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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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.

Peridot waves Shima off irritably, giving her head one last shake before she straightens up and fixes a fiery look on both Ignatiuses. Ignatii? Whatever.

She's not sure how much to tip her hand here. She has knowledge that some of the others don't, which puts her in the position of having a unique point of leverage over the fae... But she also doesn't want to be the first one to totally spill the beans on the whole Heart issue.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm definitely not 100% pacified," she growls, addressing Light Ignatius specifically. "But I'll tell you this much: I'm not even going to consider giving it back to you unless you two reunite first."

Alright okay, actually, at Rita's words about Dark Iggy managing to negotiate for his Heart Shima is gonna make eyebrows at Peridot since that's news to him, his expression only getting wider with surprise as his attention snaps back to the fae at Dark Ignatius' response to himself. He'd been waiting for concrete evidence of that sentiment for a while--

which y'know, he supposes that means it's not the worst time to start showing their hands but a little warning would have been nice. Not having it happen in the middle of some primordial Hunt would also have been nice, really.

As the sword shatters, Strange visibly relaxes. However, there's still so much going on: he's not dropping the fire spell that surrounds his hand, nor is he backing up from the two Ignatiusi.

"Besides, there's nothing wrong with putting yourself first," Strange points out. He looks over to Dark Ignatius, as if making certain he's okay, before turning back to look at Light Ignatius, trying to choose his words carefully. "You know this: you're a soldier. What use are we if we don't take care of ourselves?"

Says the person who routinely never takes care of himself. But something crosses Strange's mind and a brief look of confusion flits across his face: why would Peridot know how to return Ignatius's Heart in the first place?

Fear? Ignatius was afraid...? It feels weird to hear that, in a way. And the way he's talking... it's almost like he actually empathizes with them.

Maybe... maybe he really does, on some level.

Despite the violence and the generally uncomfortable situation, Rita doesn't back away, even as the one Ignatius seems ready to boil over with anger. "Can't you at least listen to what the deal is before deciding it's a betrayal? That's why we wanted you here, you know. So you wouldn't go regretting an agreement that only half of you signed up for."

"What is it, then?" Light Ignatius growls, looking at his other half and then back to Rita. He sounds very doubtful, but he's apparently going to hear them out.

Meanwhile, Dark Ignatius is taking a few steps back, bundling up his hands in his robe to try to wipe off the residue of getting his hands cut. The sounds of combat is getting closer, and they can't have long left.

"We're running out of time," he says softly.

Ah-

That they are. Low on time that is. Well, the others can talk it through for now- she sure doesn't know anything about hearts. But...Yuuya being dazed while they run out of time sounds bad.

She looks over the two Ignatiuses briefly, and moves to try and rouse Yuuya for the moment. Come on, focus buddy.

Peridot meets Shima's glance with her own look of uncertainty. Frankly, she's about 30 seconds off from abandoning this conversation in favor of charging back out into the fray to make sure her friends are safe, because each moment that passes is another one in which something horrible could be happening, and pinning all of their hopes on this one flimsy sounding plan seems ridiculous to her.

She does want Ignatius to rejoin his two halves. She even wants to believe that he could be an ally now, rather than a prisoner. Having a high fae on their side with the power of nuclear destruction would be immensely useful. But she doesn't like that circumstance is basically forcing their hand on this, and she really doesn't like the sound of signing herself over to Ignatius's power, even if his intentions ARE actually good. And, perhaps most importantly, she's hyper-conscious of the trust that the Ringmaster has put in her as one of the few people tasked with keeping the heart safe. Playing fast and loose with that information could put people in danger and betray that trust, and she doesn't take that lightly.

If only she could slow down time... Just get a few seconds to discuss things with Shima in private.

She looks quickly between Strange, and then Rita, and then Yuya.

"You three are the ones who want to strike this deal," she growls impatiently. "One of you explain."

She's just gonna stand watch, and see if maybe Shima catches on so that they can talk real quick while the others are distracted.

Yuya groans as Reira shakes him, his gaze going a little cross eyed while he tries to bring himself back to awareness. He's been conscious to hear things around him, but not enough to actually process it. When he can finally get his eyes to focus on her, he just looks bewildered.

"Reira?" He pauses before rolling over and slowly pushing himself up to sit. He presses his hand to the back of his head. There's no bleeding, at least, but he feels dizzy. Does he have a concussion?

Peridot's not going to be met with a very clear response as he comes back around, but at least he's just managing to parse actual words when she addresses them.

"Deal...? Uh... oh! The Huntsman--Ignatius said he'd protect us?"

Someone who wasn't just thrown into the wall might be able to explain this faster, but he's getting there.

Rita gives Yuya a brief, relieved look when he starts stirring. She'd go to see if he's all right, but fortunately the pipsqueak's got that covered. And they need to hurry along with this negotiation, or else...

So she goes ahead and offers an explanation. "The deal is for you to negotiate with the Huntsman on our behalf. Those of us who agree would willingly enter a short-term contract with you, allowing you to claim them as under your protection."

She glances at Dark Ignatius. "Is that about right?"

"I'll hold them off if needed," Strange quietly responds to Dark Ignatius, knowing full well that whatever the hell's coming will probably kill him first. Still, out of everybody here who isn't currently split in two, he's best at hitting a lot of people with a lot of power. Control issues don't mean a thing if your target is 'everything.'

He's muttering that to Dark Ignatius just about the same time as Peridot is talking. And thankfully, Yuya and Rita pipe up first. When Strange speaks next, it's in full voice. He's also backing up a little, deliberately putting himself between the group and the noise of the oncoming chaos as he talks.

"In exchange for your negotiation and protection, we will try and return your Heart so you can have the power behind the negotiations in the first place. Admittedly, I've only got the faintest idea of how to return your Heart in the first place. But other members of our group know to fill in the specifics. And with that, I believe the explanation goes to Shima and Peridot."

Sorry Peridot, your sneaky plans are ruined as Strange straight up throws you under the bus.

Edited 2018-09-19 04:26 (UTC)

Light Ignatius looks at Dark Ignatius, like he honestly can't believe that this is what is being discussed. It's not in a bad way, though. The potential here is great.

"I'll do it," Light Ignatius says suddenly, keeping a straight face. "I will tolerate rejoining, if it results in such a mutually beneficial agreement."

Dark Ignatius casts Light Ignatius a cautious look.

Shima just goes.. aggressively cheerful.

"Ya sure know how ta make a person feel like digging their heels in instead of cooperate, Strange-san! But I think it was already said that there's not much else ta discuss until Iggy-san there's got it together. Let's hear it properly then, huh?"

Peridot jolts with surprise, and promptly pins her ears back with a growl, whirling to face the group again. It's fortunate that Ignatius and Shima both speak up again, so she doesn't completely fly off the handle.

"I want to be extremely clear: I-- Me, Peridot-- Am not explaining or promising ANYTHING right now," she snarls. "My patience is wearing extremely thin. This is a crisis situation, I have other friends who are unaccounted for and are very probably out there in serious danger right now. We need to focus on locating the Ringmaster-- our actual boss-- and get back to the safety of the carnival instead of pinning all our hopes on one extremely risky plan! I'd like for Ignatius to come back with us, I'd even like to discuss the possibility of getting him his heart back soon, because if anything his split is proof that he doesn't completely have it in for us! But I couldn't make that happen right here, right now, even if I wanted to. So if you're going to become whole again, you need to understand that you're doing it of your own volition and not as some bound-in-blood sort of deal. Got it!?"

Phew! Things are slowly getting sorted it sounds like. Reira helps Yuuya up a bit- or at least as much as she can manage, given that larger arms did not mean that much of a strength boost. "...Yeah." It sure is Her, Yuuya. "...Are you ok? You hit a wall."

He probably realized that.

As it is, she turns her focus to everyone else, waiting quietly as the others explain. With (Light) Ignatius' decision, she lets out an audible sigh of relief. Only to pause, and frown a moment at the others. "...It'll probably be easier to make that kind of deal as one person anyway," she notes somewhat blankly. Initially to herself- and then to whoever is listening. "...Everyone split up like this hasn't been able to feel certain things- because one side would have what the other one didn't. So... ...Whatever is 'best', I don't think it would be easy to tell until you were one person anyway."

Would they have even been able to get the heart if they were in pieces? Who knows. Doesn't matter. Getting together is key. "...How do you go back together?"

She. She doesn't know how this all works, so.

"Yeah, I remember." Yuya rubs the back of his head as he slowly blinks to awareness. There's a moment of relief that, at least, Reira's here and accounted for.

He uses the wall to slowly pull himself up and takes a step forward, looking at Ignatius.

"You can't... listen, Ingatius. This won't fix anything. Destroying pieces of yourself isn't going to get you what you want, and it won't really fix what's hurting. You think it'll be fine, but you won't really be yourself anymore."

There's a gravity, a certainty when he says it
Because he knows, exactly how you start to be someone else when you lose pieces of who you were.

He gestures forward, palm held up. "I know it doesn't feel whole without your heart. But if you do this to yourself, you really won't be able to get that feeling back. I mean, not really."

He shrugs a shoulder. "And who knows what it'd do to your heart if there's less of your soul left?" Yuya doesn't know, and he's pretty sure no one does.

Edited 2018-09-19 05:51 (UTC)

Strange gets a dirty look from Rita when he calls out Peridot and Shima. Couldn't he wait until after they fused to pull a stunt like that!?

But then Ignatius has her attention again... and she feels a chill run down her spine at his oddly amicable answer.

"That easily?" she asks, studying him with a wary look. "You sure changed your mind quickly." And that worries her.

It worries Strange as well and he matches Rita's wary look.

"Of course, it would be best if you reformed before you got your Heart back. This splitting stuff is powerful magic. We wouldn't want to chance anything going wrong."

"Then go find them," Dark Ignatius says to Peridot, in response to her expressing her impatience. He sounds resigned. "We're about to be discovered, anyway."

Apparently Ignatius has a pretty good sense of these things, because it's at the moment that a hunting party breaks into the secluded area they'd been hiding in. There are several fairly average looking humanoids in tattered clothing, adorned with bones, as well as roughly gator-raptor shaped beast that tears trough the paper screen of the wall with trivial ease.

Light Ignatius grits his fangs, casting his other half an the general group an irritated look. Fuck it, though - some of them have a point. He can't afford to divide the power of his soul any further right now.

He swings a fist at Dark Ignatius, who catches it in a palm, and then smirks just a little. There is a burst of light from his direction, just as the hunters descend upon the group.

There's some relief when Ignatius moves to reunite himself, but just a little. Once combined, would that sympathetic part of him still play a major part in his decision-making...? There's no time to agonize over that, nor does Rita even get to watch them rejoin, as danger looms, and she whirls around to face it.

"Give us your word, Ignatius!" she calls to the fae as she conjures a mass of water in the shape of a large hand and swings it at their humanoid pursuers. Some are quick enough to evade, but one gets slapped hard enough to be thrown off his feet, out into the street, and sent crashing into an overturned food stall. "Promise that if we return the Heart, you'll use your power to protect us from this. And that anyone who enters a contract with you today will be released and returned to the Ringmaster once the danger has passed!"

She needs to hear it from him. All of him. And those of them who have some way of getting the Heart probably need to hear it, too.

The water-hand manages to grab a second hunter around the waist, where it clenches tightly and freezes, partially trapping him. He smacks his weapon against it to try and chip away the ice, but is rendered vulnerable in the meantime.

Yuya snaps his attention around to where the hunters start to pour through the wall, with one very scary raptor. Rita's quick to retaliate, but Yuya's mind focuses on the fact that Reira is still right here with them.

So he lunges to try and haul her up and carry (or drag) her away from the direction of the hunters to the opposite side of the group, with his back to the onslaught so he can use his size to shield her as best as he can. He won't abandon the group. He has nowhere else to take her. But he's going to try and get her to the outskirt of the other side of their gathering, so she has the easiest retreat.

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