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Anselm Ermengilde

"Oh yeh, try not t'die. Bad for survival, y'know."

0 · 518 views · located in City of Aura

a character in “World of Hunters”, as played by MartinVole

Description

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Name: Anselm Ermenegilde

Nickname: Devil's Bane

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Height & Weight: 6ft, 150lbs

Profession: Head Hunter

Additional Details: Scars glow when activating his Aura.

Personality: Brash and to the point, he's not one to censor himself when he feels he's right, and puts value on results over simple efforts. He can be aggressive, excessively so depending, but yet also a controlled flame. He is almost a beast at times, showing no hesitation to display the foes he kills, and no hesitation to eat pieces off them. Above all else, however, he displays a level of experience, not only through his scars, but a ruthless cleverness in battle.

Appearance: A ragged young man dressed in a ragged coat with messy long hair, once brown turned white from the ravages of his injuries and eating beasts. One of his eyes, his left, surrounded by scars has turned more bestial, yellow, while the other is blue. Rather unkempt, he lets his hair dangle, and his clothes remain caked in his last hunt. The ravages of the hunt have him looking aged, somewhat older than he truly is, but as one will say, "a form without blemish is a blade untempered". He has a rather lean yet muscular build, a product of continued conditioning.

Likes & Dislikes:
+ A good hunt, a good challenge
+ Meat
+ Results
+ Honesty
- Arrogance and narcissism
- Weakness
- Holding back
- Being ordered to stand down
- His father

Strengths: As an outdoors man he is skilled at hunting and cooking, as well as what is and is not edible. He has a good degree of athletic mobility from a well conditioned body, in spite of the ravages it has endured. He is well focused on a task, and while excessive, is still effective. Prides himself greatly on results, but does not let this cloud his ability to perform, knowing both defeat and victory. While rough around the edges, he is also an effective leader as an experienced hunter. He has a high pain threshold.

Flaws: Suffers chronic pains in his scars, lasting a few seconds at a time. Has a temper that once flared is difficult to calm, not helped that part of him enjoys the conflict. He can be seen as violent, nearly animalistic at his worst, something that only seems to worsen as he eats more beasts and monsters. Has a problem dealing with deep water, a lasting fear from nearly drowning as a child.

Favorite Meals: Anything meat.

Aura Category: Appears to be Trickster, but grows increasingly stranger.

Aura Abilities:

Sacrificial Mark: Auric power manifests as knives of golden light that seemingly pierce and anchor down a target with tethers, leaving them practically incapable of escape. It does not pierce the flesh, but rather, the aura of the victim.

Blood for Blood: Linking with his target, the pain he endures is also felt by his prey, turning a battle into a trial of endurance. Pain shared appears as matching marks made of ghostly light upon the body of the enemy.

History:

Starting life as a tragic youth, born into a dysfunctional family, with an abusive father, and a submissive mother. His father, a lowly farmer, anguished over the fact he did not possess Aura, nor his son showing promise, he took to blaming them both for their low social status. Anselm, exposed to violence at an early age, took the brunt of his father's wrath, and it would be he who would be the first monster to place a scar upon him, across the right cheek. Turning violent himself, Anselm found himself a social pariah among others his age, despite wishes to belong, deepening his loathing of his father.

Eventually the bow would flee into the wilderness, in hopes to escape everything. As soon as he stopped to take a breath at the edge of a river, however, there was a presence suddenly before him, hot breath at his back. A monster, the best way to describe it, had targeted him, a beast of venom and boundless rage. His breath shallowed, fear sinking in... it was no beast of the forest, but his father who had caught up to him first, shoving him down into the river below to be carried away by the currents, to try to erase his own shame. Little would he know that the Anselm would survive, his Aura awakening as he dragged himself, half dead, upon the shore.

Years later, the boy, now a young man, had grown near feral, no longer just a troubled boy. He no longer wanted to fit in, he didn't care anymore about it, only desired to be stronger, more adept at killing, eating, growing stronger. In fact, he had become obsessed with becoming an object of fear, and satisfying his desire of vengeance against his father, to exceed him and his weakness. No matter the cost he wanted to be the best, either respected or feared he'd be recognized by all, showering himself in the carnage that was his enemies.

His return to society is well remembered, a wild teenager found near the city gates, ragged and riddled in scars, bleeding, feasting upon the remains a monstrous boar that had long been plaguing them, a feat that other hunters had yet to accomplish. Surprise would come even further that he had been surviving all this time on his own, killing more than just that one beast. That, along with his Aura, made it a priority to formally refine him into a hunter, eventually leading to him as he is today.

So begins...

Anselm Ermengilde's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuki Hargrave Character Portrait: Anselm Ermengilde Character Portrait: Dirdrick Taversham Character Portrait: Skitters
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Kazuki Hargrave

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On the night of his father's murder, two of the King's bodyguards were escorting a young male out of the castle. Word had yet to reach outside the castle's walls, yet the royal family members were all starting to react in negative ways. Most of the soldiers who were personally close with the King had already turned up dead. Whether the royal family members doing or people who served under them was unclear, and would probably remain unclear until one of them confessed. Out of all the members of the family, only one remained sane in the heat of the moment. His name is Kazuki Hargrave, and in a single night, his entire life had been destroyed.

Kazuki had actually been the first to discover the body of his father, having come to see him in order to ask him a question. Upon the throne the king's blood had been split across his body, on the throne and upon the floor. A terrible cut had been sliced across his body, it would later be revealed that it only took one attack to end the king's life in an instant. At the very least, he did not suffer. The terrible sight left Kazuki paralyzed with fear, a horrifying scream escaping his mouth as he collapsed immediately after. Luckily, the first to reach him were the two guards who would escort him, seeing the boy horrified and the body of the king before them. They could hear others quickly coming, taking Kazuki away immediately before anyone else could get there to find them.

"This is terrible, I can't believe the boy was the first to find out about this." The guard on the left spoke up to the guard on the right. They were taking an old trail that no one used anymore to get from the castle to one of the many districts surrounding it. "Who would do such a terrible thing, and at such a time as well? I thought we had enough problems as is, now we're sure to face dark times."

"You know exactly who did this, don't lie to yourself." The guard on the right responded. "You heard the noises before we left. The entire family is going into chaos now, they got exactly what they wanted. No one has to play nice around each other now, we're going to see bloodshed within four days I imagine. The king was the only one keeping the peace in tact in our city." The guard looked over to Kazuki before his eyes returned to the other guard. "At the very least, let us save one life."

Upon reaching the District of Hope, the last remnant of when the city was known as the City of Hope, the two body guards dropped off Kazuki in front of a small house. "You must not return to the castle for any reason, Kazuki. We have sent out a letter concerning you, for tonight you shall rest here. Please, do not do anything reckless." The two guards left without another word or look back at him. Kazuki was alone now, stuck in an old house that not even the lowest of thieves would dare to sneak in. Kazuki did not sleep comfortably that night, for he heard constant yelling and multiple times he heard the sounds of people riding back and forth, probably searching to find him and end his life. When at last morning broke, Kazuki was finally able to pass out and rest without fear for his life.

~~~

When Kazuki awoke, he already knew in his heart that the guards would not be returning for him. They returned back to the castle knowing that if they stayed with him, they would only be putting his life in danger. But the fate of going back was all too certain, and by the time word had reached his ears, his worst fears were confirmed. Among those who had been murdered in response to the king's death, two guards who had served him faithfully were found dead while having tried to maintain peace and order within the castle's walls. Kazuki could only silently thank them in his heart, hoping that they had found peace in death. Instead, those of a higher order came before Kazuki and took him away in order to carry out a plan. He had been told that the Five Kings of Aura themselves had constructed a plan for him in order to ensure his survival and safety above all else. Even if he was not to become the next ruler, they must ensure at least one member of the royal family survived in some shape or form. Kazuki was not told why, so he was only left to assume.

On the day that news of the King's death spread like a virus throughout the city, Kazuki was meeting with one of the fabled Aura users. He did not get to know her name or her position, but she told him that he would be enlisted as a Rookie Hunter from this day forward. He was also from this day forward, he would be under the eyes of the Head Hunter: Anselm Ermengilde. Even Kazuki had heard of the infamous reputation the Head Hunter held. In order to even become a Head Hunter, one must meet five of the most insane requirements. To be the Head Hunter was to be the best the city could offer, and Anselm had surpassed all expectations upon his return to the city. He had never seen Anselm in person before, but he only heard fearful words come out of anyone whenever they were asked about him. Kazuki was informed that the Head Hunter had been informed of his situation, and about the situation with the royal family at present. While Anselm had been told not to kill him, that did not mean Anselm was forbidden from doing anything else. If he should strike Kazuki, that was his choice to make. His word held more power than the king's ever did, whether people chose to believe this or not was upon them.

All Rookie Hunters were to stay within buildings that Anselm owned. The District of Hunters, the second most popular part of the city was where he would now live, the only part more popular was the District of Aura. He would be given his own hut to himself, that is where he shall remain until he proves himself to his superiors. If he ever proved himself worthy. Kazuki didn't know much about the inner workings of the Hunter's or their system, but he was told the top Hunters buildings could be as big as a mansion! When Kazuki got there, he found it to be one of the smallest buildings within the entire district. Only fools would dare to attack within this district recklessly. As Kazuki was brought in to the district, he saw many Rookie Hunters, male or female, moving about or talking to each other. The first thing he learned was not many usually lived long enough to be given a chance to go higher than Rookie. This is where Kazuki's new life has started, and where his new struggles would begin.

~~~

Four days had passed since the king's death. Tomorrow, Kazuki and a bunch of other Rookie's were to meet Anselm himself in person. Whatever he was going to do, it probably wasn't going to be pleasant. Kazuki found himself outside the city, though not far away enough that he would be in danger. His journey outside the walls stopped before his destination, a small house with smoke escaping outside any opening within it. A man with incredible looking armor looked over to Kazuki and gave a low groan. He managed to push himself up to his feet, standing at roughly seven feet in height and looking down at Kazuki with an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Well lookie here, a little brat coming to visit the old man. Always the young ones that come here to start up trouble." The man's rough and deep voice would probably intimidate any normal citizen foolish enough to disturb him. Kazuki just continued to stare up at him in silence. "I'm the old man's guard, his only guard. I see to it that fools don't come in and try to start trouble. If you know what's good for you, kid, you'll walk away and go back to being safe within that city of yours. If you rub me the wrong way..." The guard stopped to tense up his right hand, Kazuki clearly hearing the cracking of his knuckles as he did so. "You might end up broken."

"That's enough." A raspy voice came out from within the house. The man's hand loosing all tension within it as his eyes widened and he turned to look in the direction of the house. "Let him in. I sent for him." The armored man staggered a little upon hearing these words, looking quite flustered as his eyes darted back and forth between the house and the boy. Letting out a low growl, the armored man lowered himself back into a sitting position next to the door, his eyes fixed upon Kazuki as the boy walked calmly into the house. Kazuki moved his hand up around his face to clear any smoke around him before his eyes set upon the old man before him.

Before him sat an elderly figure who sat within the darkest part of the house. There really wasn't much to the house, in fact, Kazuki would dare say it was rather barren. From what he could make out of the elder, he would dare say this was the oldest person he had ever seen. Long gray hair glowed out wildly behind him, almost filling up half the house with how much gray hair he had going at this point. His body had long since wrinkled and dried up to make him look inhumanely thin, almost as if he was nothing but skin and bones at this point. His skin had wrinkled up to an almost unnatural point, his eyes could barely be made out and the robe he wore looked just a little too big for him. Despite all of these, the old man sat perfectly still and held a long pipe within his right hand, bringing it up to his mouth occasionally to inhale and then slowly release out the smoke that constantly came from the house. Kazuki sat down and crossed his legs some feet away from the old man, waiting to hear him speak again.

"Thank you for coming." The old man spoke out to Kazuki. "I know of the situation you have been cast into. You found your father's body, you were immediately taken away from the castle and now you are to live as a Rookie Hunter from this day forth." The old man took a moment to breathe in from his pipe before releasing more smoke. "I wish I could help out, but I have been long since lost the ability to move my legs. I believe I can offer up some advice for you. You should leave the city, while you still can." Kazuki found himself caught off guard by these words. "This city's future is grim. I do not know if it will survive what is to come or not, but you should leave as soon as you can." The old man took another moment to blow more smoke out. "If you wish to live, that is. Stay if you think you can, or if you just don't care. It doesn't matter to me."

As the old man talked with Kazuki, Kazuki felt an intense pressure hit him out of nowhere. How had he been unable to feel it before? This old man was producing Aura, there was no doubt about that! Aura could be felt by just about anyone, you didn't need it to feel when someone was intentionally giving it off from themselves. But this old man's Aura was the most incredible he had ever felt in his entire life! It wasn't just the house, the entire area around the house was producing this intense Aura! How could that guard outside just sit there within it every day, had Kazuki felt this earlier, he would of definitely ran. Once the intense feeling died down, Kazuki rose up to his feet and bowed from his waist to the old man before leaving. As he walked past the guard, he heard a low huff being given out as he left. Once Kazuki was far away enough, he felt himself able to breathe again properly. He would have to return here before it got dark, he had to ask the old man about his Aura and why it was so intense for his old age!

Kazuki found himself alone for most of the day, no one bothered to try to talk to him or find out who he was. He was fine with that, he didn't need the attention or approval of others anyway. He ate an apple calmly by himself while sitting outside, when he noticed a peculiar creature watching him. His eyes shifted over cautiously to it, but the creature did not move to attack him. It was some kind of reptile, though it was quite large for one to just be wondering about. Maybe someone had abandoned their pet, it wasn't uncommon to see wild animals sneaking about either. As it approached him, he could see it eyeing the other few apples he had with him. Kazuki took one and tossed it over to the creature, watching it quickly eat and devour it without a second thought. It must of been hungry for some time now. The creature stared at him for a while as he calmly ate his apple before the creature departed, probably satisfied with analyzing him or something. Who knows? It didn't really matter to him anyway, as long as no one bothered him he was cool with practically almost anything.

~~~

As the sun began to settle down, the two moons would soon rise up and rule over the night. Before the night would settle, this was the only time Kazuki could go and visit that old man again. He had to know about that old man's Aura and why it was so powerful. As Kazuki headed outside the city's gates, he saw smoke rising up in the distance. At first he thought it was the old man's smoke, but he never saw the old man's pipe smoke until he got right there at the house. The smoke was far too dark to be simply the pipe's smoke. Kazuki's eyes widened as he felt his body become intense all of a sudden. That smoke looked to be coming from fire! Kazuki moved as fast as he could towards the old man's house, hoping the worst had not befallen it. Yet when he got there, his worst fears were again realized. The old man's house had been set ablaze, and there was no sign that the old man had escaped from it either. In one fell swoop, Kazuki's questions had all been shattered from receiving the answers he sought. That's when he heard a loud scream coming his way.

The old man's guard came crashing through and hitting a tree hard. His armor looked cracked and damaged, it wouldn't be long before it soon fell apart. Blood had escaped the side of the armored man's mouth, this intense individual he met earlier had suddenly been tossed around like he was light as a feather! But who could of done it so easily? Just as he asked himself that questioned, another armored individual came walking into sight towards the guard. He had a large axe held in his left hand, spikes could be seen all over the upper half of the armor. The individual behind the armor looked rather sinister, he had dark markings all over his face and the noticeable skin that could be seen within the armor. Even though he only stood at roughly around six feet, every step he made released a loud stomp that shook the ground underneath them. The spiked armored individual stopped before the guard, grabbing him by his head and raising him up before slamming him down with ease and letting out a wicked, hazy laughter.

"So you were supposed to be guarding that old man? Ridiculous. I heard whispers that the grandson of the first Aura user could be found just outside the city's walls! He was said to have been over three hundred years old, and he helped shape Aura to be the way it is today! What nonsense!" The wicked man bellowed out another laugh. "He refused to help me? What an idiot! Refusing to help me is a mistake he won't soon forget, now that he's nothing but ashes." The wicked man smirked. "They've taken to calling me Thorns! Remember that name well!" Thorns sent in a rough kick into the wounded armored man's chest, causing him to howl out in pain as Thorns chuckled with glee.

"You are just like most, you only came to visit the old man so you could get stronger and beat people down!" The armored man coughed before continuing. "He will never seek out people who only wish to harm others, that was never his interest. When you came stomping in the way you did, he immediately warned me not to trust you. And now look what you've done, acting out of self interest so that you can ensure no one will seek his help ever again. You disgust me!" This earned another kick to his chest from Thorns.

"Say whatever you like, it doesn't change the fact he's dead now. I've heard about that silly Star System this city uses to determine threats and the value of something. I don't know how that system fully works, but I heard five Stars equals an average citizen. Ten Stars equals an average soldiers. So I must be worth Twenty Stars to be able to take you down so easily." Thorns gave a wicked smirk as he raised up his axe. "But I've had my fun beating you around. Time to chop you into pieces and feed you to the damned Cannibal Tribe!" Letting out a furious roar, Thorns slammed his axe down for the armored man when he felt his arm stop, unable to reach his target. "What?!" He pulled his arm back, stepping away to find Kazuki standing between the two now, holding a sheathed sword in his hand as Kazuki glared at Thorns.

"Well now, I didn't expect some little brat to come stepping forth into my battle tonight." Thorns cracks his neck to the left first and then to the right before settling it back into place. "I don't care who you are or why you want to intervene. But I'm going to kill you now either way." Thorns bellowed out a wicked laugh as a dark colored Aura began to emit from his body, a howl like noise emitting from the Aura he was producing.

"That sound, it can't be! He's already learned how to use the technique Growl?!" The armored man spoke up behind Kazuki. "It's usually the first technique any Aura user learns, but you either are trained to use it or you must have been in a pretty bad situation to have brought it out. But this guy doesn't seem like the type to have done either, what the heck is going on?!" Kazuki kept his guard up as he heard Thorns use Growl on them. Growl is an Aura technique that allowed it's user to use their Aura to intimidate others. It has been described as being similar to when an animal bares it's fangs, or when a person gives off a glare.

Thorns prepared to attack when the lizard creature Kazuki had given an apple to earlier comes leaping in and begins to viciously bite Thorns' left arm. Thorns shakes his body around trying to shake off the creature as it continues to attack, unable to hit it with his axe before the lizard creature leaped away and growls at him. Thorns drops his axe down as he holds his bloody shaking arm, letting out a howl in pain as his Aura began to weaken and retreat. "You rotten thing!" Thorns growled out from behind his teeth. "I'll tear you apart for that!" Kazuki saw his chance, stepping in quickly and slicing his sword in for an attack. Thorns' eyes widen as the chest plate for his armor shatters and a cut going from his left shoulder down to his right side splits open suddenly. Thorns collapses to his knees as he holds his wounded chest tightly in his right hand. "You brat! How dare you! Do you know who I am?! I am Thorns! I have stepped on far greater than any of you!" Thorns began to rise up to his feet again, his Aura beginning to return full force as he glared at Kazuki.

That's when the armored man came charging in and knocked himself full force into Thorns, sending him flying into a nearby tree as Thorns let out a howl in pain. "I don't know why you came back, but you should take that thing and leave! His strength is unusual, his Aura must of been forced out from a Taboo user! Send some help, just get out of here alive!" The armored man raised up Thorns' own axe and threw it at him, but Thorns' left arm rose too quickly for the armored man to react to in time and could only watch as Thorns perfectly catches the handle of his weapon. "Even his speed is becoming unnatural. This may cost me my life." The armored man prepared himself as Thorns rose again, glaring down the armored man. Rushing in despite his wounds, Thorns gave a bloody howl as he and the armored man clashed in a single moment. The armored man's right arm is sent flying away and crashes down nearby, while Thorns found the rest of his armor shattering completely, his left hand crashing down beside him while still tightly gripping his axe. Thorns turned to unleash another attack when three individuals landed down from above, catching Thorns off guard.

The three each produced a Growl that, on their own, far outclassed Thorns' own growl. Too scared and injured to properly fend them off, all three struck in with rapid blows of attacks that left Thorns paralyzed and knocked him out with little to no effort. All three back away as they watch Thorns collapse down as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Seeing Thorns go unconscious, the armored man falls down to a knee as the three rush over to him. "I know who you are!" One of the three Aura users called out to the armored man. "You're Irongrip! You used to work pretty close with the Five Aura Kings!" The Aura user realized all too well what this meant as he looked to the burning house. "No, it can't be! He's dead?!"

"Afraid so. After all these years, I've failed the one true mission I was given in life." Irongrip huffs out, looking over to the Aura user. "Listen to me. That man called Thorns, he is tainted somehow. Take my severed arm and his severed hand and throw them into that burning house without a second thought. Whatever was done to him somehow spread to my arm when he chopped it off. He must be kept alive, we must find out what was done to him." Irongrip flinched as he barely managed to get a chuckle out. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. I must really be getting old to let this hurt me so badly."

~~~

The death of the old man wasn't brought up to the public. Kazuki had been told by Irongrip himself to keep what happened tonight a secret. Irongrip soon passed out and was carried off by the three Aura users to receive immediate medical attention. Thorns had been taken by two Hunters who arrived to take him away. Thorns would never be in top fighting shape again, his left hand forever gone had crippled his ability to ever wield a weapon again. Irongrip wasn't in a better position, his entire right arm was now gone and he may never be able to take another risky mission ever again. Even though Kazuki had only met the old man once, he almost felt like he knew him in an instant. The old man knew he was going to die soon and wanted to pass on a message to Kazuki. But why him, what did the old man see in him to want to call him and see him so suddenly? The strangest question of all though was the reptile creature now sleeping in Kazuki's home. Why did it come to help him and how could it take on an Aura user like that? Perhaps the reptile creature also had Aura. Or, something close to it. It wanted to stay, so he let it stay. That night, Kazuki managed to get a good night's sleep for the first time since the night his father had been found dead.

Five days now it had been since the death of the king. When Kazuki awoke, he knew what today was. It was time to get ready to see the infamous Anselm himself and prepare for possibly the worst. Feeding the reptile something it may actually like besides the apple, he let it stay inside the house as he headed out to the area all the Rookie Hunters were suppose to gather up at. He left his sword at him today, he wasn't even suppose to have one yet so if he brought it, it would make him look suspicious. He didn't know what exactly was going on, but it seemed like he had just been thrown into the middle of something bigger than he could ever hope to realize.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Horus Absolem Character Portrait: Anselm Ermengilde
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  1. Collab between Yohan, MartinVole and Yvandír

    by Yvandír

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Horus' entry into the Palace went as peacefully guards whom watched over the side entrance used by the guardian knights expected it to be, Horus stopped to interrogate the guards briefly, keeping his temper from boiling over and throwing fuel onto an already raging inferno, he'd ask "do we know the extent of the bloodshed?" his once calm voice, only changed slightly so far, giving a certainly hostile tone to the guards. once given his answer he would pass by and enter into the palace, his stride carrying him far with each step, his stride almost mistaken for a light run, the stains gone but the iron taste and smell of blood on the air, through the corridor he was walking through, word would certainly pass along from servent to lord and lady of the royal family about Horus' sudden return to the palace.

The sudden return of Horus struck a cord indeed. The once quiet tension suddenly rose into one of defense. The guards did not take kindly to Horus' tone, but they knew better than to stand up to him. As word quickly spread, a message had been sent out to inform the Aura Kings of this. Unfortunate as it was, they knew who to call upon to put Horus in his place. Though he was to meet with his newbies today, he would have to make a quick stop to the castle first. The call was soon sent back to every royal family member about Horus' situation: To not allow him further in. The order was sent to the guards, and with haste, they blocked off any further entry into the castle from the lowest floor. Horus would find himself unable to proceed further, though the guards knew better than try to explain it to him. Horus would find none of those who were loyal to the King were anywhere to be seen. Though no sign of bodies could be seen where Horus was, the stench of bloodshed was still strong within the castle.

That's when he would arrive at the castle. Horus would hear the doors he had pass through to get inside be opened up and a figure's shadow would soon be cast over his own. He had arrived to prevent something tragic from happening. Whether a conversation or a fight would go down was yet to be seen. But Horus would feel a chill run down his spine, the air around him turning cold for a brief moment at the sight of the person who now was approaching him. He only appeared at the call, when the highest stakes were at risk. He had his orders, though Horus had only the rumors to go by of this man. But Horus knew one thing for certain, the man standing before him in the castle right now was the top dog.

"So, what's the prob'lem? There isn't one... right?" the man asked, a strange lisp in his speech along with a somewhat crude accent. The man, or rather seemed to be a a man, was riddled in scars, with hair a faded tangled mess. This man was Anselm Ermengilde, a high ranking hunter charged with maintaining balance within this city. He eyes Horus, his blighted eye twitching some. "Horus Absol'm... dun think we ever form'ly met b'fore, then again I kin keep t'me self... name's Anselm by th' by," he continues, narrowing his gaze. Though he spoke casually, he was continually watching for any sudden movement Horus may take. He then paces around beside royal guardian, rather fearlessly considering the man's skills and mutters something to him. "Pot a oil already boil'n, best t'not stir or it'll scald ya... jus' some friendly advice."

As Horus watched himself become surrounded, shield walls raised to keep his weapon from biting into flesh, he was a stoic man and even this chill down his spine didn't hinder his resolve, he turned and stepped back to face Him[/h] an almost silent chuckle ushered from Horus "so they called for the attack beast, am i truely THAT dangerous?" his weapon was held at rest, in its 'self defence' position most of the guards were accustomed to see it in. "thanks for the advice but you didn't murder twelve knights and nearly a hundred guards in service to the late king" Horus was gaging his chances, he didn't have an aura, and this hunter most definately did, Horus had heard how good a fighter the young man was but they were only rumors the initiates brought into the grounds. "so hunter, what were you given orders?"

Anselm sighed and inched back away from the guardian knight. "Attack beast am I? S'pose that 'bout right, ay?" He responds, scratching the back of his neck. His overall composure hasn't shifted, even though Horus has taken a defensive stance. At least he wasn't going all in at this point, best to consider anything physical be a last resort, besides, Anselm himself had no personal grievance with the man, he was simply following orders here. "The late king, yer mm... [i]raison d'être
... along with many y'served b'side, all lost in'a night. I get it, yer pissed someth'n awful. But y'gotta see, a guard'n knight bargin in 'ere is... well, it's puttin' cracks in the ice," he says further, trying to emphasize the growing tension within the castle walls, tension that is only being exasperated by Horus's presence. Stepping up in front of the guardian knight, he rubs his chin as he pondered an answe to his question. "Me orders though, eh? Fer now they be jus' words, up t'you if they remain jus'. Y'do still have livin' trainees, ay? Maybe tend t'em fer th'day, be my advice. Jus' more friendly advice. Got m'own t'tend to."

Horus' composure hadn't shifted, nor his stance, though he finally flipped the glaive/naginata so the blade came to rest just above his shoulder, he'd twist in his movements to walk around Anselm speaking as he moved, the anger present in his voice. "I'll take my leave then, I must prepare for the funerals of twelve of our best...Anselm, I apologise for the insult " he shook his head, his anger was still there but he kept his oath in mind, he approached the guards who parted to allow him space to leave. his prideful stride replaced with a slower walk, the world he had grown up with for two thirds of his life shattered, and all he could feel was his seething temperament, honour and the words of his master keeping it from boiling over.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Camilia Esperanza Character Portrait: Lulu Brackenshield Character Portrait: Kazuki Hargrave Character Portrait: Anselm Ermengilde Character Portrait: Dirdrick Taversham
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Anselm watched quietly as the guardian knight parted, a rather melancholy departure at that, but at the least a living one. All the better to the hunter, who, in spite of his murderous looks, didn't feel like fighting a man today, let alone one that was supposed to be on the same side. After a moment of silence after Horus fully leaves he looks to the guards and shrugs, giving a lazy salute. "Eh, keep up th'good work... y'know, wit th'standin' 'round thing," he says with a sigh before departing as well. Outside the castle walls he glances back once before hanging his head. "God, wit this place goin' t'shit, I... hope I dun get shit on."

Moments later he arrives at The District of Hunters, the land he himself is lord of, his head held down as he enters. Glancing up he finds a handful had already gathered there. Among them were two... far too cheerful looking girls, didn't they know this wasn't happy fun times? One even looked to be a preteen! There was also Kazuki, the prince placed under his watch. Being of that royal bloodline alone gave him a slight pause, hoping internally that he's at least less exhausting a person as his kin. Looking to the side, there was an older man being escorted along by some guards. The man, for lack of better words, looked like a vagrant, and yet, amusingly, among them looked the most fitting as a hunter. Rubbing the back of his head he paced his way up front, and with a moment of silence, spins on his heels to face them.

Taking in a long hissing breath through his teeth he looks up into the air, and begins rubbing his eyes, then holds up a finger. "Right, so rule number one, most important, and apparently th'ardest, t'be a good hunter, ya gotta not die," he says with a gravelly tone, his eyes scrutinizing each and every one of them. "T'be honest, one out of every th-... mm... One out of every two of ya ar' prob'ly gonna die. Th' trainin' 'ere is gonna... prob'ly improve th' odds though... or be the cause."

There is a brief pause before he continues, deciding that leaving at just that is probably not the best lead-in. "Right, now, y'should introduce yerselves, not s'much for me, but for each other. Y'know, bondin' n' to know who's missin' in th' case shit goes South. Though... seems some of y'have already started," he continues, glaring over at Kazuki, Camilia, and Lulu. "As ya prob'ly know, I'm Anselm Ermengilde, the head hunter here, and his lordship over everythin' ere. I'll be teachin' y'all how t'be hunters, which, to clarify, involves huntin' an' killin' high-risk targets that normal folk can't... or at least not wit'out a lotta deaths," he says, his tone a bit more dignified for a moment, only to relapse soon after. "And t'dispel one rumor y'mighta eared bout me, I do not eat children. Who th'fuck eats children anyways? Y'bite off one man's ear... an' they assume everythin'."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Camilia Esperanza Character Portrait: Lulu Brackenshield Character Portrait: Horus Absolem Character Portrait: Kazuki Hargrave Character Portrait: Anselm Ermengilde Character Portrait: Dirdrick Taversham
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City of Aura Update


On the night the King was murdered, people had gone crazy and disorder rampaged through multiple districts. With the chaos going on, the District of Aura sent out it's best to calm down the mess the masses were making in the middle of the night. When a few of the people went to attack the Aura users, they were quickly struck down without a second thought. With the others only able to watch and listen in a fear, a message was given to all who would dare try this again.

"Let it be known that any who dare attempt this again be struck down by us or the Hunters! What you have started tonight is a serious sin, but we are willing to give you another chance. This shall be the only chance any of you will be given, for we have taken time to come over and stop all of you. Look at yourselves and repent, beg for forgiveness and never attempt to claw the walls we provide you with again!"

After that night, people have since been going about through the shadows in order to go about the new order of business. With the King's death, people have started to claim territories and knock down any challengers who dare try to take that from them. Word of this has so far been kept low, though sometimes a few people have been captured and imprisoned for being too prideful. With the Hunters new power over the city, people have begun to feel threatened by the Hunters District and try to actively avoid it and the Aura District for trouble now. The public can feel the disorder about to sweep in, as if the malice coming from the castle has latched itself to people and made them bring out the animals within them. Whatever the case, shady dealings will soon become a normality outside of certain Districts.

With the royal's castle, the royal family had slain all those who were close to the late King. Any who begged to be spared were immediately beheaded on the spot. Any who vowed loyalty to those who were attacking were branded with a mark burnt into their flesh to remind them forever of the betrayal they committed. When the rampage was over and done with, each member of the royal family vanished somewhere within the castle. Only a low floor of the castle was made available for the public people to come in through now. Though the tension was high, none of the royal family members dared to make a move yet. However, Horus' arrival had spread to some of them and had almost dared some of them to make a move already. Though it was quickly avoided by Anselm's intervention, it was undeniable that Horus had sent a primal instinct of survival to kick up among them.

~ ~ ~

Among the Royal Family members, only one had the loyalty of his guardians on his side. A young prince, only a year older than Kazuki, had been quickly taken out of sight and hidden away far into the castle from the others like they were a parasite. By the time the sun had started to rise on the day the new Hunters were meeting up with Anselm, the boy's guardians were already awake and meeting up to discuss his future as usual. The King's death was inevitable to them, they had long been waiting for this day to arrive. This secret meeting will forever change the royal family and the city. Not even the greatest of Aura users could predict how this would go down better than the boy's guardians.

"It is finally time, ladies and gentlemen." One of the Guardians to the prince spoke up. "We are gathered here to discuss who we shall eliminate first. The first strike shall be the biggest blow, and if we take it, we will be able to change the others moods and actions in our favor. I would like to bring up an unforeseen element into the mix first. His name is Horus. Not too long ago, he stormed into the castle and looked prepared to scream someone's head off. He is a dangerous element to keep around, I suggest we eliminate him before he goes too far!"

"Hold on now. Anselm came in and warned him off, did he not?" Another of the Guardians spoke up. "Attempting to kill Horus as things are is as reckless as him storming in the way he did. He still has loyalty to the royal family, we should make the best use out of that before he changes his mind. I propose we leave him to his things, we never know when he may come in handy. Of course, there is the chance that when the inevitable fighting breaks out, he will charge in like a reckless animal and just make things worse for everyone."

"Then allow me to propose something that everyone can agree on." The head of the Prince's guardians spoke up. "Horus is a dangerous element, that we can all agree on. But we cannot take risky action against him. As you said, he can still be of use to us before he changes his mind. So let's test how far he is willing to go to protect us. This can also lead us to our first strike on the person in the royal family we consider the most dangerous. The father of the late King himself!" Everyone in the room focused their attention on the head guardian after he speaks this. "He is the first one who should die. He will more than likely try to flee tonight, so we shall force him to stay." The head guardian gave a wicked smirk to the others.

"We will have a message delivered through bird to give to Horus. He won't attack the messenger birds, at the least." The head guardian crosses his arms over his chest as he continues to speak. "The message will look to be from the old man himself. We already have something like that prepared, we just need to alter it which will take but a few to do. The message will inform Horus that there is a traitor among the new Rookie Hunters and that he should personally come in with any of his trainees that will follow him into battle and sniff out the rat. Should he meet any resistance, he is to suspect the Hunters are behind the assassination of the King and to launch a full on strike on whoever is there, be they young or not will be irrelevant."

"I see what you are doing." Another of the guardians speaks up. "So Horus will go in with high suspicion and will ask that he personally search for a rat he was sent to find. The Hunters will respond by saying that this is ridiculous and that he should simply leave, but Horus will take this as a sign to defend the royal family from possible traitors and go on the attack. His disciples will be made an example of and he himself will be stricken down to nothing more than a common soldier. My, my, you are truly a wicked one."

"The message will be sent to him in just a few." The head guardian gestures for one of the lower guardians there to start fixing up the message so that it will arrive in time. "Let us move on to discuss more important things now. We will target the old man during midday, it will be best to make it look like an accident. But we will have a warning that only other royal family members will get. It will be telling them that they are next. Remember, should any royal family member surrender to us, they are not to be branded. We will need as many voices as we can get in order to help the prince become the new king. With any luck, the conflicts between the royal family will only last up to a few days at best. There is also the matter of the one member among us who was born with Aura." The head guardian's expression turned serious as he mentioned this. "We must not allow that person to live at any cost! No matter where they currently are in the castle!"

~ ~ ~

Rookie Hunter


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Well, things were quickly getting a bit hectic for Kazuki. Suddenly approached by a young lady and a little girl made him feel nervous at best. It wasn't the fact that they were women, he wasn't used to social interaction at all! Luckily for him, some poor guy was dragged in and he quickly used that as a distraction before the two could get to get anything out of him. He felt a heavy feeling in his chest, it had been a long time since he had to worry about acting like a normal human being. That's when he arrived before all of them: Anselm, the Head Hunter.

Anselm's words were sort of hard to understand, but Kazuki could tell just by looking at the guy that he had been through something fierce in his past. Perhaps there was more behind his speech beyond first hearing it, but that thought could be saved for another time. Anselm seemed to be pushing for them all to introduce themselves to each other, shooting a glare over at the three of them even though he hadn't even really been trying to interact with them! That's when a problem smacked him across the face almost like that guy yesterday did. He didn't think up of a fake name to use! Well, surnames he could save for later, but he seriously needed a first name right now! Luckily for him, his name really wasn't known outside of the castle. He had to come up with something, and on the spot too. Could he do that though? Well, it was worth a shot. I mean, Anselm probably wouldn't mind, right?

"Uh, well." Kazuki started off. "I'm Kazuzu. I, uh, hope to get along with everyone just fine and such." Kazuki wiped his forehead with his left arm. That was close, it sounded kind of like his name, but it was different enough people wouldn't really tie the two names together. At least, he hoped not. Today he would be starting off as, Kazuzu. The name still didn't quite ring with him, but he would stick by it regardless of what others would say to him about it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Camilia Esperanza Character Portrait: Lulu Brackenshield Character Portrait: Horus Absolem Character Portrait: Kazuki Hargrave Character Portrait: Anselm Ermengilde Character Portrait: Dirdrick Taversham
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The first person that got her attention at the gathering first was the small girl. Now she was the most adorable thing she has seen all day, but she was also amazed a girl like her was brave enough to take on the task of fighting as a Hunter. That little girl was probably braver than her. But that just added to how much people wanted to do something. Even if they were a little girl.

As the Girl introduced herself as Lulu, jumping up and down full of energy. Camilia smiled brightly and knelt down a bit waving at Lulu. "Hello Lulu, my names Camilia. And yes, I'm also going to become a Hunter as well. But you are so lively that I'm sure you have what it takes." She chuckled a bit at the girls enthusiasm. However, what caught her eye was how similar she looked to herself. Its not everyday people are born with this color of hair. She was certain she would get along with Lulu just fine.

Before she could get to know her teammates better, another voice got her attention. Slowly getting up to look she saw what appeared to be a battle worn person. He looked pretty strong, and he looked like he knew how to fight. It was made more so during his introduction.

The training would be hard, he said that they might not...survive?...no she can't think like that. She had to remain brave, this was a test probably. He was scaring them off to see who would bail now at the threat of death. She was not gonna lie, the threat of death did unnerve and surprise her a bit, but she was by no means going to quit. The young man also introduced himself as Anselm the Head Hunter. She was looking forward to train under him, if he was the Head Hunter if they can get through this then there was no doubt that even they would be able to protect people. Of course as Anselm has asked for people to introduce themselves the first to do was another guy. Probably a little older than her, the young man introduced himself as Kazuzu. Well if names were being introduced she would do the same. "My names Camilia! I might not be as strong as everyone else here but I'll strive to work hard. I hope we all do our best out there." She introduced herself before giving a warm smile before nodding.