perfidious-hunter-blog

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Dark aura began to spill out of the crossbow as Cygnus’ rage began to spill. The weapon began to shake violently as she tried to escape.

“Calm...down!” Trying his best to keep his partner from breaking free, he said, “It wasn’t her fault. It was the Black Mage’s. He was the one who enslaved you, not her!” Eventually the crossbow stopped rumbling and the dark aura dissipated.

Sighing in relief, he looked up to the Transcendent.

���So...Transcendent of Life. I thought you were dead according to the Heroes.”

Oh.

Now she felt a little guilty for insulting the Empress. Still…

“Alright, I understand your point. But Empress, your guilt does not give you the right to rage at me, nor freak out to this extent. So I can’t say that I’ve much sympathy for you, not when you yourself created this whole mess.”

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Commission for @perfidious-hunter of Alec and Orchid meeting again in the afterlife because these two are cute and you can fIGHT ME if you disagree. Just look at his lil wildhunter ponytail. He’s precious.

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Before Cygnus blew another casket, Alec stepped in. 

“Look look, I got this. Just calm down and I’ll explain it to her.”

Still fuming, Cygnus said, “Hmph!” before returning to the crossbow in a puff of purple smoke.

“Alright kid. The Cygnus you just saw is from…a dream of the Black Mage. Basically, she recognized the Cygnus Knights were the weakest branch of fighters so she tried searching for the World Tree despite her tactician’s advice.”

“It was a trap. The Black Mage corrupted her and her Chief Knights. The curse eventually spread to her Knights and even Shinsoo. Ereve crashed into Victoria Island, mutating the monsters and making them much stronger than they ever were. Then the Black Mage swept the land and took over a good portion of it.”

“She stayed ruler until a couple of explorers from our world defeated her and her order. The Black Mage from this world decided it was a waste to let such a powerful being go to waste so he used a ton of power to bring her to our world but she was only a spirit. I was given a weapon with her soul in it and she…eventually began to realize her mistake and regrets it.”

“That’s why she freaked out when she saw you.” he explained. “You remind her of her failure as Empress to the Maple World.”

“You… Searched for me… and became this?”

She hardly blinked at the destruction around her. Damien usually did worse when facing down the foolish Maplers that were eager to take him down.

Still….

“I still don’t understand you. As far as I’m aware, the Cygnus Knights are still perfectly nice people and Ereve is ruled by a perfectly kind Empress. Not a rude and ugly hag who throws tantrums over nothing.” 

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“...”

Where did this sudden Orchid level of sass come from? This girl looks like she belonged in a fairy tale but now she was talking bad about a pissed off evil spirit.

Looking to where Cygnus was, she went from angry to absolutely enraged. Letting out a scream of frustration, nearby Demons were caught in a tantrum-made Genesis.

“Okay okay, let’s not get me and the walking fairy tale character killed. Calm down. Did you say ‘World Tr-”

“YES, I DID SAY WORLD TREE! THIS GIRL IS THE WORLD TREE AND MY SEARCH FOR HER MADE ME THIS.”

“….”

Momentary silence.

The girl tilted her head, staring at the raging Empress with a blank look.

“You’re… Cygnus? I don’t recall you looking so old. Nor ugly. The last I saw you, your hair was gold, not white. Also, I don’t recall you having purple eyes.” She stated flatly.

Frankly, what was that silly Empress rambling about? What corrupted kingdom? Ereve was still safe, wasn’t it? What was even with that odd purple light and Cygnus coming out from the hunter’s crossbow?

Sheesh, this was another reason why she disliked mortals so much.

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And people say Takeno's harmless smh

Casually just going to roll around in his room and scream into his pillow.

You know, until Kubinashi comes in and beats him with one of her stuffed bunny dolls.

So now it’s just an echo of angry sister screaming versus wailing ‘STOP NO WHY DAMN IT’ on an inevitable repeat throughout the Grotto.

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“What do you do when you’re by yourself?”

“um…well, when I’m alone…I like to brush my hair.”

“Would you comb my hair sometime?”

“I’d be happy to. Just ask me anytime! But I don’t think my sister will like it.”

“Here I go.” a quiet voice peeped with a bit of hesitation mixed in. This is the first time she brushed someone else’s hair, not including her sister or herself. But it was the least she could do for him after all he did for her and all the other Youkai they met.

Sitting with his legs tucked underneath him, Alec kept his eyes closed and tried to relax. Despite most of his acquaintances being girls, he never had any of them get this close to him before. Nodding to signal to Takeno that he was ready, he took a deep breath.

Taking off his beret, the Shrine Maiden held up her left hand and took hold of a length of hair. This would be a bit different since his hair was short.

“Your hair is really straight.” she remarked, with a comb in hand and began brushing.

“Huh?” Glancing at the bit of hair he could see at the top of his vision, he supposed it was true. “Well I don’t have to use a comb in the morning like my friends so I guess I’m lucky.” the hunter joked with a chuckle.

“Mmhmm. Kino is always saying how lucky we were to inherit our mother’s hair.” Takeno said with a smile as she started working on another length of hair.

“Yeah…I know a couple of people who spend a lot of time taming their hair.” A certain archer and mage of light come to mind when he stayed at their home for a while but Takeno doesn’t know who they are… With a smirk, Alec said, “Imagine how long it takes for someone like Ibaraki to get ready in the morning.”

Trying to keep it in, the shrine maiden was in a fit of giggles for a few seconds.

“Alec…hehe, that’s not a nice thing to say!” she said in between giggles.

“It’s true but it is worth it. That guy must have the attention of all the girls around here.” the hunter said.

“Not…everyone.” she whispered before she could stop herself. Alec turned to look back at her with an eyebrow raised.

“I-I mean, Kino’s always talking about how he leaves his snacks and drinks so she has to clean up after him. I don’t think any hairstyle could save Ibaraki from my sister.” With a look of uncertainty, Alec turned back around and Takeno sighed in relief.

When the shrine maiden finished, Alec was beginning to get up.

“U-um….could I…do something before you leave?”

Getting up and walking towards her cabinet, she opened a small drawer and grabbed something before quickly returning. “Just hold still for oone second.”

“And there we go!” Holding out a mirror, the hunter saw what she did. She tied the back of his hair into a ponytail. Reaching to touch it, Takeno wondered how he would react to it. 

“It’s…pretty.” With a sigh, Alec looked at her with a smirk and said, “I like it. Adds some variety to my hairstyle for once.” Putting back on his beret but making sure the ponytail stood out, he looked back.

“I don’t think I can visit tomorrow. Orchid wants me to do some recon at the Temple of Time but I’ll come the day after.”

“Oh…o-okay.” Watching him as he walked to the door, she said, “I’ll see you later then.”

Strapping his crossbow into his holster, Alec said, “Definitely. I’ll be sure to bring you another elixir.” and walked out of the room.

Smiling to herself with a growing blush, the shrine maiden said, “Thank you.”

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Jaira tentatively sniffed the stranger’s hand before licking a few times and deciding she wasn’t a threat. Taking a few steps back, she laid on the ground and watched as her master conversed with the blonde-hair stranger.

“Alicia, huh?...” The name wasn’t uncommon but the name was strangely familiar. But he must have met some girl in the Maple World with that name. 

Before he could utter another word, an angry disembodied voice yelled out, “YOU!”

A purple light exited the crossbow Alec had on his back. In a few seconds with a bit of struggling, the light began to take a humanoid shape before the fine details of the fallen Empress Cygnus took form with an expression of pure hatred.

“Uh...Cygnus, what’s going o-” 

“QUIET! This girl....do not think I wouldn’t recognize the girl who was the reason why the Black Mage trapped me. My kingdom corrupted. The entire world plunging into despair. The World Tree...”

Oops.

She hadn’t counted on her spirit aura showing.

Plus - oh my my, what a cute jaguar!

While she may be a Transcendent, animals always held a soft spot in her heart. After all, they weren’t like mortals who always begged her to do stuff.

Bending her knees slightly, she opened her hands for the jaguar to sniff with a smile. “Ohmy my, what a beauty you are! What’s your name then, darling?”

Then she recalled the mortal hunter. “I’m Alicia.” She said simply. As if there was a need to worry about those demons. As a spirit, she wouldn’t be affected by them. 

And no, no need for that hunter to know that was the former Transcendent of Life.

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Mounted on his companion, the Hunter was about to head off when a voice called out to him. Looking to where it came from, he was surprised to see a girl who looked like she came straight out of a fairytale. Compared to the dark environment, she was practically a beacon of light.

“The Demon commander at the base of the Tree wanted me to eliminate some of his corrupted comrades and bring back their weapons as proof. He said it would ease him knowing that they were defeated in combat like they wanted while serving under Damien.” 

Placing his crossbow so he could lean on it, Alec asked, “And how about you? A girl in a dress with no visible weapon. These Demons were vicious enough before the Spirit of Vengeance got to them. You would think no one but the toughest would step foot in here, let alone somewhat like you.”

Without any command, Jaira began walking towards Alicia and once she was right in front of her, began sniffing her with a bit of curiosity. 

She had been watching the Hunter for awhile. At first, she had dismissed his presence as merely that of those experience hungry Maplers aiming to get stronger by killing those poor demons. After all, it was not their fault that they were possessed by the remnants of the same Spirit of Vengeance that had taken over Damien.

Surprisingly enough, he had been different, quiet yet precise with his arrows, never drawing out the suffering for too long. Still… He was getting close to the canopy. And the poor remnant of Damien that kept returning due to the curse that bound him to the World Tree.

Best to have a quick chat with him to see where he intended to go with that interesting jaguar by his side.

“Hey Mr Hunter! Where are you going with all those discarded weapons?”

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Cooking Black Wings

I watched Sweetness and Lightning. I wanted to make Alec be able to cook.

This was the culmination.

Alec stood in the massive kitchen of the Black Wings base, deep in thought of what to make for his companion and himself. Looking into the storage, there was only vegetables and water since the bunnies had such a strict diet. 

“Ugh….looks like I’m gonna have to go Victoria Island for food.” Sighing, he walked out of the kitchen and about twenty minutes later, he was about to leave the base when a cough stopped him.

“Where are you going?” Orchid questioned the recruit with her arms crossed over her chest. He was from the Resistance before means he could still have some allegiance to them even if he doesn’t say it. But before she could say anything else, he pulled out a piece of paper.

“I’m going hunting ma’am. Jaira can’t survive on lettuce and water, she needs meat if she’s going to keep her physique.” Putting the paper into his bag, he looked up to see Orchid with a look of longing…and a bit of drool.

“Um…Commander?” Alec said with a bit of confusion, she only muttered “Meaaaat”. 

“Would you like…for me to cook for you, Commander?” With no hesitation, she began nodding with a look of excitement. 

“You have no idea how long it’s been since meat was allowed in here. With all the bunnies around, the cooks won’t cook meat! I would get rid of them and all the other bunnies but they make up most of the workforce. But-”

Holding up his hand, Alec interrupted her. 

“I understand. And you’re drooling again, Commander.” Blushing, she quickly wiped away before angrily saying, “It better be good! Bad meat is worse than no meat!” and walking away.

A few hours later, Alec was at the door of Orchid’s room with a plate in hand. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on it three times before taking a step back. The door opened slightly ajar and a sleepy Commander peeked her head out the door wearing a bunny hood. 

But when she smelled the sirloin steak right in front of her, her eyes widened immediately and she took the steak from her subordinate before closing the door.

“…Commander, you forgot your knife and fork.” The door opened again and a hand grabbed the utensils before it closed again. 

…

“Thank you for the burger, Alec!” Francis yelled out as he joined the other Black Wings commanders in their food, the Wild Hunter stood there behind a grill with a look of regret.

“How…did this happen?…”

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@ygdraxil

“Power...we need power...”

The Demons consumed by the Spirit of Vengeance wandered all over the World Tree, brandishing dangerous weapons with their glowing eyes while muttering their one true desire. 

Loading in his arrows, Alec took aim from his spot, a short branch but high enough so that the Demons wouldn’t notice him immediately. With glowing green eyes, he let precise arrows fly and taking the poor possessed souls out of their misery one by one.

After looking around for any nearby Demons, the Wild Hunter dropped from his spot and began collecting the various swords and axes. 

His superior told him to check out the Dark World Tree and see what was going on. Despite Damien being defeated and the Transcendent of Life dispersing her power all over Maple World, this area was still corrupted from the sap to the damned souls wandering aimlessly. But so far nothing came up that was interesting.

Whistling to signal his jaguar to return to him, he leaned onto one of the branches with his crossbow ready to fire upon any sudden adversaries.

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tfw ur conflicted btwn two games and then u cry bc u wanna do both. 

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@perfidious-hunter

[Red is Aria and light teal is Cygnus]

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Kanna, why can’t you wear less complicated clothes?

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@catalystreincarnate

Alec didn’t bother with romance. Why would he? He had no reason to get a relationship with work keeping him busy most of the time. To him, there were only people he didn’t hate and hated with a burning passion. Except Jaira. They shared a bond which couldn’t be explained that easily.

That said, he didn’t see a problem with other people having relationships though one of his acquaintances apparently started one with someone who was very unexpected.

Tear knew a couple of guys which would fit a lot better. Kaiser, Evan, even that traitor kid if he ever got off the crazy train. And if she swung the other way, there was options there as well but this guy, this guy came out of nowhere and swept the girl off her feet.

He really didn’t know what to make of the white-haired stranger. He just seemed mysterious.

Alec had no reason to start a conversation outside of curiosity so he decided he would let him start one if he wanted. But as he leaned against the wall, he kept on looking at him for a brief moment before staring back at the ground.

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Turning his glare towards Tear, he says through gritted teeth, “Of course I know that this won’t hurt her. I’m just expressing my feelings towards my wonderful and amazing companion!” He began banging the crossbow several times before throwing it onto the ground before turning to the idol with his eyes full of rage.

“Look, I get that you’re all knowledgeable about being partners with your soul companion and how souls work but I don’t need to be told the obvious from a girl who can’t even count past three!” He was in no mood to be talked to in this tone. Cygnus knows this and decided to throw gasoline onto the fire.

“Looks like someone is upset. And don’t worry about me trying to avenge myself. That hero died when the Black Mage and his forces cornered him after he defeated me. And I won’t have any satisfaction over killing someone like Alec. It’d be faaar too easy.”

Red in his face, it was only a matter of time before he let out another tantrum and this one might be even more destructive.

     “…”

    For the most this Goddess fell into silence; taking interest in Cygnus’s voice as well as this bickering between the two. It felt… familiar. Too familiar, even. A real throwback to when her and Eskalade made their first contract; specifically to her protests about wearing pink and the whole scare-tactic with the marriage deal he pulled. Honestly, to this day she still wonders if her ring symbolizes more than he’s lead her to believe…

   But now they’ve reached a perfect medium. Er… semi-perfect. He naps most of the time and she’s grown comfortable with his rules and restrictions as well as the color pink; in fact, it’s even gotten to the point that she can call him her friend and has grown akin to the habit of sleeping on him when she grows weary. He still flirts and she still rebels, but at the very least it’s nothing in comparison to what it used to be. As result, she’s grown to be much stronger than she ever could of dreamed.

   So she can understand Alec’s side, but also believes Cygnus deserves praise. Probably. Not that she’s any moral compass nor a sufficient teacher, Tear still felt the need to share her ‘‘wisdom’‘.

     “…Disharmony between a soul and their master isn’t good, Alec. It’s supposed to be um… what’s the word? Sym… something? …Whatever, i’m trying to say it’s supposed to be mutually beneficial…. not parasitic. You both need to start respecting each other if you plan on advancing in your partnership. Beating your weapon against a rock won’t achieve this goal… and also, you’re not hurting her anyways. You can’t. She’s a soul. Unless you’re a reaper such as myself all you’re really doing is damaging your own weapon at any rate…? So… stop? Unless you want to break it, in which case you’re going to end up releasing Cygnus’s soul and.. well, haha, chances are she’ll just revive her vessel and seek out vengeance on you or whoever killed her in the first place. If that’s what your plan is then go ahead, I guess.”

    With a touch of smart-ass, apparently.  

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Ever since he got the crossbow as a reward, Alec began to notice something new when he killed monsters. Small red orbs coming out of their bodies. They floated in the air for a moment before being sucked into his crossbow. He dismissed these and soon began to ignore them, mainly focusing on the loot from the monster. But hearing this made him realize what those red orbs were but decided to keep quiet. 

Cygnus chuckled from the crossbow before saying, “Don’t act so innocent, Alec. It’s not like you’re any different from our pink-haired friend here. At least she has the decency to choose which souls deserve consumption. You just use any soul you manage to find.”

“W-what?!” Alec said, acting surprised but seriously annoyed at the fallen Empress. “Look, I just kill stuff which needs to be killed! You’re the one who uses your magic or whatever to turn their souls into food!”

“And you benefit from that. Didn’t you ever notice that your arrows had more power the longer you hunted? I’m waiting for a ‘thank you~’”.

“JUST SHUT UP!” Alec said, picking up the crossbow and banging it on the ground several times.

“I guess if you put it like that it does sound pretty weird, but I mean, it’s kinda not entirely like that? Like. Okay. My weapon consumes the souls of monsters to charge it, which is this thing Eskie calls ‘soul battery’, but in reality - Eskie consumes the souls himself and it in turn gives him power, which is then given to me for my own use. So my power isnt ‘made’ out of souls, it’s just the… bi-product of souls.”

The Idol shrugged, giving a glance towards her relic with slight curiosity. Was it really that creepy? I mean, she only takes the souls of those who DESERVE it… sure this would be dangerous in the hands of another, but its in her hands… so its… not dangerous! She’s responsible, right?

“Souls are fragile things, and nothing to play around with. However, the soul of a monster as compared to… say… the soul of a BOSS monster, is a billion times MORE-SO, and even though it sounds kinda bad, they’re… really expendable. Boss souls however are much more resilient and powerful, and would be a total waste for my reaping, and as such they usually end up like what you’ve done with Miss Cygnus there. Honestly, I plan to one day tie Magnus to myself, but… it all kind of is up in the air.”

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Hey, hey Alec. Hey. Alec. Ale. Mind doing the same thing to Christina for me? ;)

“…”

Raising his right hand, Alec flicked the Novan’s forehead.

“I refuse. I crippled one kid already and that’s all I plan to do. Just be happy that I did that to one person you hate.”