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Fear of the Dark [M]

Started by Lion, April 29, 2016, 12:17:56 AM

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Lion

[Tags to @DragonSong ]

The hunter deserved a darker road.  That's what he told himself. 

The forests of these Serenian Highlands had an ethereal majesty to them, one that made Decebal feel distinctly out of place.  For a Connlaothian, the hunter had never felt like one of his countrymen.  The memories of his past sunk in deep, and he knew no matter what he'd never been one of them, likely to never be.

Coming south had been a temporary relief however.  It was better to keep wandering than to remain and let the shadows of his mind overcome him.  Decebal kept the horse beneath him steady, easing his hand into the mane of the animal, as they trudged into the lonely village of Aveiard.  Rain soaked the ground beneath them, hooves sinking into deep mud and hair clumping here and there.

The horse chuffed and paused when Decebal pulled back on the reins, instead walking with his mount, a gentle drizzle dotting the soft cloth of his hood.  He kept his left arm hidden beneath his cloak, just so, and pulled the animal along with his right, keeping easy footing.

For Serenians, the locals didn't seem all that inviting here.  But honestly he hadn't known what to expect.  He reminded himself he wasn't here to socialize, except where necessary.  He had  a job to do, and finding the little fledgling that would lead him right to it.  He'd managed to come this far on his own, seeking out the vampire Lorian Croft.

Some said he was killed long ago, gone from the face of the Earth.  But Decebal knew better than to believe silly rumors.  Still, those rumors had led him here to this very village.  He hadn't hoped of finding his quarry right away.  No, he still had a ways to go for that, however every step was one that brought him closer than before.

Decebal tied the horse at the stable, paying the young man there generously to care for his horse.  He gave the animal a few light scratches on his nose, the cloth slipping from his left arm.  Decebal eyed the burned and grotesque flesh there, meeting the stable hand's gaze.  There were no words exchanged.  Decebal turned around and walked away, stepping lightly into the tavern.

It was a start.

The tavern proper was well-maintained, if a little shabby but the village wasn't exactly swimming in gold.  Decebal smiled and sat down at the bar.  There the bartender welcomed him and nodded.  "What can I top ya off with, friend?  You clearly don't look like you're from around here."

"Oh, water for me.  I haven't had a proper drink of water since coming down the road."

"Where ya hail from?"

"Connlaoth.  I've come to Serendipity to get away from the war.  And to look for an old friend.  I got my last letter from this village.  And I just hope that they're still around.  Have you ever heard of a woman by the name of Gwen Cooper?" Decebal asked, taking a small sip from the tankard served to him.

[left it open for you to respond as you wish!  Hope it's okay.]




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

[Looks great! ^.^]

It was hearing her name that drew her attention to the newcomer. Before that he had been an idle curiosity- one more rain soaked traveler staggering into the tavern.

At least until he asked the bartender for her. She froze, back stiffening as a wary shiver ran up her spine. Tucked away in a corner near the rather pathetic fire that was burning in the hearth, Gwen's eyes flicked up from under the hood of her traveling cloak as she listened. It took a little effort to tune out the general chatter of the tavern and focus her sensitive hearing, but she managed.

The bartender was far too friendly for his own good. "Cooper? Not sure about that, but a lass called Gwen blew into town a few weeks ago. She stops in here every now and then. Bright red hair? Little bit of a thing?"

And that was her cue to leave. Making sure her hood obscured her rather tell-tale hair, Gwen stood and tried to surreptitiously make her way to the door.

She had no idea who the man was, why he would be looking for her, but she certainly hadn't sent any letters. Which meant he'd been tracking her. Which meant Lorian probably sent him. Which meant she needed to leave this place yesterday.

She'd almost made it to the door when a rather drunk patron stumbled into her. She twisted to the side to avoid him, but his hand flew out in an attempt to find something to catch himself and his fingers grabbed at her cloak.

Her hood was pulled back as he went down. Shit. She jerked the fabric away from the man now struggling to get to his feet and darted for the door.

Lion

The racket behind him drew Decebal's attention.  It would draw anyone's attention even if they weren't looking for a red-headed sprite that was clearly now trying to vacate the premises.  The hunter whirled around in his chair as soon as he saw her form right herself and bolt for the door, the drunk man stumbling and falling again.  This time his body collided into a table and another patron.

Decebal flew to his feet and turned tail toward the door.  He didn't bother calling back to the woman running away, he just rushed after her, pausing but a moment to watch where her shadow had darted.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen started to make for the inn she'd been staying at the past few days- then suddenly made a sharp turn to slip between two houses, darting in and out of shadows, hood pulled back up to hide her eye-catching hair.

He was following her. He had to be following her. Her breathing picked up a little in something approaching panic- a silly reflex left over from when she was human, as she no longer needed to breathe- and she resisted the urge to check over her shoulder.

Whoever Lorian had sent after her wasn't a vampire, she could tell that much. So hopefully she could lose him in the night, then sneak her way back to the inn, grab her things and be gone.

Lion

He was no vampire and perhaps not as nimble as she but he was just as dogged to capture her as she was to get away from him.  Decebal turned tightly when she skirted around the corner.  She was too fast to stay in his sight for long, but he pushed harder, tearing up dirt in the process as he saw her hood round another corner.

"Come back," he hissed, getting irritated that she couldn't simply slow down.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen paused, tucking herself into a small patch of shadow and forcing her breathing to calm so she could take a deep breath, scenting the air.

Damn the rain! And the fact that she hadn't really been able to separate the man's scent from all the others in that tavern. She couldn't quite make out her pursuer's scent, she wasn't sure how close he was, if he was even still following.

Lion

Decebal stopped before a crate where the moonlight was cut off from the edge of a wall.  The howl of wild dogs could be heard nearby, some going off at the disturbances around them. 

He pulled the whip from his belt, and when he turned the corner he lashed it out at the shape he saw in the shadows.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

"Ah!" Gwen clapped a hand over her mouth but the cry of pain had already escaped. She ducked to the side, wincing at the cut on her cheek, and turned to sprint off into the dark.

Only to realize she'd back herself into a corner. The only way out was around her attacker.

Shit.

She whirled, a snarl twisting her lips, and fell into a crouch. "Stay back. You don't know what you're dealing with."

Lion

"Easy now," Decebal growled.  A flick of his wrist brought the whip closer to him and he drew closer.  "There's no where else to go, Cooper.  Come with me and I'll take this nice and easy."

He kept the bull whip handy because moments like this never could go nice and easy.  Still she deserved one chance to negotiate.  Just one.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen swallowed her panic and bared her fangs. "Who are you?" she snarled, backing up a step- her back thumped against the wall of the building behind her. "How do you know who I am?"

Her eyes flicked around wildly, desperately searching for a way out of this situation.

Lion

"I just want to talk with you," he said warily.  "You know something I need to know, and thus that makes you more important than you're probably thinking.  I don't want to hurt you.  But I will if I have to."

He saw her fangs and he kept his gaze steady.  "My name is Decebal.  Is that fair enough for you?  Can we talk?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen scoffed. "Talk? Yeah right." She glowered, warily taking a shuffling step to one side. "If you wanted to talk, you could have just asked, instead of using that." She gestured to the whip he held.

Drawing herself up, she took a breath and tried to sound firm, confident. "Look, you can just tell Lorian I'm not coming back, alright? That isn't up for discussion. Now...run along." She swallowed nervously but held her ground.

Lion

"Like you made talking real easy when you bolted," Decebal scoffed.  He kept the whip steady.

At the mention of Lorian, he straightened and said nothing further. He darted for her then, throwing out the end of the blessed whip, flicking his wrist just right and bracing for a connection.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen's eyes widened and she tried to dart to the side, but the man was fast, faster than a mortal had any right to be. The whip lashed out and caught her wrist, wrapping around it with a sharp sting.

"What the hell?!" She tried to jerk away, wincing. "You call this talking?"

Lion

Decebal yanked the whip hard against him and pulled her with it.  He stepped forward, keeping his stance steady and stepping in closer.  "Relax and it will turn into talking," he hissed, and gave another yank.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Relax? Was he serious?

"Fuck you," Geen snarled, tugging back with a small growl. Her hand lashed out, aiming to strike his face.

Lion

Fine, she wanted to do this the hard way?  He was just fine with that.

He growled when her hand connected with his face, nails raking across his cheek.  Turning swiftly on his heel, he whirled around her, intending to wrap the whip around her body.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

Gwen gave a sharp cry of surprise and pain as the whip wrapped around her body, leather digging into flesh. She writhed and bucked against the restraint, desperately trying to free herself but to no avail.

Glowering at her captor, she tried to kick out, but even that motion made her lose her balance and stumble. She just barely kept herself from falling to the ground, staggering as she tried to keep her feet under her.

Lion

Decebal wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up and threw her over his shoulder.  It may have looked like an easy task but her squirming wasn't making this any easier.  That and coupled with her strength, Decebal fought to keep her under wraps.

"Stop struggling!"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

DragonSong

"Drop dead!" Gwen retorted, wriggling in his grip. Damn he was stronger than he looked!

"What the hell do you want with me? Let me go!" She twisted around and tried to bite him, teeth barely grazing along his shoulder.

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