[Village of the Earth] Entertainment

The sun seated itself high among the clouds in the blazing, but pleasant noon of in the forests where the Village of the Earth rested. Birdsong filled the air, as did the chatter of villagers going about their daily routine. Children played in the streets. Men laughed. Women chattered. Gay men sighed as they wondered if they would ever find true love. Haters hated.

But one spotty-haired stranger walked through the crowds confidently. Her eyes were focused forwards like any carnivore walking through a herd of prey to find the weak one, though most might not have describe the "weak" person as feeble at all. In fact, he was a large blacksmith who, a previous night, had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And unfortunately, he was supposed to meet her in the woods in a previous night and she'd stood him up. Certain... situations had developed and she didn't make it there. It was only now that she returned to see him at all.

His forge wasn't hard to find. The scent of liquid metal and growling flames acted like a beacon to her sensitive nose.

And when she walked into the business, she proceeded to make herself perfectly at home. After all, this was someone who was supposed to be helping her with something... someone she was more powerful than, in fact.

[ EXP: 259 || +1 TEXP (1st post) ]

Iskra had had a long few days, and her brow lifted slightly at the attitude she got from the much larger man.

Of course, just because he didn't mean it as respect didn't mean that this pack animal didn't receive it as such.

The spotty-haired woman stood up and walked towards him. Very slowly. Her manner remained cool until she stood before the forge and very carefully leaned on it. Of course, the embers were hot, but it was mostly a display of supernatural power on her part. The superheated temperatures didn't really hurt her, though flames born of magic and the spirit might have. Her heritage was infernal, after all, even if her spirit could only manifest ice.

And she simply leaned there and stared into the blacksmith's face neutrally, her blue eyes showing the vague sort of menace of a cat's stare when looking upon some bird.

Several moments passed, in fact, and she simply continued to stare. It probably meant more to her, as the beast she was. Staring was a common sign of aggression in many non-human species.

[ EXP: 210 ]

Of course, just because the man moved didn't mean that her confrontational behavior stopped. She simply followed the blacksmith and watched him change with the same unblinking gaze that she'd been staring into his eyes with previously. She continued to stare on as he retrieved the map and spread it out on a table.

He talked and she stared on. Ostensibly, he was talking about the logistics of how exactly they could kidnap a woman for the goal that she'd explicitly stated a few nights prior, but the situation had changed.

Moreover, she felt she couldn't actually proceed until she'd addressed his disrespect. It was hard to remember at all times that humans had a different way of going about these things. The demon probably would have to be reminded sometime soon, as her first movement outside of staring was to grab the sturdy man by the back of his fresh shirt and slam him face-down atop the map, her hips pressed forward firmly against his rear. Fortunately, she was still in female form.

"I haven't heard of them," she finally said. "But I know some safe paths through the woods. For now, I need your help with a different matter."

[ EXP: 235 ]

"Yes, things have changed," she said airily before backing off of the subdued male. Rather, she assumed he was put in his place because he didn't struggle or do much else other than sigh. "I've done some... stuff in hell to some female demons. I mean... I sold them up the river in exchange for something awhile back." With a sigh, she recalled the 27 women who she basically fed to a draconic spirit of power and knowledge. She sought the knowledge, yes, but what she learned was something truly evil, and it invoked dread in her now, even when she thought about it. "They were waiting to ambush me in my home. I barely escaped. They're still there."

She put her hand to her chin, walking around slowly until she was on the other side of the table. "There are twelve of them, and they control the snow like I do. They are very unhappy about what I did what I did to their... sisters... though they do a similar and more horrible thing to men." She stopped and sat down on the table adjacent him, taking a piece of charcoal as well and drawing shapes on the map. "I can get them, but they do not hold still long enough for me to bite them. I'm going to need bait." Her mouth began to tug at the corners, and at length, she laughed a troubling cackle. "You're more than perfect for the job."

[ EXP: 268 ]

The woman didn't get up, she simply continued to draw until there was a spot on the map that looked something like the brothel she'd attempted to start overrun with wailing, weeping, naked figures, all female, some of them with hoods or long hair.

"Their powers aren't like mine. That's a truth about most spirits. There's a lot of different kinds," she started drawing a little man near the entrance of the drawing of the former club. "These don't actually kill you or eat you or harm your body in any way. Your body will be just fine, eventually." She began to draw a bunch of skeletons peppering the lawn of her property. "You haven't heard of the yuki onna clan, have you? They're a group who lived in hell for awhile at the peak of its highest mountain." Over medius, she drew spirits flowing out of its famous pit. "Hell has all-female clans sometimes, as the humanoid females aren't strong enough to live by themselves like many of the male demons. These creatures make their living by seducing male spirits... taking advantage of the needs nature gave them." She drew several skeletons around the pit of Medius. "When they fall, the harpies gain ownership of the male's body. This is how these spirits can survive and interact with the physical world... by siphoning the mortality from a mortal. As for what happens to the mortal..." She returned to the club with the charcoal, drawing many dark wraiths wandering around the property. "Their minds and souls become tethered to these women for the remainder of eternity, but it's not because they're forced to." She speckled the property with blood and little chains. "They start to gradually become blind. They somehow get it in their minds that their job is to protect these demons, even though the witches are literally taking everything and giving nothing back." She finished the drawing with a rather ominous-looking, dark eye that had a heart instead of a pupil. "The process is pleasurable for the man, of course. The pleasure blinds them. They're strongly attracted to men with a lot of vitality and a strong protective instinct. It's why I think you'd be best as bait. If I kill them fast enough, then no harm will come to you."

[ EXP: 452 ]

Iskra answered quickly, "Oh, you don't need to worry about the wraiths too much." Her hand waved the thoughts off dismissively. "They don't have physical bodies, and these demons are young and haven't had a chance to really acquire a lot of them. Their tricks don't work as well in hell. The creatures there have grown wary of such tactics over time. I guess that's why they thought it'd be good to take over my building in some sort of act of revenge."

She stood and nodded, walking towards the door and soon out of it with a bit of an urgency in her step. She didn't really want anything to happen to the rat clan that resided with her, as reluctant as she might be to admit such a thing. They probably weren't hurt, but the thought of them coming to some harm when one of the self-entitled little witches grew annoyed with their presence. It would be a miracle if the little things weren't evicted out into the elements already.

"Yea, just remember that we have to be cautious... well, you have to be cautious. I can pretty much handle myself. Do you have any further questions?"

[ EXP: 223 || +1 TEXP (5th post) ]

The hyena demon needed no urging to take charge. Indeed, she considered herself ranked above all the humans, creatures who were mere prey in her eyes.

She watched the blacksmith... pack things. Honestly, it seemed like a good idea to actually have a few provisions for hard times instead of simply grabbing everything needed from around in the environment the way she did. Of course, she took her weapons from home, but honestly she carried around very few other things that she didn't intend to trade away to somebody for the stuff she wanted at the time. It made sense, however. Beasts of the field generally weren't known for their skills in preparing for things, other than the little flitting prey animals like the squirrels who were dependent on the seasons.

"Come on, then," she urged flatly. She wouldn't make eye contact with any of the humans on her way out of the village. Her mind was on the door and on getting back to her home as quickly as possible. The sun remained high as well as the temperature outside, and she didn't feel at rest until they were safely outside those claustrophobic walls.

[ EXP: 226 ]

[ Checkpoint ]