Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Sheltered in a lone cave, the strange aggressors that had been chasing them were relentless. And it was by fortune that Shetani would remember a cave she had long ago abandoned to take refuge in. Due to the other monster activity in the general area, the strange men chasing her and Sarmila were much less likely to go searching for them in there.

The water dripped, sending sounds of it's echo to course through the cave. Though the cave was dark, Shetani did not have a problem with this, and Sarmila's scythe, when she channeled her spiritual energy into it, would give off a faint light, enough for her to see, while they waited out the storm of monster hunters...

 

[Zenath]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

"Should be safe in here."

Sarmila glances over at Shetani, then shivers gently. "I... I guess. If you're sure. I mean, they're pretty persistent..." Her hooves click softly on the rock as she moves hesitantly into the cave, defensively holding her scythe up.

The arachne shakes her head with an annoyed sigh, then scuttles forward into the darkness. "We're better in here than in the open. At least I can spin a few webs, set up an ambush if they do chase us in here. Besides," she adds waspishly, "you got a better idea? I'm sick of running. We can get our strength back and plot our next move."

The nightmare shrinks at the aggressive tone, as she always does. "Just... worried..."

"You're permanently worried. Not much further to go, then you can get some sleep. ...assuming nothing's moved in..."

There is silence as the spider-woman vanishes beyond the dim light of the scythe, and the nightmare twitches anxiously. "Shetani?"

Shetani resists the urge to grind her teeth. Shut up, she wills. I'm trying to scout here, stupid furball!

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

Walking down the cave, Shetani's senses would suddenly pick up on the faint scent of burning wax. And since her senses were naturally dim, that meant the source was very close. Continuing onward, she'd discover a lone figure, leaning against the rock wall, hunched over like a hermit as he stared at the burning candle in front of him, his faced covered with a veil. He seemed to be aware of Shetani's approach, but made no move to escape her.

His voice was deep, and rugged, and seemed best suited on a man with an unshaven face, and a broad body, seeming to shake Shetani's mind slightly with it's quake, "I didn't expect to see one of your kind in such a recently abandoned cave... But I suspect you aren't back just to find a new home, are you? You've attracted quite a crowd, after all."

There was nothing to make of the man's features. He might as well have been a shadow in all that clothing, suggesting that his face was one he didn't want to be seen...

 

[Zenath]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

She hisses, instantly on alert. Something about this man made her wary... and she'd learned to trust her instincts on some matters. Too late to leave now, and there was that dimwit Sarmila to consider. So she stays in her position on the ceiling, looking down at the man, arms folded in a manner that might've been faintly comical to anyone not familiar with the dangers of Arachne.

"Any port in a storm," she replies with a hint of an angry chitter to her voice. "You got a problem with this state of affairs?"

A little way back, Sarmila freezes. Sharp ears had saved her a few times in the past, and in this case, they provided plenty of warning that they weren't alone.

She's torn. She really doesn't want to go forward, and Shetani might not want her there anyway. But she doesn't want to be alone, either, and going back is absolute out of the question. No way would she evade her hunters for long without Shetani's 'muscle'.

But what if this was a trap, and they'd walked into it? And Shetani was now in mortal danger, and she herself only had a hope of escaping if she ran now?

She paws the ground in nervous indecision, huddling back a little. Then she finally turns around, pressing against the wall to try and hide a little, and keeps watch. For all the good it would do.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

The man laughed in a raspy, dry tone, reaching one hairy hand up to his veil, scratching his head through it, "Not at all, I'm just a boring old man interested in a good story. That's all." he said dismissively. Lowering his hand back to his side, the man turned to look at Shetani out of the corner of his eye, while the darkness of his veil continued to hide his face, "You know... These aren't just your everyday group of monster hunters out for you... These guys mean business, in case you haven't figured that out already..." he tilted his head to the side, considering the tiny flame before him, "It's only a matter of time before they find this cave... Once they secure a parameter, there's nothing going in or out... Then, they have all the time they need to find you and your friend."

He chuckled slightly, "Unless you're willing to let me give you a hand... But don't worry too much about my reasons... I'm just a boring old man looking for a good story, heh, heh, heh."

 

[Zenath]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

((That's it, screw present tense. Enough tying my brain in knots, past it is -_-))

"Uh huh." The Arachne folded her arms again. "Forgive me, but I have a little thing called common sense which warns me that accepting 'help' from 'boring old men' without any damn clue who and what they are is a bad idea. Why do you hide your face?"

She knew he was probably right. If the humans hunting for them had been ordinary, they would have given up after she'd started killing them off the first time. And when they'd caught up, she'd had the fight of her life just to get Sarmila and herself out of there. Her crooked leg twitched at the memory.

But that was no reason to go trusting strangers. Particularly a man, presumably a human, who was out in the middle of the wilds with nought but a candle and an aggravating attitude.

"I'm waiting," she adds, tapping a leg impatiently on the ceiling. "I don't play games at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. Who are you, why do you hide your face, why the hell would you help us, and what the hell are you to think that you can help us?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

The man sighed as Shetani lost her temper at him, leaning on his hand, and staring at the fire blankly as he let her lecture him. Once she decided to stop, he let out a tired groan, "Jeez Louise... You're really that buggered over me wearing my veil?" he asked her, as if it was such a silly thing. Giving another sigh, he shrugged in compliance, "Alright, if you insist."

With that, he reached up, and began to gingerly unwrap his veil, before Shetani would see wavy, brown hair, laced with white strands as a mark of descent into old age spill out of the cloth that held it. Also revealed, was a handsome, rugged face, unshaven. His facial features were actually quite disarming. Rather than intimidating, he actually seemed more on the 'pretty boy' side of ruggedness. And given his slight, sly grin, this was a feature he had taken advantage of in his past.

"See? Not so scary, is it?" he asked Shetani, before explaining his situation. "I suppose I won't waste time making up stories, since I didn't think of one to use while waiting for you. I'm a member of the group that's chasing you, 'cept I'm with a different division. I'm a lieutenant of our 4th division, which specializes in support, and healing the wounded, as well as rescue missions... You could say we're rivals of the bad boys chasing you, which is the 12th division. They specialize in research, and experiments..."

Looking away from the fire to look at Shetani, he looked completely serious, having lost his smile, "They plan on capturing your friend, likely intent on breeding her in order to gain control of everyone's dreams... Since invading your dreams is a pretty big deal, I think you'll understand why they want your friend so badly..."

 

[Zenath]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

The Arachne looked at him stonily, far from impressed by his face. Handsome, maybe, but the 'human' element squashed that reaction nicely.

"You'll forgive me if I'm about as full of trust and good will as a meeting between Hornets and Honeybees," she growled. "Finding out that you work for the same people does not fill me with confidence. If these wonderful 'rivals' of yours are so good at their job, what are you able to do about it?"

She didn't like it, and she was damned if she'd admit it to anyone or anything, but she was getting a little desperate. Even thinking of leaving her home territory and moving towards the other communities or one of the towns. And while she hated having to rely on a human again...

Shetani pressed up against the ceiling for a moment, then dropped down on a thread, arms still folded. He had confirmed her worries, though. They wanted those dream powers. Quite apart from what they'd do to that poor, traumatised creature, there was no way she was letting humans get that kind of power.

"What can you do about it?" she repeated, her tone quieter. More like a real question than angry rhetoric.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Dream Catcher (Shetani and Sarmila)

The man produced a goofy grin, "Hah, good one, with the honey bees thing, I mean," he chuckled, "And I never said they were good at their job... They probably would have gotten you already if they were. I'm just here so they don't brutalize another rare, and beautiful creature. I'm sure you might be able to understand that." he told her.

Then his grin faded as his gaze sank into the fire, "It's not unnatural for the Magi to clash swords with each other... In fact, it's what we often do to settle disputes. If I have to, I'll do what I can to divert the morons off of your trail... In the meantime..." His gaze shifted to Shetani, along with a raised eyebrow, "My name's Amagi... What's a pretty face like your's called?" he inquired, trying to flatter Shetani.