Witchhunt [IC]

[MagicBanana]

Flint recoiled as he struck Roy, memories of that night flooding forth as he heard the man's scream and felt the warm blood splash against his face. The warmth of the wooden state's lifeblood loosening his mouth just enough for him to open it, only to let out a terrified and angry scream. He was panicking now, and cradled the statue of Roy as it crumpled to the ground.

"Roy! No, gods damn it, don't leave me again!" Flint shrieked in desperation as the growing volume and tempo of the demonic creatures terrorizing his dreams droned all around him. With rage permeating through his entire body, he looked to where the the demon was, and shouted to it too. "I will not! I will fight and kill until every last one of you is purged or die trying! And when I die, I'll pay you all a visit in hell to relive the glory days of wiping you out!" He declared, finally finding his voice.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Flint recoiled as he struck Roy, memories of that night flooding forth as he heard the man's scream and felt the warm blood splash against his face. The warmth of the wooden state's lifeblood loosening his mouth just enough for him to open it, only to let out a terrified and angry scream. He was panicking now, and cradled the statue of Roy as it crumpled to the ground.

"Roy! No, gods damn it, don't leave me again!" Flint shrieked in desperation as the growing volume and tempo of the demonic creatures terrorizing his dreams droned all around him. With rage permeating through his entire body, he looked to where the the demon was, and shouted to it too. "I will not! I will fight and kill until every last one of you is purged or die trying! And when I die, I'll pay you all a visit in hell to relive the glory days of wiping you out!" He declared, finally finding his voice.

However, which each swing of his axe, it struck into his former allies-first, he struck Gregor, cutting off one of his arms. Then, his axe fell upon Johnny's leg, causing the statue to fall on the ground. His subsequent swings struck Johnny again, hacking him over and over, spraying blood across the snowfields, until what remained was a hacked up torso, lacking head or limbs. Then, his axe swung against Gregor again, this time taking out his other arm, leaving him unable to swing his glaive. However, such thoughts did not last long as with his final strike, he severed Gregor's head. Then, in a final moment, his axe cut into his old boss's stomach, striking deep.

All while he did this, he heard the taunting laughter of the fiend in the wind, unable to see the monster.

 

[MagicBanana]

Flint was so lost in his rage that he did not even register his strikes. Until he hit his old boss, right in the stomach. Right where that demon struck him on that terrible night, long long ago, before finishing the job with a beheading. He blinked, a great sorrow filling him. He was losing his cool, which was rather impressive given how cold the winds blew around him. There were still wooden statues of his former friends around him, though they were far too brutalized not to be recognized. His breathing turned ragged, the exertion of swinging the ax like a madman getting to him now. And in a moment of desperation, he turned to the tree line.

Flint couldn't hit the fiend, and despite how brutalized they were, he refused to burn his friends wooden counterparts. But the voice never told him it needed to be them that burned. He swung his ax at one of the smaller trees, not much older than a sapling. Chopping it down, he kicked it into the fire. Either it would fuel it and he would be warm, or it would douse what little flame was left and he could join his friends once more.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Flint was so lost in his rage that he did not even register his strikes. Until he hit his old boss, right in the stomach. Right where that demon struck him on that terrible night, long long ago, before finishing the job with a beheading. He blinked, a great sorrow filling him. He was losing his cool, which was rather impressive given how cold the winds blew around him. There were still wooden statues of his former friends around him, though they were far too brutalized not to be recognized. His breathing turned ragged, the exertion of swinging the ax like a madman getting to him now. And in a moment of desperation, he turned to the tree line.

Flint couldn't hit the fiend, and despite how brutalized they were, he refused to burn his friends wooden counterparts. But the voice never told him it needed to be them that burned. He swung his ax at one of the smaller trees, not much older than a sapling. Chopping it down, he kicked it into the fire. Either it would fuel it and he would be warm, or it would douse what little flame was left and he could join his friends once more.

As if it gave him an ounce of mercy, the sapling burned, but only just enough to feel the tinges of warmth. In the air, he heard a mocking voice whisper in his ear, "coward..." before drifting away.

The cold winds died down, and the wooden remains slowly disintegrated before him as the snow melt, leaving him alone by the fire under a night sky. He no longer could feel the weight of the axe, as it too was gone. As he watched the flames die down, he heard a voice behind him.

"So, do you dream of this often?"

 

[MagicBanana]

Flint's breathing was heavy, the trauma of the scene still weighing on him as he watched the fire roar and felt the weight of the ax leave him. He suddenly had a revelation, much too late now that the trial was over. The demon tormenting him was not the one in the storm, it had been the embers of the campfire. Why else would it refuse to go out as voices shouted at him to fuel it? He felt like a fool. It had been quite some time since a demon had tricked him, and the mocking whisper stung his pride. He slumped to the ground, sitting just in front of where the fire had been, and turned his neck to look to where the voice had come from.

"No. I've had the same dream for five years, but tonight was different. I suspect it involved your hand then?" He responded to the voice.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Turning to look, he saw the figure of a beautiful purple skinned demon woman with short red hair, golden eyes, and a hawkish nose. Her golden horns were curled back, like a rams, her golden lips plump and full. She wore steel plate armor on her upper half, and a sword sheathed in her belt, although she wore just tall black leather boots below her waist. He could see her equine equipment, inhumane and yet familiar, as well as her long tail, tipped with a spike.

Hearing his response, she shook her head. “Not intentionally—while it could be a side effect of my presence, I don’t really do that stuff. I’m guessing it was your guilt acting on its own within your mind, which I suppose you could blame on me being here.” She shrugged before approaching, sitting down next to him. “So, I suppose this is the part where you try to fight me, right?”

 

[MagicBanana]

Flint eyed the demoness as she spoke, looking over her body and attire to find any possible weakness. In his unarmed and unarmored state, he would need to grapple her to the ground and choke her out, or try and steal her sword, if he wanted to defeat her. Neither showed great prospects, so he decided that discretion was the better part of valor. For now at least. Besides, if she wanted him dead, she'd have cut him down from behind rather than begin a conversation.

That, and Flint was grateful for her explanation. Even if it came from a demon, it made sense to him. He had been carrying around this baggage for some time now. "Perhaps in a moment. I like to know my adversaries before engaging, whenever possible." He finally responded as she sat next to him. "So, if you're not here to intentionally torment me, what are you here for?"

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“Same as you,” she said, as she spread her legs apart to show her most vulnerable areas. Looking at it, he could see her pear-sized balls were smooth and coated with short red fuzz, while her length’s sheath suggest she had double his width. “So, see any weak points?” she asked, a wry smile on her face. As she said this, she lowered her hand down to the base of her sheath, rubbing her finger against it.

 

[MagicBanana]

Flint rubbed his chin as though he was thinking deeply. "A rather large one. Had I a silvered dagger, I might cut it off and spare a fair few maidens from its tyranny." He said with a chuckle, grinning as he looked from her crotch up to her face. "If you're trying to flirt with me though, know that I'm not very attracted to cocks. Tried them, didn't like them all that much."

 

[HeroicSpirit]

She grinned, looking to Flint, showing off her sharp teeth. “Maybe, although I doubt it would matter as much in an actual fight.”

“Besides, it is far from all I have,” she said, as she shifted her balls to show the golden cunt beneath them. “Although I doubt that was much of a surprise, given your experience.”

 

[MagicBanana]

"Not much of a surprise at all. The few demons that have shown me their genitals ended up having both sets, after all." Flint replied, continuing to look at her.

"So, any hobbies beyond corrupting the innocent and what not? You like any games?" Flint asked, stretching out to try and remove the fatigue that was set in his body by his earlier, far more harrowing experience.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“Well, besides polishing my sword and watering the plants, I enjoy a good wrestle,” she said. “I also do enjoy engaging in games, although they may be a bit too risky for you,” she continued, raising one of her eyebrows knowingly. “After all, it is an excellent use of your time to search the entire valley for me.”

 

[MagicBanana]

"Hmmm. Search the valley for you? You wouldn't happen to be that paladin that went missing when she came here a while back, would you?" Flint asked, his curiosity piqued. If this was her fate, then it was very dangerous to be in this area. Holy knights don't fall from grace often, but when they do, they fall hard. If she was in the area, they'd almost certainly meet. And when that happened, they'd have a real mess on their hands.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

The demon smiled. “Very good,” she said, as she showed him a rose crest on her armor. “Although I admit it was fairly obvious. Still, that doesn’t really help you too much, and ultimately I think you are going to try your hand at the game anyway.”

 

[MagicBanana]

"Hah! Well, I don't think I've played hide and seek since I was a kid, so sorry if I'm a bit rusty." Flint smiled back, somewhat enjoying the back and forth. "Though I have to ask, what's the prize for winning? Other than preventing the town from getting corrupted any more than it already is. And yeah, I'm pretty damn certain it's at least a little corrupted. No way in hell does Hesol bless harvests enough for that much food."

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"Hah! Well, I don't think I've played hide and seek since I was a kid, so sorry if I'm a bit rusty." Flint smiled back, somewhat enjoying the back and forth. "Though I have to ask, what's the prize for winning? Other than preventing the town from getting corrupted any more than it already is. And yeah, I'm pretty damn certain it's at least a little corrupted. No way in hell does Hesol bless harvests enough for that much food."

The fallen Paladin laughed. “Well, you have me there; the plants are rather nice, and Hesol isn’t exactly the most attentive of beings to the needs of people.”
She then stood up to her full height of 7 feet. “Though, I must admit that the game isn’t what your thinking of; it’s a bit more thoughtful,” she said, looking down at him. “See, it’s a card game,” she explained, “where each of us take the role of a commander and play against each other. Each of us has our own decks based upon our memories, personalities, and current state of being. It can be complicated at times and I’m not familiar with every rule, but I’ve been learned a fair amount over time, and don’t doubt I can beat you, unless you somehow get lucky.”

“As for what’s at stake, that depends on what you’re willing to put on the line. I’d suggest you start with something small, like your affinity for awful beards or your insistence on wearing pants all the time. If you manage to win, I’ll give you something of equivalent worth, including information but also not limited to it. However, if you lose, I get to take that aspect you put up for the gamble and destroy it.”

Flint watched as, appearing before them, was a polished mahogany table with seats for each of them-the fallen Paladin’s was an elegant throne entwined with roses, while his was a simple stool. At each end was a tome and a deck of cards, presumably for each player. The demon was sat down in her chair before shuffling her cards. “So, are you ready to duel or not?”

 

[HeroicSpirit]

The sky was bright and beautiful as ever. The warmth felt just right caressing his skin. A relaxing shade of pink hung in the distant clouds, unnatural and yet not unpleasant. But...just where was he? The comforting heat of the sun and the vibrant field of endless flora made it feel like an gorgeous paradise. Pleasant dreams weren't rare for the cleric, at least when he was once housed in the church's safe embrace. But it had been a long time since a dream felt so real. With one leg stepping forward he felt...utterly lost. The plane felt endless, too big and too vast for just him and him alone. Beautiful as it was, something without end gave way to a certain disquietude deep in his gut.

Something was not right.

As Alexander walked along the once comforting glow of Hesol's great sun, it started to feel like a hateful glare, burning in furious ire. Too hot to take.

That's when it crashed to the ground, eyes wide in stunned terror watching the sky fall with righteous, untold destruction. Flames creeping across the field and reducing the once magnificent land to a desolate hellscape, slowly making it's way to him. He had to run! Yet no matter how fast his legs carried him the searing burn only came closer, no one in sight to help, no respite or place to escape to. His body just felt too slow, or...too light?

Falling to nothing before his eyes as he seeped into another unfamiliar place, away from the vengeful flames that sought to cull everything in it's path. Regardless of the darkness anything felt better than before. It was cool. Gentle. An unknown figure holding him. A woman? Judging by the softness enveloping his head. Strong hands holding him tenderly, close and safe. The soothing hum of her voice not too unlike the lullaby's his mother used to sing. Yes...

But that brought him no comfort. Not anymore.

Before being lulled completely into the deep trance he pushed away, mortified by the memory, and turned to face the mysterious figure as his heart pounded in his chest, unable to see and more unsettled as the seconds passed.

"W-Where am I? What is this?"

Alex found himself sitting in the lap of an enormous woman with dark-blue skin speckled with luminescence, with long silver hair and antlers with bells hanging from them. Her eyes were hidden underneath long bangs, and her lips were plump and black. His face was currently between her voluptuous breasts.

“You are safe, child; you should not stay out too long in the brightness of the sun, for it shall burn you if you are not careful,” she said, as she held him closer, pressing his face in between her cleavage. “Tell me, why does it hurt you so?”

 

[MagicBanana]

"I see. A far more interesting game than what I had thought." Flint responded, watching as the demon made the table and chairs for them to play on. He wondered how exactly it would work. He'd played cards before, though it was limited to conventional playing cards. He was still confident in his ability though. He may be a bit of a meathead, but he wouldn't be alive if he didn't know at least a bit about formulating strategies.

Flint stood up and walked to the table, eying up his stool in comparison to her far more ornate throne. He rolled his eyes, the hedonism of demons was truly something to behold at times, but sat down in the stool. "Very well. Let's duel. I'll wager my beard like you suggested." He said, looking at his deck and then back to her. "So uh, how many cards do I draw for my hand?"

 

[TheShepard256]

As Astra explored the dreams around her, she was rather surprised to find that it was her companions' dreams that turned out to be the most interesting.

Flint's Dream

Flint is clearly still harbouring some feelings of guilt over the deaths of his former company. But this demon... showing herself like this is a bold move. She's clearly not afraid of getting caught, for some reason - we should be extra careful from now on. Judging by his actions, Flint seems to think so, too. And she's that paladin who came here before, like five years ago or something? That means she can't be much more experienced than I - if it came to a fight, I could probably take her down myself, but here... it might be best if I bolster Flint without revealing myself to her, maintain the element of surprise.

But a paladin would never fall prey to possession by herself, which means she was corrupted - we're dealing with at least one other, more powerful, demon. And if she's been in the area for five years, either she or whoever corrupted her will likely have other followers, as well. That's a good reason not to fear getting caught. Given how she's acting, they're likely sexual rather than violent.

But as soon as the terms of the game were laid out... how can she be so powerful as to change such a seemingly uncorrupted individual as Flint? Maybe she's more powerful than I thought.... Remaining incorporeal, she decided to make herself known to Flint but not the demon, whispering in his ear: "Flint, it's me, Astra. Don't let her know I'm here, but I can help you. I can bolster your state of mind - just think of something, and I can throw my power behind it. I've never played this game before, either, but I can try to give advice."

Alexander's Dream

Is Alex... afraid he's losing favour with his god? Did I do that, or is this a recurring dream for him? And who is that woman? Me? His mother? Oh, it's another demon. Again remaining incorporeal and making herself known to Alex but not the demon, whispering in his ear: "Alex, it's me, Astra. Don't let her know I'm here, and be careful what you say to her - if she doesn't use it against you, she's got friends who will. If you feel like you need to say something, you can think it to me." She decided not to let Flint know about there being multiple demons, for now - it's probably best he doesn't have that kind of pressure on him.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"I see. A far more interesting game than what I had thought." Flint responded, watching as the demon made the table and chairs for them to play on. He wondered how exactly it would work. He'd played cards before, though it was limited to conventional playing cards. He was still confident in his ability though. He may be a bit of a meathead, but he wouldn't be alive if he didn't know at least a bit about formulating strategies.

Flint stood up and walked to the table, eying up his stool in comparison to her far more ornate throne. He rolled his eyes, the hedonism of demons was truly something to behold at times, but sat down in the stool. "Very well. Let's duel. I'll wager my beard like you suggested." He said, looking at his deck and then back to her. "So uh, how many cards do I draw for my hand?"

“Eight on the first turn, one each turn after, although certain cards may allow you to draw more than that if you play them,” she said she drew her cards. “As for how many we play a turn, that is dependent on your supply and your favor, which you receive each turn and are used for different cards. You can increase this by playing site cards, although they can be occupied by enemy units and taken hold of.”

She then raised her deck to her face, holding her cards beneath her eyes. “Also, I should note it will be less that your beard will disappear, and more that you will find the fact you have a beard fundamentally wrong,” she clarified. “After all, I can’t physically change you with this game.”

 

[MagicBanana]

"Hmm. Makes sense then. This's a bit more complicated than blackjack, but I get the basic rules." Flint said, drawing his eight cards. The voice of Astra resonated in his mind, and he gave a simple "Okay." to her. He wouldn't use that mental bolstering of hers yet. All he was betting right now was his beard, and this was only the first game. He needed to be smart about this. She was his ace in the hole right now, and blowing that at an inopportune time would be disastrous. And he doubted that the corrupted paladin would appreciate him cheating like that, if it was even considered cheating.

"Well, if I'm understanding this properly, then I'll go first. If that's alright with you of course." Flint said, looking over his cards. The river from his home village he used to fish in, Roy, the church, his spear, Gregor, Johnny, some weird pot with a face on it, and an ax. Thinking over his options, he placed down the river and Johnny.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"Hmm. Makes sense then. This's a bit more complicated than blackjack, but I get the basic rules." Flint said, drawing his eight cards. The voice of Astra resonated in his mind, and he gave a simple "Okay." to her. He wouldn't use that mental bolstering of hers yet. All he was betting right now was his beard, and this was only the first game. He needed to be smart about this. She was his ace in the hole right now, and blowing that at an inopportune time would be disastrous. And he doubted that the corrupted paladin would appreciate him cheating like that, if it was even considered cheating.

"Well, if I'm understanding this properly, then I'll go first. If that's alright with you of course." Flint said, looking over his cards. The river from his home village he used to fish in, Roy, the church, his spear, Gregor, Johnny, some weird pot with a face on it, and an ax. Thinking over his options, he placed down the river and Johnny.

As he finished up his turn, the corrupted Paladin played down a temple, as well as a pair of acolytes, with one on top of the shrine and one on the field. Looking at it, Flint noticed the acolyte costed less supplies than Johnny and was appropriately weaker, but the one on the temple had a higher defense.

“As you might tell,” she said, “cards can interact together in certain ways, allowing for even weak cards to be potentially more useful than stronger cards.”

 

[MagicBanana]

"Like cavalry in an open field, or archers atop a perch." Flint responded, looking at the acolytes and the differences in their defense. Johnny alone couldn't push through the one on the temple, but he could defeat the one on the field. But before he could do that, he needed to draw a card. A bear with a scar over it's eye. Ah, Mishka, the beast that terrorized his home when he was young. It cost quite a bit, but it was more powerful than all of the cards on the table combined. Keeping this in mind, he looked over his cards once more.

He decided that playing Gregor on the river was the best move, and had Johnny attack and destroy the acolyte on the field. Killing the acolyte increased Johnny's debt, giving Flint a miniscule amount of supply in addition to the supply he got from controlling the river.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

Smiling, the corrupted Paladin put the acolyte in a separate pile, near the board. “This is my graveyard,” she explained. “It’s where my fallen cards go. You have one as well.” She then draws it back. “However, thanks to the temple, I can put it back in my hand, since that’s one of the acolytes two special abilities. It is otherwise, of course, not worth much.” She then played on top of the acolyte a blessing, which further boosted its defense, as well as a card titled “Perverse Secret” on top of Johnny, which Flint noted had a pair of priestesses touching each other in an unbecoming manner, with one looking in the direction of a door.Doing this lowered Johnny’s defense, making him more vulnerable.

“These cards can be called spells, being effects. And unfortunately, removing them would require the use of another spell card, something which I doubt you have a whole lot of,” she said, grinning.

 

[MagicBanana]

"Hmm, very dastardly. Truly, you have fallen far to call acolytes of little worth, miss paladin." Flint says, very obviously playing up the drama. "And you'd be right. Haven't got a magical bone in my body, so spells are out of the question for me." He looked at Johnny and his frankly abysmal defense. He wouldn't be able to kill much of anything, and all Gregor got from being on the river was an increased supply income. If they both attacked the temple, they might be able to take it, though he'd lose one of them in the process.

Flint drew his card and looked at it. Boreal Woods. The card depicted the forest on the edge of his home, and the one his father worked in. Kept it in his hand. He then played the spear onto Gregor, increasing his attack and defense due to his polearm specialty, before attacking the temple with both Johnny and Gregor. Johnny was destroyed, but the acolyte was as well.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“Very well, played,” she said, smiling as she drew another card and put the other acolyte back in her hand, “especially since you knew that, if you captured it, that would leave the river vulnerable, which while a good move does let me do this,” she said, as she played on the temple a priestess, which was significantly stronger than the acolyte while getting the same defensive boost. “To be truthful, the only actual special trait the acolytes possses is their ability to return to my hand if a temple is on the field; the defense boost they gained was because they were part of the Holy class of cards, which get a defense boost on temples in general,” she said. “The priest, respectively, gives a minor boost to the defense of all my holy units, meaning I can do this,” she said, playing the two acolytes in her hand and moving one one to the Boreal Woods. “Now I’ve got your mens’ woods!” she teased.

 

[MagicBanana]

"You fiend! You may have captured their woods, but you will never capture their hearts!" Flint says, smiling as well. He draws a card and looks at it. White Wolf, another beast. If only he'd drawn it earlier, he could have played it on the forest. Oh well, such is life. Looking his cards over, he finally uses the weird smiling pot. "Vessel of Avarice. It let's me draw two cards from my deck and add them to my hand." He said, feeling a base, instinctual need to clarify as such for some reason.

Drawing two more cards, he got another wolf and a cavalier. The cavalier wouldn't be able to do much damage against anything on land that isn't flat, so it stayed for now. He attacked the forest with Gregor, who just barely broke through the acolyte's defenses, and played both of the wolves on the newly conquered land. Being beasts gave them a defense boost from being in the forest, and their pack tactics allowed both of them to occupy it at once.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

“I must retract the statement I made about spell cards, because the one you just played is pretty powerful, I must admit,” the corrupted paladin said, as she drew another card. She then played a card of a Roseguard Paladin, which was significantly stronger than the acolyte and priestess, as well as gained the defense boost from the priestess. The Paladin had an attack equal to Gregor’s, and greater defense. She followed this up by playing on it “Blazing Sword”, which increased the card’s attack against beasts.

“So, what do you like my holy units?” she asked, smiling as she thumbed through her cards. “Don’t you just love them?”

 

[MagicBanana]

"They're quite impressive, I must admit. The synergy is interesting, as they all support each other quite a bit. A very potent type of unit when you have the right kind of land under your control. It's getting a bit out of hand for me, to be honest." Flint says, looking from the paladin card to the demoness in front of him. Why was she still using holy cards, even after being this corrupt? Unless it was some form of mixed deck that would eventually turn them all into demons or some other such effect. He didn't have much to counteract that, and most of his cards didn't improve each other in favor of simply being strong on their own.

Flint drew his next card. Troubadour, another mercenary. If he had more mercs on the field, it would be quite powerful due to the buff it applied to them. Unfortunately, only Gregor stayed standing, and it wouldn't be enough of a boost to his defense to outdo the paladin. He played it regardless, along with finally playing Roy, and attacked the priestess with Gregor. The small boost was just enough to defeat her, allowing Gregor to occupy the temple and for Roy to move onto the river.

 

[HeroicSpirit]

"Well played," she said, smiling. "Although, I think I need to make things a bit more quiet," she added, before using the Paladin to quickly deal with the Troubadour. "Much better!"

The demoness then played down another card, this time on Gregor, labeled "Slumber", which made him unable to take an action on the following turn. She followed it up by playing the other acolyte in her hand, as well as a site card of a garden, which she put her the paladin on. "So, tell me, how much do you love that beard of yours? Because quite honestly, I think you would look much better with it shaved off!"