• Mature • [Venora] A Feast For Crows

[Lihobri]

1 Vhalar 716, 23:20

The night has just set over the coast of Cyrene Bay, and what a night it was. Lihobri was strutting along the road, flanked by vegetable fields and lonely silhouettes of farmsteads poking out against the navy blue sky. It was very dark and quiet. There was no light streaming from the windows, no barking of dogs, no late drunkards singing out of tune, nothing. The normal ambience Lihobri has come to associate with humans was completely absent, and she could guess why: there was no ambience because there were no humans. They were dead. The Foggies killed them.

Lihobri had never seen anything like it. A wave has swept all along the coast, scouring everything in its path. Strange creatures, these Foggies. A force with many arms but only one face, the face of death. Mercifully enough, it was everyone else's death, not hers. The creatures seemed unable to enter the water, from where the Yludih watched the spectacle unfold. As dusk fell, the creatures grew sluggish and dissipated one by one. The violence happened on such a large scale that Lihobri initially thought it was a military conflict of some sort, but it couldn't be. Something else, something unspeakable, was stirring up this malarkey. Of course, she was going to take full advantage of it, which is why she was heading towards a farmhouse with sack and hatchet in hand.

The doorstep to the building greeted her with a formless stain. The four extremities poking out of the sides hinted that it was once a cat. Something had squashed it flat against the doorstep. Stepping over the mauled carcass with her bare feet, the girl slipped through the half-open door, hoping to see a similar sight inside. After all, bumping into live homeowners in this situation would probably not end well. Moving quietly and slowly through the pitch-black building, Lihobri strained her ears to pick up any movement. It turned out that her precautions were justified: there was quiet sobbing coming from beyond one of the doors, presumably leading to the bedroom.

Sneaking closer, Lihobri peeked through the small crack left open by the door. The window in the room let in enough starlight to illuminate a small figure crouched next to a formless pile on the floor. The smells dispersing through the air hinted that the formless pile was a corpse. Or several. The only movement, along with the sobbing sounds, came from the small figure, which she guessed was a little boy. The boy was slightly smaller than herself, thus probably in his early teens. He had his back turned to her; his movements looked like an awkward attempt to hug the stinking hill of butchered flesh rising before him. Typical human behavior, more or less.

Lihobri decided to make her move while his back was still turned. Trying to open the door slowly would certainly lead to unwanted noises, so her best bet was to rush in. Throwing her shoulder against the door decisively, the shapeshifter closed the short distance to the boy in two steps. The crystalline hatchet flashed in the starlight before it sunk into the side of his neck, making his head bend at a funny angle. He didn't scream and didn't thrash about, merely leaning to one side from the force of the blow as the last sob escaped his lips. By the time his body touched the floor, Lihobri's other hand was already turning out his pockets to see if he was carrying anything interesting. He wasn't. What a waste of effort.

The other maimed corpses in the room, who were presumably the boy's parents, were also quite meager in possessions. The Yludih's hands were drenched in blood by the time she was done flipping them and digging through their scraps of clothing to find anything worthwhile. Hmm, this metal medallion around the woman's neck looked like copper, though. The girl put it around her neck for convenience and rose to her feet. The house was quiet. Now that the last remaining resident has been silenced, it was her own little kingdom now.

Idiot.

Harvey never beat around the bush when he had an opinion about something, and his opinion was nearly always negative, so no shocker there. Lihobri paused, waiting for the currently invisible being to elaborate his criticism.

You shouldn't have used the hatchet.

Ah. That's what he meant. Admittedly, he was right, but Lihobri only realized her mistake afterhand, and she understood why the Harvester was upset. She's missed an excellent opportunity to Flay. However, the girl wasn't very worried; as she was certain there would come another, and soon. That being said, first things first.

"The night is still young."

The Harvester didn't reply, and she didn't wait for it to. She couldn't wait to continue exploring the house, and went from room to room while glancing around curiously. Judging from the modest setting, the residents were not particularly wealthy, but Lihobri's optimism was kindled when she reached her favorite part of any house: the pantry. This was a farm, and if there was anything farmers had plenty of, it had to be food. Her expectations were not disappointed. The pantry was brimming with produce, and while the carnivorous Lihobri wasn't interested in the potatoes and cabbages, the rows of salted fish and smoked turkey looked irresistible. Scooping as much as she could carry off the shelves, she headed to the kitchen and piled it all on the dining table. Remembering that she also needed a drink, she returned to the pantry and grabbed several bottles of what looked like wine.

Now that the table was set, she could dig in, stuffing her mouth full of fish and poultry before washing it down with the wine, drinking it straight from the bottle. Since most of her diet consisted of raw fishes, trying some salted ones provided some welcome variation, and this smoked turkey was nothing short of an exotic delicacy. Her crystalline body was immune to inebriation, so the wine only served to invigorate her as she swooped it down in large gulps. She ate and drank until her asterism was nearly bulging, and she couldn't physically force another bite down her throat. Done pigging out, she threw herself back in the chair, letting out a blissful sigh. The Foggies cleaned out the people but left all the goodies untouched. It couldn't be any more perfect! This was paradise!

Taking another moment to savor the fullness, Lihobri got up on unsteady feet and began packing the remaining food into her sack. Admittedly, a sack of delicious turkey made her a lot happier than a sack of money would. Robbing a farmhouse was much more appealing to her animalistic priorities than robbing a treasury, but she understood the importance of having a stash of valuables for a rainy day. That's why, as amazing as this excursion already was, she couldn't be content with ending it here. The night had to go on. Slinging the loaded sack over her shoulder, she left the silent house behind, heading to her next destination, leaving the squashed cat on the doorstep as her only witness.

[Lihobri]

The trek to the next stop took a while. To her great frustration, Lihobri was forced to ignore the inviting farmsteads on the way. She couldn't carry even a tiny fraction of the stuff in there, and the sack of food she was already carrying was heavy enough. If only Vanaheim and the others were here, a lot less loot would be going to waste. To her consolation, she told herself that she'd be able to return here the next night. It wasn't like the knights would be able to clean this mess up in one day, if at all. Wonder if this Foggy business would actually lead to a mass extinction of humans on the shore? A peculiar thought.

Ramification forecasts would have to wait, though. Right now, she had to focus on getting as much loot as her marauding hands could carry. Her attention was attracted by the smoldering frame of a barn some distance away. The barn has almost completely burned down, leaving a faintly glowing skeleton and small patches of burning hay still scattered within and around it. The real point of interest, however, stood next to it: a sturdy, two-story wooden building, appearing to be a somewhat elaborate farmer's residence. The windows were boarded up from the inside, but thin streams of light seeping between the boards suggested that the building was occupied. After making sure no one else was outside, Lihobri hid her turkey bag behind an water trough next to the ruined barn, and snuck up to the building for inspection.

Nestling to a crack between the window boards, she peeked inside. The muffled voices already hinted it, but she saw it definitely now; there were indeed people there. Her vantage point offered a limited angle of view, but she could see a woman sitting at a table, holding a little girl on her knees. The other voices in the room suggested that there was also a male, along with another child. Both of the children were crying quietly, but the two adults spoke to each other composedly. Lihobri could only decipher bits and pieces of their conversation, as it was muffled by the wood and her understanding of Common wasn't the best. It was enough to surmise that the people inside lived here, and managed to button up their house before the Foggies got inside. How a few boards could keep out the Foggies for a whole day was beyond her, but an additional look around the property gave a hint.

It was probably the burning barn. No, not just the barn. The ground all around the two-story house was emanating heat, scorched, littered with shriveled-up bushes and carbonized carcasses of horses and pigs. What Lihobri assumed was a small vineyard surrounding the buildings was completely destroyed as well. This berg has been burning for the whole day, and that's what kept the Foggies at bay. The fire was not without victims, however; in the vineyard she found the partially charred body of a young man. He didn't make it to the house in time, apparently. Oh! And he had a few silvers on him. Nice. Sadly, everyone else seems to have made it to safety along with all their possessions. The mere fact that this house had two stories already made it stand out in this rural area, so if there was anywhere she could get any money tonight, it would be in there.

Judgning by this scene, the family's livelihood was gone, but at least most of them still had their lives. Or so they thought. Lihobri could technically knock on their door, pretending to be a survivor, and they'd probably let her in. But what then? It's not like they'd simply let her walk away with their stuff. So, if her coming to them wouldn't work, they would have to come to her. And she had just the way to make them do that. Following her gaze, the Harvester caught on fast.

Let me guess. You're going to smoke them out.

"Literally."

Yes. All she had to do was to toss some hot coal at the house, and the dry wood would go up in flames. It was a miracle that it hasn't already, considering the smoldering devastation around it. Either way, she was going to help it along. Of course, she couldn't just grab the coals and throw them, as she was deathly afraid of fire. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to do much of anything herself, as the yard was full of eager assistant. The first step was to gather whatever hay wasn't burned and stack it against the wall quietly. Yeah, that would burn nicely. Second, the ignition; she'd need some help with that. Making sure not to step onto any coal with her bare feet, the girl edged into the destroyed barn, hunching together uncomfortably in the heat. She stopped in front of a plump pig cadaver, burned to the bone in the front but largely intact in the back.

"Harvey, meet Mr. Oink. He'll play with us tonight."

The Harvester only snickered in reply. Lihobri's childish disposition amused him somewhat, mainly because it was genuine. He already knew what she was going to do, and he liked it. Nothing like a clever use of the environment. Lihobri's brought her hands close to the pig, almost close enough to touch it. Then, her hands rose slowly back into the air, fingers spread. The Harvested snickered again as the dead pig stirred from its slumber. In a way, he enjoyed this even more than Lihobri herself did. The pig's rigid limbs jerked a few times before finding a surface and bringing the corpse up from the ground. Lihobri's hands were still outstretched over it, as if she was controlling a puppet with invisible strings... which she was.

Moving its damaged hooves awkwardly, the dead animal followed the directions of its animator, staking out a route at the remaining portion of the barn's wall and plowing straight through it. The wall was little more than ashes at this point, and fell down almost soundlessly, dousing the pig in grey powder. The few remaining coals, however, securely stuck to the pig as well. The few glowing pieces were all that was necessary. The only thing left was the short walk to the house, where the pig found its final rest, collapsing onto the previously prepared pile of hay along with the smoldering coals it brought with it. All Lihobri needed to do was to hide and wait.

[Lihobri]

You're not ready.

The Harvester's short comment was enough to make her understand. She was missing the final step, something to back up the fire with once the people in the house eventually came out. Sneaking up on a distracted kid was one thing, but confronting a pair of adults face to face would be far too much, despite all of her situational advantages. She needed a weapon, and there was already one prepared for her.

Lihobri returned to the corpse of the young man in the vineyard. Inspecting a little closer, it turned out that he didn't die from the fire. His neck was bruised blue: he was strangled. The Foggies, no doubt. The shapeshifter could only thank her friends for leaving this here for her. Just as before, she lowered her hands towards the body and slowly raised them back, feeling the tug of the invisible strings. The arms and legs convulsed, stirring the ashes around them as the charred figure rose to its feet. He was much taller and broader than herself, and would make an excellent ally.

What the girl enjoyed the most was the fact that his face was intact. Unseeing eyeballs bulged from their sockets with a last signal of insanity, while the tongue hung far of the mouth, pushed out by the massive force that once crushed the throat. Pulled along by her beckon, the burned dead shuffled after his new master, shedding streams of ash from its twisted form. They returned to the house, where Lihobri could hide again, now able to manipulate a puppet from the darkness.

The girl's gaze was caught by the flaring flames at the base of the building. While she was gone, the dry hay and lard already caught fire, licking the wooden walls menacingly before jumping over onto them, spreading steadily. A panicked scream from the inside told her that the inhabitants have noticed their predicament, and the following shouts and banging footsteps showed that they were in a hurry to get out. Perhaps they were not unprepared for the fire, considering what happened during the day, but that didn't make them any less vulnerable.

Loud cracking noises came from beyond the front door, as a tool worked frantically to undo the boards that sealed it from the inside. Lihobri was hiding around the corner of the house, so she could not see inside when the door finally swung open, but she could hear a female voice call out in surprise.

"James, you're alive?! I'm- oh..."

The woman's voice trailed off before erupting into a blood-curdling scream, which in turn was cut off as James' carbonized hands closed around her throat. The two children squealed at the top of their lungs, before being drowned out by the husband's roar of anger and despair. The hysterical melodies sung by the humans beyond the burning wall made Lihobri unable to contain a small giggle. A series of wet thumping noises indicated that the male was trying to beat the walking corpse away from his wife, but it was fruitless. The strangling hands would not loosed their grip.

After a brief pause, Lihobri saw the male figure burst out of the doorway, carrying both of his children in his arms. He was moving with a speed afforded only to those who stared death straight in the eyes. Lihobri couldn't hope to pursue him on his own, neither alone nor with the help of her puppet. However, there was one presence here that was not at all fazed by the human's attempt to escape.

The blurred silhouette of the Harvester appeared out of thin air in front of the man, making him recoil instinctively. That moment was all Lihobri needed, as she burst from the darkness and planted her hatchet into the man's back. With a guttural growl, the father feel on his knees, still holding the two small bodies close. Both of the children have already fainted from fear and shock, curled up limply in his arms.

In a titanic display of willpower, the man rose to his feet, ignoring the axe still planted in his back, and stepped once more towards escape. His defiant roar made the marauder shrink back, daunted by his will to survive and protect his children. Sadly, it was not to be. The hatchet had damaged his spine, and he could make only a few steps before his knees gave way again, this time forever.

Still somewhat shaken by the defiance in the face of doom, Lihobri approached the man cautiously. He had fainted from the pain, but his convulsive clutch around the two equally unconscious little girls didn't ease. And it didn't need to. Lihobri's hands were already shaking in anticipation as she pulled the hatched from the father's back and turned her attention to one of the girls. The fire of the burning house illuminated her face brightly. Locks of golden blonde hair, pretty long eyelashes, a cute button nose. How adorable.


Lihobri did think the little girl was adorable. Her emotions weren't fake or sarcastic in the least. On the contrary, they made her even more excited. Although he wasn't saying anything, she knew that the Harvester was just as anticipating, knowing what was to come. They would show these humans their ultimate gesture of recognition. Lihobri traced the girl's face with her fingers briefly, before clenching her fist above it and pulling with all her might. Her hand wasn't gripping merely air. The cord was measured, now it only needed to be cut.

"This one is for you."

Holding the glimmering hatchet by the base of the blade, Lihobri sunk the edge all the way through the girl's neck. The atmosphere around them shifted as a funnel of Ether was torn open, letting forth an intense torrent of energy to be hungrily absorbed by the shadowy shape hovering above. The Harvester's blurry form quaked in elation as the power enriched him, sending a vibration through both himself and his Aberrant. The latter has already moved to the next girl. She looked exactly the same; perhaps they were twins. How quaint.

"This one is for me."

Lihobri repeated the process: lifting the invisible funnel slightly, and severing the spine with the hatchet, letting the energy burst forth for her to drain. The Yludih's vision blurred as it was obscured by a soft light. An overwhelming wave of warmth, an almost erotic sensation spread through her body as the stolen Ether soaked into her being. Lihobri's body shook visibly from the pleasure, and her eyelids fluttered. This was the highest rush she knew.

Snapping out of her sated daze a few moments later, the Flayer turned her attention to the father; the last one remaining. As much as she would enjoy doing the same to him, he could help her better in a slightly different way. The hatchet was brought against his neck as well, but this time, instead of absorbing the Ether herself, she directed the torrent of energy inward, closing in an unnatural loop inside of him. She could not see it, but she felt the pulse of his heart change tune to something different, as the heart was crystallized into a Well.

Drunk from the recent sensations, Lihobri stood up to her feet unsteadily, eyes half-closed in bliss. She was soaked head to toe in blood, and her body felt somewhat weak. Turning around, she squinted at the bright spectacle in front of her. The house was completely engulfed in a pillar of fire rising towards the sky violently. Whatever valuables were left in there were out of her reach, but she didn't care. There were a few breaks until dawn, just enough time to get back to the water.

Not feeling like walking the entire way, Lihobri looked around in search of anything that might help. Off to the side lay an overturned and largely undamaged wheelbarrow. Perfect. Turning back to the pile of decapitated bodies at her feet, she willed the Well into action. The headless father rose to his feet with hardly any effort from Lihobri's side, now powered by his own flayed energy.

Oh, almost forgot. Making sure to retrieve her makeshift turkey stash, Lihobri climbed into the wheelbarrow after the dead man turned it back upright at her wordless behest, and off towards the coast they went. Hugging her sack of turkey affectionately, the girl let the monotonous rattle of the wheelbarrow lull her into a blissful sleep.

[Pegasus]

Lihobri

Points!:

Story: 4/5
Collaboration: 0 / 5 (solo thread)
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Detection: Listening for sounds in the darkness.
Detection: The fresh smell of death.
Stealth: Moving slowly helps with moving quietly.

Loot:

1 necklace: unremarkable. You could sell it for 2cn. 1 sack of salted turkey (small sack, contains roughly one turkey), 2sn

Fame:

-8 (use of arcana x4), -4 (break a city law x2)

Magic:

These points MAY be used for arcana

Overview:

General comments. I changed the tag on this to mature. I know that you've put it as complete, and I'm not sure what it was before that, but the mature tag should be kept for anything which is beyond the PG-13. Also, I'd avoid using the names of books as the names of your threads, just in case that becomes a copyright issues.
Story I like how you make your writing flow and have a very clear plot with a definitive beginning, middle and end. Lihrobi is a very clearly written pc with a distinct personality! However, I have deducted a point of story for two reasons: the first one because you have overplayed your skill. Someone with no points in hatchet would not be able to kill a fully grown man in one blow - your pc would be highly unlikely to have the strength to sever a spine so effectively, especially considering that she has no skill in it. I understand that it's tricky, but would refer you to the Terms of Use “Write within your skill level at all times. Novices will make mistakes and that's to be expected.” If you are at all unclear, do hit one of us up to chat through the skill and / or err on the side of caution.
Also, the other reason I deducted a point was because I was really unclear on why NPCs effectively waited around to die and didn't run away or fight back. It is highly unlikely that they would just all faint. Just keep an eye on things like that and, as I say, if in doubt err on the side of caution.
Structure No worries on structure.

Comment on use of magic: I am concerned that your pc has used, in this thread the flaying ability three times. It is clearly in the write up that it is addictive and therefore, after discussion with senior staff who are involved in the magic system much more, we've agreed that Lihrobi will be experiencing a moderate addiction for the remainder of this season, which you will need to be playing in all future threads this season, please. If she can resist flaying for the remainder of the season, this will pass. If she does continue to flay like this, then she will experience greater, possibly permanent, consequences.

Also, it is only fair to let you know as a relatively new player that, whilst this is a solo thread it is important that you recognise ooc that flaying, for example, is a very telltale way of killing people and these sorts of IC actions are likely to have IC consequences. Please do PM me if you've got any questions!