Open - Silver-wood village Murders (gore 18+)

_____The demon had warned Kaede the price the magic she sought came with a hefty price, and it was starting to become very clear as she once more woke from her slumber with another vision. No potion, no incents, no other magic could relieve the burden for her and once more she had to give up slumber to prevent danger. In a sense Kaede wanted to laugh, despite the woman she gained the magic from being labeled a demon the magic always helped prevent what Kaede once assumed all demons would have enjoyed watching.

_____Unlike most other visions however Kaede had to do things different, she knew what would happen if she failed, and hopefully it would not happen. Gathering her supplies Kaede got ready to leave. A quick chat with some of the manor staff to cover for her absence and once again like many times before the two twins arrived to bring her to the place of her visions. It was always questionable how they knew, did the demon inform them, did they also share the magic Kaede had and simply refused to help others? Shrugging the idea off as Kaede tried to catch some sleep on her trip to Dunnstad.

_____It was not a thrilling trip, as per usual with the twins who never spoke and made sure they made it to the location every time with little to no postponements. Her frame rising from her seat as the door opened and the twins ushered Kaede out quickly before they got back on the cart and with the blink of an eye vanished until the next vision awoke the Astral mage. Arms stretching over Kaede’s head as she inhaled the clean crisp morning air with the hint of … blood.

_____Kaede’s nose cringed at the unwelcomed scent, so it seemed the first few had fallen victim, no matter the route she took it would happen. No, rather it had to happen for anything to start motion and while she would mourn their deaths later for the moment she had work to do. Her gaze setting on the nearest village before she tucked her hands behind her back and began to approach using the roughly worn dirt road. Part of her wishing the twins could have had the smallest courtesy not to leave a woman to walk such a long distance.

_____But pushing the idea aside Kaede had more pressing worries to deal with, the village and the air of distrust that ruined what little crisp air feeling she had left in her lungs as she walked the narrow streets with soft gaze setting around the area, eyes slightly darker than her usual blue but unknown to the people of the village or most if not all passing travelers. At times nodding shallowly to empty pathways as if she saw something differently.

”So it will be them then? Well it might take a bit longer then I would like but they should do just the trick to help solve this issue…”

_____Kaede spoke under her breath as she neared her location, the guards standing outside and people gathered around a clear sign she was in the first of a few locations that would be vital pieces to the puzzle for others. Slowing down as a group of kids rushed past her, a slight sorrowful expression washing over kaede’s face, fate was a cruel thing sometimes and as Kaede watched the kids smile she did her best to remember that scene over the others she was seeing.

_____As she reached the nearest she could get to the first scene Kaede felt her stomach turn over once again just like she knew it would when she got close. Hand moving to cover her mouth as she stepped away from the crowd and threw up what little she had eaten before leaving for the trip. Eyes quickly looking up as a figure with an ax passed the children, their fates not set on the course she wanted to avoid with everything possible but unable to directly alter events.

_____Returning to the gory scene Kaede watched from the back of the crowd where the others would find her. To each arrival she would say the same facts, tell the same tale, and hope they could correct this dark scar in the fold of history. Would they stop it soon enough to save the second scene, or would it drag out to the third or more? It was a terrible burden to have on her shoulders, but it was something she would not wish others to deal with.

”There once was a greedy woodcutter.~

He would chop tree after tree, so the story goes.~

One day the spirits of the forest had enough and set a curse.~

No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did a tree was worth a life.~

His ax once lost now found, and the story begins again.~”

_____Kaede moved away from the back of the group, away from those who would help turn the gears of time in a direction anew if Kaede’s hopes held true. Watching from the shadows cast by others and hopefully unfound to avoid forcing events to get worse, she had already stepped into the time and done the things she could to assist them.

_____If any of the group got close enough to the home with guards protecting the door they would find a body brutally chopped up into pieces by what seemed a sharp weapon. No cut was clean, and there was no sign of struggle from what any could see. The blood from each chop spread around the room, almost as if the attacked victim had no idea what was going on until it was far too late. Further information would prove harder to get however, so what would the group do? Kaede knew fairly well, but it was always better to watch it herself as her eyes dialed back to the blue shine and she hummed an unknown song to herself.

 

Something awful was afoot, Luna had realized that the moment that Natiri had managed to tell her that she'd detected the scent of blood on the air, and lots of it as well. And not the blood of an animal, or a monster of the wild, but the blood of people. A kill that was messy, awful and disgusting to even see. Luna had thought herself prepared to see it, yet nothing could have prepared her for the sight that would assault her eyes whenever she looked into that house to see the horror show that had been put on there by whatever sick, sadistic killer had started this whole mess.

She blinked, a hand covering her mouth as she stared with watery, wavering eyes, Natiri rubbing against her legs comfortingly. It was only because she'd seen gore and blood plenty of times already that Luna was able to keep her stomach from ejecting everything that she'd eaten recently, though it had desperately tried to. She wouldn't let it though. The last thing the people here needed was her throwing up all over the crime scene and giving people even more to be grossed out of.

Then, a voice caught her attention, a familiar one at that. Looking around, she spotted her friend and one-time bedfellow, a small blush on her face as she shifted towards the girl, listening to her cryptic poem. "H-Hey Kaede! N-Nice to see you again, e-even if I wish the situation were....different." She hummed sadly, not wanting to directly reference the horror scene indoors. It was a pretty bad sight to see. "Anyway, w-w-what was that strange....poem about? Sounded like....a p-prophecy or something?"

 

”Hello Luna, it was not a prophecy, least not yet. That was part of a song that was once sung here to children to warn them not to take the forest lightly or take more than they should. It simply… seemed fitting for this.”

_____Kaede smiled towards Luna as the girl approached, her eyes black as night until she blinked and they seemed to return to the normal blue. So it would seem Kaede was going to help, while that route led to a few bad endings it still had a good one she could decently aim it towards. Moving a hand towards Luna, and if accept pulling the girl closer so she could whisper in her ear playfully. But what she said was far from playful.

”More will die before the day reaches high noon, more trees won't hear it, the village curse is far from pleased… the blood of the wielder must seep.”

_____Ending by kissing and licking Luna’s ear playfully as if she did not just speak of others death. In her defense, she had not idea about what was said, her mind still blanking from changing from Astral magic future sight to normal. But, letting for of Luna’s hand and moving back to give the girl some space she smiled and turned her focus to the house with a sad glow in her eyes. She had to go find it, but to do that she had to find someone first.

”So what do you think happen here?”

@Luna Avalbane