🦋 Percy 🦋

A digital illustration of Ellie Rat, a pale man with neck-length black hair dressed in a red scarf, sunhat, and shirt that are varying levels of degraded. His eyes are an inverted black and red, and a black substance drips from his eyes, nose, mouth, and covers his hands, which are manicured.

it fucking sucks when he shows his face. It always means things are going to get worse.

Hate that

You're the one scavenging!

They should've left the peppers alone

It why I can't keep most food for more than a day 😔

The rats probably ate everything already

He's going to just buy an entire bottle of whiskey. It feels worse asking another person for however many drinks one bottle equates to.

Yaaaawn

+about the second time, other than I heard it ended with a gunshot."

+ "Lived through it? That's only because of you, chief. Did you get thwacked again?

I'd be happy to regail you with the tale to the best of my concussion-riddled memory over a drink or two. The quick version is that *you* have defeated this dragon *twice* before. I couldn't tell you much+

"Do you want this back or should I hang onto it?" He asks Esra.

Offering the weapon out, it shrinks down to a large dagger, readily adapting to the only other weapon Percy was proficient with. Lazarus' voice makes him turn his head, and Percy offers a quizzical look towards the man.+

+ for a fatal blow, right? I can make a few educated guesses where might be effective."

He turns to look at Lazarus and then Eshenesra.

"I've already been working on tracking it since my last encounter. I've got scoutflies that can lead us to it once we have a general area."

+ his hand is mere inches away it suddenly transforms once again. The mighty hammer stretches into a graceful dual-bladed polearm that the hunter readily grabs, a grin spreading across his features.

"- should be the thing that turns the tide after all this time. We just need to get close enough+

+ table.

"I haven't yet fought the Sundrinker in it's current crystalline form, but I do have extensive notes from my last encounter. It's ability to regenerate is annoying, but if I'm following close enough, then this-"

He reaches out toward the weapon, and when+

+on the toughest missions back where I'm from."

He felt awkward as he started talking and all eyes turned to him, but the topic was at least one he felt confident about. He soon found himself relaxing as he spoke, and walked towards the great hammer on the+

Percy clears his throat, and steps further into the bar from where he had been observing in the doorway.

"Present and accounted for. Sorry, needed to take the kid home. Five isn't the worst hunting party, still one more than what gets dispatched+

😐

He steels himself with a deep breath, turning off the part of his brain that dealt in uncertainty and fear, and settles back into the mind of a monster hunter.

His entrance back into the bar was reserved and far from flashy, but a brief look at the man would show the change in his demeanor.

He's paused outside the door, standing just a bit to the side and quietly listening in.

In theory, this was his last chance to turn back... a thought he never humored before now.

How can you be so confident? | I'm terrified. I can't just show it like others can. People rely on me.

a cartoon of a hamster crying with tears coming out of its eyes . ALT: a cartoon of a hamster crying with tears coming out of its eyes .

walking back towards the bar like this

+He's getting out of there before he can change his mind or make a fool out of himself and walking back in the direction of the Kraken.

"You be good."

He hugs her back tightly. The goodbyes before a big hunt were always bittersweet, especially if he stopped to consider how it could always be his last one.

"Thanks again, Cienn." He says after clearing his throat, certainly not blinking back tears.

"I'll catch you guys later."
+

+up and turns back towards Clarice.

"Alright, guess that's my cue to head out. I'll be back as soon as I can, yeah?"

"You're the best."

He grins and lets out a sigh of relief as she immediately agrees, instantly feeling a weight removed from his shoulders.

"I think I'm good on rations. You guys have fun and when I get back it'll hopefully be with a bunch of prismatic souveneirs in tow."

He straightens+

+ you keep an eye on Clarice for a little while? It's looking like I've got a big hunt coming up, and I'd prefer if she was in a different dimension entirely while I'm pissing off the Sundrinker."

"Hey, Cienn. It's great to hear you've been doing good business. I can't imagine there's a universe out there where nobody likes sugar."

He places a hand on Clarice's head for a moment then walks up to the counter, leaving her watching the bugbears and half-elf.

"I need a favor, actually. Can+

"Alright, alright! We're going..." he chuckles and picks up the pace a bit as she leads the way to the bakery.

"Make sure you listen to Ceinn, especially if she asks you to stop eating all the donuts."

A bell chimes as they enter the dark bakery, Percy looking around for its owner.