[Promise me a place in your house of memories :( ]
The pair arrives in front of Australis's Adventurers' Guild which is decked out in Christmas lights. On the road leading up to the Guild, they notice firelit street lamps adding to the cozy, rustic atmosphere that Australis is so well-known for. The weather outside is a brisk 40F with a bit of a breeze in the air. The trees surrounding the area are mostly golden or nearly brown, some are barren of leaves. There's a festive joy in the air as well. Walking up, they notice the doors leading to the Guild are open. Luna breathes a relaxed sigh as she takes in the surroundings, "man it's good to be back here. Three years since I've been in Australis district. I wonder if my old house is still out here."
Spider glances around as the trio walk to the guild, while they'd never admit it she's completely relaxed by her surroundings ..there must be something in the air. Luna's comment grabs her attention and Spider turns to look at her asking, "you used to live here?"
Luna nods, "mhm! Technically it was Krystal's house, but after... it happened, the house was left to me. We had this awesome skylight in the living room too. Uhm, so yeah, should we head inside?"
Spider tilts her head, "I'm sure Cole could put a skylight in ..if he ever shows his face again." She shrugs and steps inside.
"He's too busy for us I guess." Luna sighs and follows into the Guild. The rustic foresty lodge looks about the same as before, though the soft acoustic music sounds vaguely like some kind of christmas carol. Cassiopeia, the bubbly young pink-haired woman who leads the Guild waves to Spider, "oh hey, welcome back! How are you doing? And who's thi--" she blinks incredulously, "wait Luna? Is that you?"
Spider waves back a small smile on their face. She remains quiet though not wanting to intrude in the conversation.
Luna, in her furry form, tilts her head, "wait you recognize me, even like this?"
Cassiopeia giggles, "of course! You still have the same blue eyes from when we were neighbors, plus I dunno anyone your height. So I took a dumb guess and here we are. So what's up? How can I help you?"
Luna opens her arms up and Tina goes in for a very warm hug with her winter fur coat.
Spider looks at Tina in mild disbelief though she doesn't question it instead responding with, "We're here for the quest."
Tina takes a moment to type some things into her computer while muttering "Quest, quest... ah! Ms. McCormick's rat problem." Then she reads the Quest out loud. "So apparently for the past month now, she's been having issues with her basement, like it's a nest for woodland critters to make a home there. Issue is she keeps her pantry down there for some reason and they keep stealing from it. But like. You'd think they'd leave a mess, but they're apparently very orderly? She wants them removed as soon as possible. No exterminator is capable of it according to her testimony. If you want to try it yourself, just head down the road a few blocks down and look for the single-story house with the lit up tree. You literally cannot miss it because it is the only ranch-home in the District. It's also uh." She pauses unsure how to follow up, "W-Well, you'll see what I mean when you get there. Figures you would take this one Luna."
Luna looks confused, "erm? Okay? Sounds... fun. What are you getting at Tee?"
Spider chuckles at Tina's comment, "why do you think I brought her along?"
"Because she has the power to defeat small rodents and the one much larger one." Tina giggles as the pair leaves.
Realizing Error had been completely silent this entire time, Spider pulls it out of its bag. She notices that Error seems to be completely still, no inscription or anything. Its gem is glowing red, but no cone is visibly scanning.
"Shall we head over?" Luna asks with a smile. Her blade is sheathed.
Spider frowns tapping a finger on Error's handle, "..yeah we can, Error are you ok?" Error simply responds with a smile.
The two of them then walk down Alpha Centauri Avenue until they reach the single ranch-style home with the oak tree completely covered in very bright white christmas lights. It's a bit much. Luna tilts her head at the house and goes silent.
Error's inscription changes to Oh. That's what she meant. :/
"Jesus Christ." Spider squints at the tree then quickly looks away the harsh lighting too much for their eyes, "you wanna knock or?" Luna is frozen in place seemingly. You might wanna knock, Spider.
Spider gives Luna a concerned look and trudges up the path to knock on the door. An older woman comes to the door with a smile. She's definitely a senior citizen, probably in her 60s or 70s, dyed brown hair with some grey sticking out here or there, wearing a 1950s style housewife dress in blue and white, an frilly white apron tied in a cute bow. She greets the pair, or at least Spider since Luna is still out of it, with a smile, "Ah so you're the adventurers who took my quest?"
Upon hearing her sweet voice, Luna snaps out of whatever trance she was in. "Yes Madam, you have a rat problem, well I'm a cat and that's my thing," she lies.
Spider gives her a polite smile, "would you mind telling us more about the problem?"
Sandra goes to speak, but it seems even she's confused about what's going on. So instead, she offers, "It would be much easier if I showed you. Is that okay?"
Luna nods and takes the DEEPEST of deep breaths. Spider has never heard her like this. It's almost like a deep-seated fear is bubbling within her. Could be the mice. Or it could stem from something else. "Sure," she nods intently. Error's bat gem glows red once more, this time a cone of red light sprouts from the tip that only Spider can see.
"That's fine." Spider glances over at Luna murmuring, "are you ok?"
Despite her focus being on top of everything else, Luna slightly shakes her head towards Spider, "i am... not okay. I'll be ok to fight, but I--"
Sandra interrupts, "Oh please come on in. It's cold outside." She opens the door to a warm looking living room. A cutesy rug on the porch protects the house from footprints. "Please wipe your shoes and/or paws here before entering." Luna does exactly that and her paws are now squeaky clean. Spider follows behind Luna half-heartedly wiping their feet as she goes.
The pair steps into a rather large living room furnished with furniture, a 42" television in the corner, and oddly, a skylight on the ceiling that allows starlight and clouds to peer inside. The room inside is rather dim as Sandra seems to value natural light and candles over electricity. Luna is once again struck silent. The cone continues to shine as if Error is trying to scan for something but is failing. Either that or its target isn't nearby. "Please follow me to the basement." Sandra says as she walks towards the kitchen. The only sounds coming from Luna are her breathing, and even that’s rather ragged.
ALAIS - Uh oh
Spider is currently paying no attention to Error. She glances between the skylight and Luna her odd behaviour now making sense. Still they have a job to do so she puts it out of her mind for later and follows Sandra to the basement.
Luna does as well. As they walk downstairs, they hear the chittering and squeaks of animals scurrying around on the floor. About halfway down, Sandra explains the mission, "So all you have to do is remove the animals from my basement. Do it however you want, I trust you. Just be careful. I don't know how or why, but one of the animals down here is much bigger than the others. Almost like it's the leader. If you make a mess, don't worry. I'll clean it up afterwards, I just want these pests gone. Good luck." Sandra then leaves the two to their work. The cone coming from Error's bat intensifies as the inscription changes to:
It's down here somewhere. :( We might have a battle on our hands.
CoL Scanner Mode active.
Spider nods in acknowledgement as Sandra leaves. She looks down at Error scowling at the inscription, "..typical." As they walk to the bottom of the basement steps, they hear more of the same scurrying and squeaking sounds. The basement has a fully grey concrete floor with lots of smaller rooms and crevices abound, such as a laundry room and what looks like a storage room with cardboard boxes, many of which have small holes in them, no doubt made by the pests down here. Over in the corner looks to be a locked wooden cabinet that has the term "Pantry" on it.
Luna doesn't have her sword out yet, but with her claws out, she's able to pick up a couple of the mice running about and stare them down. They struggle in her grip out of genuine fear for their situation. Luna is the only one actually terrified in this room, however, as she is very scared of mice despite her felinity. Angry sounding growls can be heard from near the locked cabinet and Error's inscription reads:
Over there. I sense our enemy.
Ignoring the mice around them Spider stalks over to the cabinet her ears perked up as she listens to the growls. As she moves over there, a blob of something rushes into the shadows created by the single bulb's light. it doesn't smell.. bad per se compared to some of the other animals down here, but it smells weird. While Luna is out clearing and tearing up at mice that she can get at, as if ignoring her own fears, she gets tackled by the blob and speckles of blood fly off of her instantly.
Error alerts:
GOTCHA. LUNA, GET OUT OF THERE! THAT'S SABERTAIL! :(
For some reason, Luna is dead silent. Following her nose Spider looks over just in time to see Luna get tackled. She doesn't have time to question why Luna is mute as Spider is already moving attempting to pull the creature off of her. She sees a tail glisten in the light and a furry brown body of some sort, about 2 and a half feet tall. Spider grabs the enemy by the scruff and yanks it off of Luna, causing much of her own chest fur to get ripped off. She’s bleeding profusely and her eyes glow an intense crimson. Spider hears the light tink of something small and metal fall off of the mouse creature.
With the enemy now in the light, Spider notices the enemy attempt to rush towards the crown. She also notices it's a 2 and a half foot tall rat monster with a knife-bladed tail, sharp bladed claws with blood dripping off of them, a somehow cute(?) looking face, and a bald spot atop its head.
Error's Inscription changes to:
CREATURE OF LEGEND CONFIRMED!
COL 05 - CODENAME: "SQUEAKY FIEND"
Title: SABERTAIL - THE RAT KING OF THIEVES
Connected Concept - "Altruism"
SABERTAIL is a 2.5ft tall bipedal rat that seems to lead a squadron of mice and other vermin to hunt for food to share with its community. It is like a modern-day Robin Hood, one who steals from those who have to give to those who do not. Its signature weapon is its bladed tail which gives it its moniker SABERTAIL. Unfortunately, due to recent events in The Magickas, SABERTAIL presence is often felt among housewives alongside as it commands its band of vermin which makes him more of a pest. It is hated by many and loved by very few. Those who go to remove SABERTAIL and its band from a location best be prepared for a fight. It seems its weakpoint is its crown, though it is unclear how or why.
Spider looks back and forth from Error and Sabertail curiously. doing her best to restrain him they look at Luna calling out, "You back with us yet?"
From Luna, all Spider can hear is her snarling at the rat monster and the squeaking of mice on top of her attacking her. Mice keep flying off of her from the shadows and crashing into the walls. It's almost like she's gone completely feral. Sabertail is doing everything in its power to get out of Spider's grasp. It seems extremely focused on the crown that's landed on the ground. Spider hears something odd, a very very high pitched and kind of cute voice stating, "unhand me villain!"
Spider stares at Sabertail for a minute before bursting into laughter, cause well who wouldn't laugh at that? Readjusting her grip on the rat, Spider walks over to the crown and hooks it with her finger picking it up. While Spider is adjusting her grip, Sabertail attempts to swing its bladed tail at Spider's leg. "Take that villain!" Luna has literally gone full cat and is currently destroying much of the rat horde herself. It's almost like she's in a trance state while doing this. Dead mice are flung from the shadows and much of the ground is being soaked in blood, fur, and vermin. It appers Luna doesn’t even notice her own state of being in this mode.
Spider growls and drops the rat shifting the crown so it's now in their free hand, "Villain, seriously?"
Sabertail growls at Spider while still trying to reach for its crown, albeit failing miserably, "Yes! You've disrupted our business down here, you're killing my comrades, and now you've taken my crown! I need it back!" Its growling has devolved into childlike whining. Luna is doing cat things don't mind her. A few of the rats are in her mouth as she chomps their heads off in a shockingly sadistic display of nature.
Spider turns to watch Luna sighing, "we were hired to remove you and your ..comrades, so if I give you the crown back will you leave?"
It seems to think things over then after seeing more of its friends get killed, it responds, "...fine. If only to save my family from... that." It points to Luna who is currently licking her fur from the blood spatter. It's only a little weird. Her eyes are calming down, flickering out of crimson and slowly returning to their usual blue.
"Good choice." Spider tosses the crown at the rat and walks over to Luna waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention. She's not phased at all by this behavior being a werewolf herself.
After putting its crown atop its head, Sabertail snaps its small bladed fingers and calls out to those who remain, "we move out. To the bastard who killed my family," it rubs a finger across its neck. Hundreds of mice follow it out of a crack in the wall by the pantry. It seems they got it unlocked, but with the door open ajar, they can tell it is NOT a food pantry. A couple sheets of paper fly out of it and onto the ground.
Luna looks up at Spider seeming confused, "what just happened? I--" She continues to lick the blood off of her fur before it stains it permanently. "Did we win?" She then spits out a lot of the blood, bones, and excess fur in her mouth, noting that rat blood does not taste good.
A bad feeling settles over Spider at Sabertail's words. She looks at the spot where the rats were for a few more seconds then picks up the piece of paper, "I'm not really sure." It's a sheet of paper with something scrawled on it, "It sees me, it watches me. It knows." in red ink. Outside of it, a very HEAVY black circle is drawn in pen. Splotches of red are also found on this paper. Whoever wrote this, it seems they were in a panic. The writing is extremely messy, and oddly, the paper has a date: April 26, 2021.
Luna sighs, "fuck man, what a mess. I haven't been in assassin mode in such a long time." She continues to spit out blood and then pulls out some rolls of gauze and cloth bandages to attempt to stem her own bleeding before issues arise. Distracted by the paper, Spider makes a noncommittal noise and hands Luna the paper now going for the second piece. The second sheet of paper is dated October 26, 2021 in that same messy writing:
To whoever reads this, be it Crescent or my creators, You win. You've completely exhausted my resources, you've destroyed my memories. You've destroyed my love. I'm clearly unable to move on living the way I am. Instead of... ending things off physically, as you clearly wish for me, I am leaving. You will never find me, never be able to hurt me again, whether i'm six feet below here or thriving elsewhere. I refuse to be your experiment any longer. I look forward to your eventual downfall Solaire. Goodbye forever and good riddance.
Luna looks at the first paper with tears in her eyes, "how.. how the hell."
After reading the second piece of paper Spider decides not to let Luna see this one. She sighs frustrated at the situation, "I don't know, it's strange that they were going after this though."
Luna looks up from the paper in a daze, her left paw on her head. "I- I know what this is, but-- why. Why keep this?" She looks like she's going to be sick. Luna hobbles over to the pantry and searches it, "she didn't keep.. that did she?" Her breathing is irregular.
"Breathe then tell me what you're after." Concern laces Spider's voice as she walks over to Luna taking a look inside the pantry muttering to herself, "why put the paper in here though?*
Luna looks halfway to a panic attack as her eyes wildly scan everything contained, "it's all here, why is it all here?? why keep it all?? this is all my stuff, all my stuff,what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing????" She's trying to breathe but it's to no avail.
Spider notices a photograph on the door containing two people: A much younger looking Luna and a black haired woman, one she remembers seeing on the television screen that one time. Then, the two hear footsteps walking down the steps towards the basement. Thinking quickly, Spider drops the paper and steps out the pantry. She pulls the door closed behind her and praying to god that Luna won't freak out anymore. She then heads over to the foot of the stairs to greet Sandra.
Sandra steps onto the basement floor and cringes at the blood and dead mice on the floor, then greets Spider, "ah, wow. Good job on the extermination job. Thank you. Erm... there were two of you yeah?"
Putting on a polite smile Spider nods, "there were, she's just checking the rest of the basement to make sure we got them all."
"Ah, okay." She goes to walk around her basement then through every room to make sure all enemies are cleared. Then she heads towards the laundry room. "Hm. I haven't seen her yet."
Internally cursing, Spider goes to intercept Sandra saying, "she's in here, you mind if I grab her though? She can be a bit funny after this kind of quest. You know how cats are."
Sandra tilts her head in thought. "That's fine. Go ahead."
Checking over her shoulder as she enters the room, Spider makes a beeline for the pantry and opens the door speaking quietly, "Luna we've got to go now yeah?"
Luna looks up with her eyes a deeper, sadder shade of blue than Spider's ever seen. Without a word, she nods and gets up. The pantry is fully cleaned up aside from some bleeding. Her torso is covered in bandages most of which are stained red and wet. Spider pauses looking at the photo on the door and without really thinking they snag it and tuck it into the inside pocket of her jacket. She then closes the door and taking a deep breath follows Luna out the room.
Sandra looks worried over Luna's state, "Oh gosh is she okay?"
Luna is dead silent and doesn't respond.
Spider nods, "just a few bites, the good news is they're all definitely gone."
Sandra looks dismayed, "Right. I trust you. And yes, I believe you've successfully completed your task, so let me just..." She presses a button on her phone, "done. Quest complete. Is there anything else I can do for you two?"
Luna still doesn't respond. Her eyes are in that deep shade of blue from before but it seems she was able to stop crying.
Spider shakes her head, "she'll be fine once we get back ..so if that's all?"
Sandra nods, "Okay, I understand." She leads the two back upstairs and through the living room. Error seems to react to the skylight, a cone of blue pointing up.
Hm. That's weird.
Magic Indentification Mode active
Luna is still dead silent. Upon reaching the front door, Sandra says, "hope you two have a good night."
"and you." Spider responds and steers Luna out the door.
"Goodbye 6969! And stay safe out there!" Sandra's door is closed. The cone of blue light continues to point at the house.
"She knew." Luna shudders.
"I got that." Spider sighs, the false politeness replaces itself with exhaustion as she looks down at Error, "what are you doing?"
Identifying magic =)
The skylight has an enchantment on it, one that seems to activate at night. Enchantments are exactly what they sound like, Magical Abilities on an object or person that have an activation condition. In a way, they can be thought of like ticking time bombs, just waiting for certain pre-specified conditions to be met. This one seems to be a paranoia inhibitor. I am also sensing a second effect, but I cannot figure out what it is. It seems to activate when Luna is in the area.
Luna is sitting on the steps still looking completely out of it.
Please scan Luna. I have an idea.
"That's ..strange." Spider mutters then turns the beam on Luna to scan her.
A cone of green light scans her.
:( That is very interesting. It activated her.
"come again?" Spider looks at Error slightly confused by that.
As in, a second enchantment on that skylight activated her feral instincts. Do you remember when she tried catnip once and how it caused her to become completely feral, lose all inhibitions, and nearly attacked everyone in The Kiss? That is called her "Assassin Activation". It is her rampage mode, crimson eyes and all. It is a weakness built her soul, something designed to control her. It is unfortunately very difficult to tell who placed the spell.
Spider looks confused, "yeah I do, but how the fuck do you know about that though?"
Don't worry about it :)
"Can we please go home? I think Hinata's making thanksgiving dinner." Luna sighs seeming tired and her voice broken. Her wounds continue to bleed despite the bandages covering them. They're not just on her chest, but her arms and legs are also full of bites. Her face looks like she just drank gallons of blood and didn’t have a napkin to wipe herself off with.
Spider looks at Luna and seeing her like that causes her to reach into her jacket's inside pocket instead of waiting like they'd planned, "yeah we can I did get you something though." Spider pulls out the photo frame holding it out Luna.
Luna looks at the photo of the two of them smiling together and grips her head in pain. It seems to be taking everything out of her to not scream, "ggh-- it hurts. IT HURTS! What is-- h-how.." Tears flow down her face. "I need to go home. Now!"
Alarmed, Spider's ears perk up as she tucks the photo back away and reaches out to place a hand on Luna's shoulder. The pair disappear in a flash of green sparks.