Ignatius is no longer visible. Meanwhile, there is screaming nearby as a hunting party gets closer.

Strange looks a bit surprised at Rita's willingness to try Ignatius's side. That only lasts for a second as his expression fades into gratitude. She's right. Keeping everyone alive is what matters the most.

"I can do better than simply telling you," Strange responds. "I've made the mirror a doorway. Let me just refine the location..." He starts to scry again, only to frown when Ignatius doesn't show up. Strange mutters a few words and tries to magically shift the scrying viewpoint back to Ignatius.

He's just assuming this is his magic acting up, but those screams are making him work faster than expected.

"If I'm being perfectly honest, there's a part of me that would rather take my chances with the cannibals," Rita tells Yuya flatly. "Going back to being his changeling... it's like a nightmare come true." It's something she's always feared in an abstract way, and yet now, faced with it as a real possibility... she feels differently.

"But for all the wretched things he's done... he's not a liar. When he says he wants us to survive, he'll negotiate for us, and that he'll limit any contracts to a short period... I believe that's the truth."

She gives Ignatius a long look, then glances away. "...This doesn't mean I forgive him or I think we can be friends, or anything. I just think that if we talk with each other honestly, we can reach an agreement. That's all."

Ignatius has mostly fallen silent as they discuss, his eyes flickering between the people speaking, allowing them to come to their own answer. As Rita declares her intentions with such firmness, however, he can't help but be surprised. He doesn't fully know what to make of it.

His lip curls ever so slightly in relief, however. As his Dark Side, he is filled with doubts, but for once this seems like it could actually have a beneficial outcome, even if it's not in a way he ever imagined. He only has to wonder, what would happen if he brought them home...

There is a sudden flash of red and orange as a long, glowing blade abruptly pierces through the front of his chest. Behind him is his Light half, still in the process of shifting from ash to flesh, his hands wrapped around the grip.

"The portal won't be necessary," Light Ignatius says, his dark side grunting and trying to pull himself off the blade. Light Ignatius jerks the blade downward with a violent swing, like he's hoping to cleave straight through his other half's body.

Dark Ignatius heaves forward, trying to stop exactly that, the blade getting caught in his flesh. It's not sharp enough.

Well.

That's definitely not what she expected to happen when someone got her sword.

Truthfully her reasons in following after Ignatius were mixed- the big one was that he had the sword she'd left at the swap. It might have only been a second or so, but she recognized that sword. And she's a bit curious as to why, since she was pretty sure big strong faeries didn't need solstice swords. The other reason was that, he kind of turned into an ash cloud. And that's...

Well it was weird, and she was already running pretty haphazardly through the place so why not follow the ashes in the air? It seems as good an idea as anything in this entire mess, and he's probably going somewhere important.

She arrives in time to see her sword being put to use at what it's best at.

Stabbing.

"AAA...aaaAAAH..." That's really not good. Also two of them!? Well doesn't that just figure! "Wh..."

She chokes. "You took the sword to attack yourself..!?"

There's a pause, and then Yuya nods with just as much firmness. Rita's right, and if she's this certain then he'll believe it, too. Isn't it what he's been trying to get Ignatuis, a second chance?

"Then I'll believe in it, too." He turns to Igantius his expression less uncertain and starting to confirm to him--and then there's an awful sound and a blade through him.

"No!" Yuya lunges forward with sudden force, arms outstretched as he tries to grab hold on light Ignatuis' arm, tight as he can to try and get him to halt. "Stop! That's still part of your soul!"

He's completely focused on trying to interfere with the bloodshed, he misses anything else happening around them.

When he sees the flash of light, Strange turns around, instinctively calling forth a fireball. Spotting the other Ignatius makes sense: after all, that explains why his scrying went odd. Spotting Reira doesn't.

He can question her about things later. Right now, he's matching Yuya for tunnel vision and for keeping part of his friend from stabbing the other part of his friend. Strange walks to try and place himself in between the two Ignatiuses but a little more than arms length away from the sword, like they're the bottom parts of a triangle and he's the top. While he does that, he mutters a spell under his breath. The fireball starts to burn hotter and spread out over Strange's palm instead of resting above his hand.

Most of his concentration is on controlling the flame and making it as hot as he possibly can. Strange is watching that sword intently, ready to do something kind of stupid if the sword sinks further into dark Ignatius's chest.

Peridot squawks with surprise. So much is happening all at once? What's a gem to do??

She doesn't have time to think. She turns into a bat and flings herself at the Light Ignatius's face, latching on with her wings.

Rita gasps, jerking backward as if struck.

"What are you doing!?" she cries at the sword-wielding Ignatius. Instinctively, she moves into a spellcasting stance, but doesn't act just yet, as the others are quicker to rush in and intervene.

Unfortunately for Yuya, Ignatius is still very strong. Upon grabbing Light Ignatius's arm, he'll find himself hurling away into the wall as the two Ignatiusi continue to grapple with each other.

As it turns out, the sword isn't good enough to cut through True Fae ribs, and so Light Ignatius is forced to pull it out - just about the same time that Peridot flies right into his face. He'll rip her off of him with a hand as well, throwing her away.

"Disgusting," his Light side snaps, lifting the sword over his duplicate and sneering. "You'd betray everything you were trained for - for this? I can't believe you were ever a part of me."

"I can," Dark Ignatius coughs, covering his chest wound with a hand and turning around to face his other half. He casts Strange a wary look, as if visually suggesting that he needs to back off. This isn't something to fuck around with.

Light Ignatius brings down the sword again, leaving Dark Ignatius to catch the blade in his hands. It cuts enough to cause molten hot liquid to break through from his palms, dribbling down the blade.

"I know you don't want to be like this anymore," Dark Ignatius says, voice tight and low, "...but do you really think you can go back to her without me?"

"Of course I can," Light Ignatius says, kicking his other half in the gut in an attempt to shake him off the blade, but Dark Ignatius holds tight despite the pain that surges through his iron wound. "You think you're actually worth something to me? You're just what the Winter made of us - and I'll be rid of her poison or good."

Reira doesn't like this. Reira doesn't like this at all. An awful lot is happening, and if there's one thing that she's hearing it's that one Ignatius wants the other Very Much Gone.

Unfortunately she's also very small, so she's sort of stuck watching and shouting from the sideline- maybe getting ready to make a shield for herself for good measure. Yuuya and Peridot did just get launched to the side after all. "Y-You can't do that!" she protests, staying close enough to shout, but trying to keep back enough not to be caught between. "You'll lose all the feelings he can make if you do that!" She thinks, anyway. It's only a guess- but she's pretty sure that if this is anything like how Sans, and Papyrus, and Yuugo all were...

Well, a good chunk of emotions simply aren't in the same spot if that's the case, and they probably shouldn't die.

In retrospect, if Ignatius could be talked down that easily he probably wouldn't be trying to gut his other half.

He's off his feet before he realizes what's happening, and then he loses his grip and is pathetically easily send flying into the wall. He hits it hard, sliding down to crumple to the ground in a daze.

He needs a minute. But you guys got this.

The trade-off for Peridot's shape changing spells is that when she uses them, she basically turns into an organic. Hitting the wall as a bat would fuck her up a lot more than hitting the wall as a gem would, so as she is sent flying, she changes back at the last possible second, slamming into the wall and dropping to the ground same as Yuya did. She manages to get back up to her feet after a second though, although she sort of staggers unevenly and grimaces as she does it, one hand pressed to the side of her head.

It's a pretty awkward scene that Shima comes pounding up to, chasing the glimpse of fire and ash he'd caught and lost until the shouts of more familiar voices breaks through the din of the hunt.

"Whoa whoa hey just how many pieces are ya planning ta let yourself break into??" He yells this at Ignatius mostly in the hopes of at least getting the two halves to pause but who knows if they're even paying attention.

He's uh, not going to jump into the middle of that though, he clearly needs to save his strength here. Gonna instead go and support Peridot as she wobbles to her feet.

The combination of both Peridot and Yuya being knocked for a loop causes Strange to lunge forward, fire in his hair and on his hand burning bright. He reaches out his hand...but stops as Ignatius gives him that wary look. He'll put his hand back to his side, though it's still intensely on fire. Strange doesn't bother moving back, still standing close to both Ignatiusi as they talk.

"Whatever the Winter made of you, it made the same thing of both of you," Strange definitively states, despite the fact that he has no idea what the hell he's talking about (is this about the Mirror? He thinks it's about the Mirror).

After he says this, he gives Shima a look that plainly states 'shut the hell up.'

Rita watches her friends get thrown about with an apprehensive look, then steps forward. This has to end, but once again, violence might not be the answer.

"Wait, damn it!" she yells at Light Ignatius. "Look, this part of you that you want to get rid of so badly was just on the verge of negotiating a way to get your stupid Heart back! If you kill him, you're going to lose the chance he just made for the both of you!"

"What?"

Rita's words penetrate Light Ignatius's bloodlust instantly, drawing his attention towards her. He has no idea what she's talking about, and he casts his bleeding duplicate a disbelieving look. Then, gradually, it turns to anger.

"It's because he's willing to betray everything just to pacify his captors," Light Ignatius argues, with a hint of rising paranoia. "He's a coward. He's filled with the fear that made us complacent, and I won't go back to that. He would put himself before everything else-"

Dark Ignatius grits his fangs, taking the opportunity to squeeze the blade between his hands, wrenching it violently enough that the blade shatters in half. Fragments of light scatter as Dark Ignatius casts the bloodied shards to the ground.

"Is wanting to live such a crime?" Dark Ignatius snaps, his eyes misty with frustrated emotion. "For us? For them?"

"...He was?" Naturally, Reira doesn't have any clue about what was being said earlier but...well.

And...there goes the sword. "Ah...now no one can use it..."

She frowns at Ignatius- the Light one in particular. "...he doesnt feel like the part of you that would do that. If he's making deals to help someone, isn't that thinking about someone who isn't him, for a reason that isn't...um...'pacifying'?"

...She doesn't actually know what that word means. But...Maybe she's got it? The girl pauses, and adds- ducking her head and bracing for the need to shield- "...Is... ...Um. ...Is the one you do things for going to be happy with someone who doesn't care about living, or....or getting hearts?"

She also didn't know he was Missing a heart, but it's probably like that one dream she had with Rin.

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