Winter shakes her head. "Sure he may not deserve a decent burial, but the problem is that ghosts will keep rejuvenating until what holds them here is gone."She wags her index finger. "Which means he will keep appearing every few days even after we destroy his ghostly form. We need to deal with this problem once and for all. Though I'll admit bias since Pharasma doesn't care for unquiet spirits."
"What if he's cremated? Would that work?" Kilarra asks Winter, since she clearly knows more about these things.
"It matters more that the last rites are performed to lay his spirit to rest so he can go to his judgement."Winter replies. "But I need his body for that."
"Anyway from what Garrosh has said about him, Pharasma will give him what he duely deserves."Winter says darkly. "It's not going to be pretty."
Hanako says, “Then shall we postpone Day One his eternal damnation? I assume we need to get past the ghost to get to the body, and while I am confident the lot of you can handle it, I would prefer to help. Without my magic, I am insufferably useless.”
"We're not fighting a ghost today." Kilarra answers. "We're getting outta here stat, and then finding a place to camp. We'll come back for ghosts in the morning."
"Yes, rest, and dinner. Then we'll come back tomorrow."
"Yes, rest, and dinner. Then we'll come back tomorrow."
Hanako says to Winter, “Can I visit Winter and Maeve?”
Thinking a moment, she adds, “Maybe after we receive ‘payment’ from the detective.”
As the party leaves Fort Hailcourse, Sholn begins to stir. "Oww..my head.."He groans.
"You mean Naysa?" Winter raises an eyebrow. "You don't have to visit me, I'm already here."
“Ha! I am such a fumbletongue once my magic has faded! Yes, Naysa... but Ms. Werntz first!”
...
Hanako is rather eager about her deal for Maeve and Naysa. So much so, that she lets others deal with the waking prisoner.
After telling what happened, and being careful to speak respectfully of the dead—Omari especially—(and not get any more names mixed up), Hanako says, “Ms. Werntz… is it enough? For the arrangement we spoke of for Naysa and Maeve.
“Of course I will do more, if there is more to do—such as going back for the bodies. It is just that… Maeve and Naysa… I gave them my word that I would help them. I want to visit Maeve, show her my fairy friend. But I cannot face her without knowing if you feel I have earned my payment for completing the grotto and Fort Hailcourse missions.”
Hanako is rather pleased with herself. It was quite an ordeal, and none of the reward goes to herself. But to give to a child who lost her mother, to spare her being raised under a loveless roof…
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Having rehearsed the upcoming conversation with Ms. Werntz in her head, Hanako asks Baldhart to get a fairies-eye-view and warn of any trouble as the party travels.
Baldy dims her glow and flies well above the party, watching the streets below.
Baldhart sees a commotion ahead as people are scurrying to get into their houses. "That horror! Get away before it sucks you dry!" Someone screams.
"Well this can't be good." Piotr grumbles, his stomach does as well at the prospect of a delayed dinner. "What's going on!" he yells to the folk once he sees them himself.
Hanako uses the last of her magic to cast Biting Words.
She sheathes Red Destiny in her efficient quiver, then whips out her Viol.
“No soul-sucking creature will get between me and the comforts of civilization. Bring it, demon!” She wields her bow as if ready to slit a throat with it.
As soon as she sees someone, she’ll ask where the ‘horror’ is. “Simply pointing will do,” she will say if her only verbal response is unintelligible shrieking.
Looking beyond the crowd, the party sees the translucent figure of an old hag in aristocrat clothing (though years out of date) with one eye replaced by a cat's pupil, and tentacles sticking out of many parts of her body."What's going on?" Sholn mutters groggily.
Piotr has no idea what the creature might be...
Oh that is... interesting Ann says from inside her brother's head. An observation Piotr feels does not do the scene justice. The warrior pulls his sword, moves through his comrades until he is next to the creature, with his shield ready.
Her spell already cast the moment Baldy flashed an alert, Hanako plays her viol and sings to the creature.
Restless hag
You’ve been bagged and tagged
We’re late for our dinner
We don’t care to lag
So no offense
You’re in our way hence
Best be on your way
Or things will intensify
Fly, spirit fly
Don’t bother with long goodbyes
Fly far away
Where we won’t hear your ghostly cry
Vanish in the night
Banished from our ghastly sight
For there's naught here for you
But an unwinnable fight
Hanako's words strike at the creature's form but does not seem to do as much damage as it should, the creature being somewhat insubstantial. "I don't think it's a ghost but.. I have no idea what it is!" Winter snaps in frustration. "And I don't have any idea what to do with it!"
Kilarra tries to gently lower Sholn to the ground. Looking over at Baldhart, she commands "Baldert, sword!... wait, I thought I told you not to make it tiny!"
Hanako draws not-tiny Red Destiny from her efficient quiver and holds it out for Kilarra to take.
From way up above, Baldhart points to Hanako and says words(?) that sound like tiny bells.
She is pointing to Hanako who has a sword in one struggling, noodly arm. (The other arm holds a violin bow and is keeping the now-silent viol clamped atop Hanako’s shoulder.)
It occurs to Baldhart that she is pointing with a huge sword. Embarrassed, she swoops down to Kilarra and places the sword in her waiting palm.
Winter casts guidance on Hanako, seeing she has some way of damaging the creature as Sholn, after being put on the ground, staggers to his feet and looks for somewhere to cower behind. As far away from the translucent figure as possible.
Garrosh steps forward, and fires an arrow at the creature.
Garrosh fires a shot at the creature that passes harmlessly through.
The creature moves towards Hanako. "Such youth...such beauty... I was once like you... And free to go where I pleased..."
Piotr slashes at it as it moves, his sword damaging its translucent form.
The creature looks surprised that Piotr's magic sword can harm her.
Hanako feels herself a little confused as the creature touches her.
"Arrrrghhh Pharasma I'll promise I'll be good, just keep me safe from all the ghosties I keep meeting!" Sholn prays fervently as he hides behind some crates.
Hanako rolls away from the creature.
“Then feel free to go to hell!”
"HEY! Go here Ugly!" Piotr tries to draw the ghost's attention away from Hanako as he hacks away at it some more.
Kilarra steps in close with her greatsword, which lights up with a hilt of gold, and the blade of raging crimson.
Seeing as his weapon proves ineffective against the creature, Garrosh calls upon the Blessing of Ragathiel to be bestowed upon his companions - "Allow us to put this spirit to rest!"
Hanako's words do wound the creature while Piotr's longsword does cut a tear in her abdomen. Winter casts guidance on Kilarra. The creature turns on Piotr, then reaches out to touch him.
Piotr feels confused as the creature saps away his sense of self.
"Mmmmmmph, you're ugly. Just like my son. Ugly. Ugly. No matter what he appears outside. "
"Magic weapons harm it..."Winter looks around for party members that can harm the creature, then gives Piotr guidance.
Piotr falters as his inner self is rotting, he manages a swing but just barely.
Hanako begins to play her viol as she sings,
Rest, Restless Spirit
Let go of this mortal plane
Quit clinging on like a festering wound
Reeking and leaking and being a pain
You think you can suck up
Our beauty and brains?
You stink, you’re a f$**-up
With nothing to gain!
My friend’s not as ugly
As your horrible soul
With a taint dark as coal
Which belongs in a hole
And I’d be remiss
To think the Abyss
Is what you deserve
But I’m a little bit pissed
You think that my beauty
Makes me easy prey?
You think I won’t end you
’Cause you’re in my way?
Well I’ll spare the “Why fight?
You won’t be the winner”
And say what I think:
Which is “I want my dinner!”
I’ll spare honeyed words
Just sing words that ring true
But what I won’t spare
Is you
Baldhart is singing, emitting a bell sound as she dances to Hanako’s song.
The little fairy might be inspiring... but magically so?
Kilarra takes another step in, cornering the monster. Then, she swings at it, then uses the backswing for a second pass.
The creature dodges Piotr's strike, as Hanako's words strike her. It retorts, "Try being trapped in an attic for decades and see what it does to you, bigmouth. And no hope of ever getting free."
Kilarra takes advantage of its distraction with Hanako to cut into the creature, and at that point of time, it just vanishes as if it never existed.
Sholn peeks out from some crates he was hiding behind. " Is that thing gone yet?"
Hanako replies, “She is for now. I suppose we have to lay her body to rest, is that how it works, Winter? She did mention an attic. If Kilarra’s sword stayed shrunken just a little longer, I could have asked her address.”
She stows her viol and pats her shoulder twice.
Baldhart takes the hint. She gleefully zips to Hanako and sits on her shoulder.
Garrosh looks around to see if anyone was still left from the gathered crowd - "Maybe someone recognized the woman, and knows where she used to live?"
Then he turns to Piotr and Hanako - "Are you ok? Piotr, you look... Ashen...
"Yay, one... moment." Piotr feels the ability inside him, or Ann... he had never been sure where the power comes from. Maybe since the two of them have been forced to share one mind, their mother's gift, once defused has become real?
He moves his hand toward Hanako, pausing before touhcing her to ask permission "May I?" then concentrates on the brightness the ghost stole from her. Then does the same for himself.
Hanako permits, and smiles pleasantly as the weird feeling the ghost gave her disappears.
"Rub some dirt in it. You'll be fine." Kilarra retorts. She goes over to Sholn and asks "Can you walk yet?"
Her sword still glows with radiant fire.
"Well I suppose she bears a passing resemblance to Count Lowl's mother, Nemira..." One old woman remarks.
"You're talking nonsense, Beatrice," An old man next to her scolds. "She passed in her sleep 20 years ago."
"Yes, I think I can walk," Sholn uses the crates to stand. "Could you escort me to my sister Holissa? I think she would be worried sick by now."
As much as Hanako wants to see the detective, she isn’t about to say no to a person in need.
“Of course we will escort you. Please, lead the way.” Pointing out the fairy on her shoulder, Hanako asks, “Your sister will not mind my little friend, will she?”
Baldhart brightens her glow as Hanako points her out, and waves shyly. But she then immediately dims her luminous skin until she does not glow at all. Seeing all the giants about on the street, Baldhart would rather get lost in Hanako’s long, black hair.
"Holissa likes fairies. Actually I didn't think faeries were real... That's a fairy right?" Sholn asks Hanako.
Sholn gives the party directions and the party sets forth to his sister's house. The door is opened by a teenaged young woman, who immediately flies into her older brothers arms and gives him a heartfelt hug. "Oh Sholn, where have you been? I've been looking all week for you!" She exclaims.
"Urm no idea really. I was knocked out and locked up in a cell. Then these people rescued me but I fainted along the way, so I don't know where I was taken to." Sholn answers shamefacedly.
"Oh Sholn, that's horrible! Are you hurt?" Holissa fusses over her brother.
"A bit I guess."Sholn replies while rubbing a lump on the back of his head.
"Oh and I can't thank all of you enough. Wait here, I'll get something to reward you for rescuing my brother." Holissa returns to the house then staggers out wrapping her arms around a silver shield with a bronze Griffin emblem on it. "This belonged to my Grandpa. Please take it as a token of appreciation."She says to Piotr.
"I think that will suit Piotr perfectly" - Garrosh nods his thanks to Holissa.