Great Hunt: Rorschach

BRIAR

After her most recent double monster fiasco, Briar had had every intention of staying far, far away from any monster hunts for a while. Not that she didn’t enjoy fighting – she did, she loved it – but going up against two monsters while fighting alongside the gods damned Sparkweaver herself had been exhausting. Quite frankly, it had been enough excitement for one lifetime, but Briar knew she wouldn’t be able to stay away forever.

She just hadn’t expected to launch back into the fray of the very next hunt. That quickly changed, however, when she caught wind of a certain rumor. 

Her curiosity couldn’t be kept at bay forever, and while she’d still possessed no intention of crossing the monster, she’d found herself at a village not far from Redgrass Bluff a week or so after the reported monster had first appeared. The fight didn’t seem to be going quickly by any means, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the Sparkweaver and her trusty sidekick, the Stonedrake, were up on the hill in that massive cloud of mist and gold. There were whispers that there was a giant card floating in the mist, visible only once you stepped inside, and Briar would have to see it to believe it, but she had no intention of seeing it. 

She’d listened intently for any sightings of the brilliant blue bovine, with her crown of golden horns, but nothing had reached her ears. What she did catch wind of, however, was a retelling of a glimmering white unicorn saving a young mage from what had surely been a mortal wound – no, it had only been a cut – no, she literally sewed his arm back on with her magic—

Okay, clearly no one knew what they were talking about, but at the very idea of a certain white unicorn being out there… well, Briar’s heart made up her mind for her. Before she even realized what she was doing, her hooves were carrying her toward the Gilded Augury with her familiar at her side, eager to see for herself if these rumors were true. 

--

The card was the first thing she saw as she stepped into the mist, and she couldn’t help but think that even the term massive had been an underwhelming description. The golden skull nestled against it seemed to look at her, and the surface of the card changed before her eyes. The colored ink blended together until it reformed as a full moon set against a deep black sky, its light draped over two figures standing beneath it. She immediately recognized the motif from the Ivratian oracle deck, but this card’s illustration felt different from renditions she’d seen before. There could have been other mages around her, but Briar was so entranced with the image before her that she failed to even notice.

---

EVE

It'd been a long time since the Lightbinder had been this exhausted.

Sometime, over the past few days, the dynamic of the Guilded Augur had changed. The card became easier to provoke, the skull atop it spinning restlessly - a sign their vicious initial attacks were not entirely futile. While the monster had originally been peaceful unless provoked, now it seemed to lash out at the slightest provocation. Many had been hit by decks of razer sharp cards, and Eve was there to seal whatever wounds she could.

Looking around her now, she could see many healing wounds on the hides of those around her: sealed by scars of light. Eve was thinner than she'd been three months ago, again doing all she could to aid those around her. It wasn't necessarily the Augur that was the issue but the amount of power she'd expended in the string of monster attacks as corruption bloomed across Ivras. But it had taken a toll, certainly. Gaunt in the face, thin around the ribcage, and her coat seemed more unkempt than usual.

Her golden eyes tracked the curious onlookers, before she recognized a familiar form cresting the hill. One Briar Cinderlight. The hind slipped between a few adoring onlookers, her own golden eyes alight. Whatever she saw on the card, it must have been beautiful. Truly, the monster itself was a sight to behold. What the card exposed to each of them? Not so much. Eve watched the friend disappear into the mists and instinctively she stepped closer, catching herself when the golden skull turned its brassy gaze to her.

The Lightbinder pinned her ears and skirted the crowd, eyes fixed on when she assumed Briar was. Though she did not move closer to the Augur - it knew her, each time she came within a specific distance it launched a volley at her. Her flanks were caked with dried blood, and to be fair most of it wasn't hers. But some of it was.

---

BRIAR

Something seemed to have caught the monster's attention, for the illustration on the giant card faded and a flurry of smaller cards sprung forth from the magical smoke. They whizzed through the air somewhere to her left, which was enough to tear Briar from her trance, reminding her that she wasn't here to sightsee. 

And speaking of sightseeing...

She whirled on her hooves to find herself face to face with what was indeed a sight for sore eyes. Her face lit up, her maw cracking in a smile. "Moonlight!" she said, her ears standing as upright as they could. Her vulpine familiar bounded over to Eve, nuzzling against one leg. Briar took in the unicorn before her, relief running through her veins at knowing the Lightbinder was okay -- and that the rumors had been true. However, she'd certainly seen better days. Briar took a few steps closer to Eve and took her in, the thinness of her frame, the blood spattered across her ivory pelt. Her smile reversed, a deep frown taking its place, and she nosed lightly against Eve's shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You look like shit. Ah... no offense." Had it really been that long since she'd last seen the Lightbinder?

---

EVE

Eve stilled when a flurry of cards erupted once more, an onlooker who'd gotten too close shying away as the deck flew past their nose. When she returned her gaze to Briar, she found the other hind had turned to face her. "Hello, Firestarter." She greeted in response, eyes turning up slightly at the corners. Her tail whipped and lashed, eventually winding around the fox pressed against her foreleg. She squeezed, an affectionate gesture, before allowing her tail to mindlessly run over the familiars body. Soothing, repetitive - familiar.

Briar's expression changed then, and Eve angled her head at the sudden shift. "It has been a long few weeks," she explained, eyes widening ever so slightly when Briar's nose grazed her shoulder. An unexpected rush of heat followed, and the pale female gently laid her horn onto Briar's back as she returned the shoulder press with her own nose -- a bit precarious considering the size of her horn, however. "It is good to see you." Raising her head, she glanced at the Augur. It appeared to still be trained on them, which caused a bolt of anxiety to echo through her chest. "Perhaps this is not the best place for a reunion," Eve frowned. "The Augur has been agitated of late."

---

BRIAR

Briar was pleased her mild display of affection was reciprocated, but Eve was right: this wasn't the place for a reunion. Then again, most of their meetings seemed to stem from incidental timing, so this felt fitting. Her gaze lingered on the Lightbinder for a heartbeat too long before her attention was directed to the Gilded Augur once more. She was disappointed to find that the Moon card was gone for good now, the rectangle spinning idly as the golden skull glowered down at them. She wondered what Eve might've seen, if anything. Rumor had it that the card displayed something different for everyone. 

She cleared her throat. "I see that," she murmured. "Guess I picked a bad time to show up." She focused for a moment, urging the wind around them to pick up slightly, readying a defensive move in case the two of them found themselves faced with a swarm of evil cards. "Are you in any condition to carry on?" she asked, glancing sidelong at Evelyn. "It seems you've had your work cut out for you out here. We can't have you overexerting yourself." A grin played on her lips, but there was an undeniable hint of concern in her tone.

---

EVE

"You showing up is never a bad time." Even as the wind picked up around them, the white hind found that she meant those words. It wasn't quite a lie, as she found she quite enjoyed Briar: no matter what form she arrived in. 

Eve gazed as Briar for a long moment, imagining what she must have looked like to the other hind. Was she in any condition to keep going? Knee jerk reaction was: yes, of course she was. But the ache in her lower back and the stiffness in her shoulders and neck said otherwise. The Lightbinder shifted, right hind leg tucking tightly under her belly as a wave of discomfort crested over her. Magic overuse always bothered her bum leg, the one injury not even time could seem to heal. It was a long few moments before she finally let her leg drop, testing the ground once or twice lightly before bearing weight on it again. 

"Do you have a plan?"

---

BRIAR

Despite the circumstances, Briar found her ears growing warm at Eve's words, her grin widening further. Everything the Lightbinder said felt so genuine, there was no doubting that Eve wholeheartedly believed what she said. She leaned forward as the other hind shifted her blackened leg, wincing sympathetically. She knew not what old injury the Lightbinder suffered from, but Briar knew it bothered her on a regular basis, particularly when she used her magic, and it seemed like she'd been doing a lot of that lately. Whatever discomfort she was apparently feeling quickly faded enough that she could put weight on her leg again, but Briar wasn’t wholly convinced. 

She snorted at the question, unable to help herself. "Have you ever known me to have a plan?" she asked with a lighthearted chuckle. She turned and circled around Eve, coming up behind her to lean gingerly against her lame side, silently urging her companion to use her for support. "For once in my life, I do, actually," she said. "I think you've cared enough for others today. Time to let someone care for you, eh?" She didn't plan on taking no for an answer, and she hoped Eve realized that. Briar would be getting her away from the fray for a little while, else she might never rest.