The Hunger

[Vien Lotus]

7th of Winter 513 A.V.

As night crept into fruition Vien found himself back at the Silver Sliver. Annoyed at how his feet always brought him back here even if he had never intended to come. He never bothered ordering anything because he could not afford it. From his sit in the corner he watched the men shouting from one side of the tavern to the other. It annoyed him as to how loud a group of humans could be, drunk or otherwise. When finally he could not stand to be there any longer he hastily got up and made for the door. As he approached it a young couple walked in and made for the counter. As he tried to slip by the woman gently bumped into him and whispered something in his ear. At first Vien could not understand her but whenever her words finally clicked his heart started to race.

"Sorry about that." the woman said with a silken voice that made Vien's head somewhat foggy.

"No, no. The fault was mine." he said apologetically before turning and making for the door; however, as Vien reached the exit a hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder. Wheeling him around in a singular movement Vien had little time to react to a clenched fist came hurtling at him. Vien had been in enough fights to react accordingly so instead of making taking a full on punch to the face, which would of resulted in a broke nose. He nimbly dodged to the right avoiding most of the fist save for the first knuckle. As it struck Vien was knocked back a ways where he was forced to whence as his cheek split open.

"I thought I told you to never come back!" the man fumed. The woman who had bumped into Vien rushed forward attempting to haul the man back only to get smacked away herself. "Stay out of this whore!" he seethed. He turned back to face Vien but seeing the woman struck down made Vien snap. His temper soaring he flung himself forward and grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it into the man's face. The man blinked then collapsed to the ground. Vien looked around as everyone starred at him. He met the gaze of the woman who although silent was pleading for him to run. Fully understanding the situation Vien made a beeline for the door. As the shock mulled over the others in the tavern they instantly rose from their chairs in pursuit of him.

Vien burst from the door at full speed with an angry mod trailing after him. As Vien ran he began to hear yelps of pain and squabbling among the ranks of his pursuers as their lack of vision and their drunkenness caused them fall over objects as well as each other. He began laughing gleefully as he ducked into a nearby corner and began to scale the wall. He was out of practice and it took him longer than he originally thought but after several minutes in the gloomy alleyway he was on top of the roof and out of harms way. As he took a breather he chuckled to himself as the drunks began to brawl with each other. After he had caught his breath from all the fun he began thinking about the woman from the tavern. His heart became unsteady again as her words echoed inside his mind.

Meet me at the shipyard just before dawn, Sym.

He knew he should not. He had tried erasing any trace of his Sym bloodline from all those around him. Knowing full well this could be a trap he would rather face it head on than trying to run. Lord only knows what would happen if he tried to run.

_____________________________________________

Six hours later

As Vien stood waiting in the shadows near the edge of the docks he cursed himself for being stupid enough to come to this place. The woman knew who he was and more importantly what he was. Vien did not want anyone knowing but then again if he had been as careful as he thought how did this woman know what he was? He was about to find out as not only the woman but the other men of the tavern made their way into the light. Their number was five in all so it was not looking good for Vien.

"Well Sym. Here we are. Do you know why we are here?" she asked

"Not the slightest, but I am sure that I will be finding out soon enough." he said as the group of thugs moved forward to surround him.

This is going to hurt

[Alea Davenport]

It was far too early to be awake. Not even the sun was awake. She hadn't had to get up this early since she'd worked on her father's fishing boat... or maybe since she'd worked the stables in Avanthal... Either way! She'd hoped, after seeing the ridiculously posh place Valerius lived in that she'd be allowed to sleep in. But nooo, apparently being a "slave" meant she had to earn her keep, and that meant doing whatever Valerius said, and that meant, today, getting up before dawn to run...some...errand. Really, ever since she'd gotten horribly lost she'd given up on remembering to do that task her Nitrozian "master" had sent her on. Now she'd be glad just to figure out how to get back home.

She'd managed to wander pretty far, but she started seeing the familiar sight of ships not too far off. Not that she knew where she was in the city; she was just used to being around ships. She wanted to give up and ask for directions, but hardly anyone was out at this hour, and they all looked so busy, and just a little bit scary, that Alea was shy about approaching them. But finally, she heard voices, and saw a large group of people who seemed to be just standing about, or at least not going anywhere in a hurry. She hastened toward them.

"Excuse me," she began. Then she got close enough to get a better look at what was going on. She'd been ganged up on as a kid just enough to recognize that the scrawny guy in the middle was outnumbered against some guys that he probably wanted nothing to do with. Old, stale, pent-up rage boiled up in Alea's veins, but she took a deep breath, tried to steady her mind, and tried speaking one more time. "Is there a problem here?" Her voice may have squeaked ever so slightly, but her resolve remained firm. It had been a pretty long time since she'd been in a real fight, and part of her was disturbingly eager to reawaken the feeling.

[Vien Lotus]

Hearing the voice Vien looked around in the hopes for help, otherwise he was a goner. Alas whenever he looked over the shoulders of the thugs he sadly spotted a woman. He sighed a little his hopes dashed. Yet as he looked closer at the thugs he could tell they were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the girl. Some even took a glance back at the new comer. Vien decided to try and take advantage of this distraction by springing onto the closest of the thugs where her began to claw at the man's face. The man started screaming bringing the others out of their shocked state which lead to several rushing forward to peeled Vien off of the man. It did not take much as the they were about twice as strong as he was but that did not stop Vien from acting out.

As he struggled against the men he managed to land a solid bite to on of the thug's jugglers which caused him curse at the sym before the other thug landed a solid punch to the abdomen winding him causing Vien to release his grip. The man shoved away to learn against the building as he began ripping his shirt sleeve to create a make shift bandage. The woman walked forward while Vien was stunned and secured his left side while the other thug held on to the right. The leader look over the sad excuse of followers he had and spit off the dock into the water.

"Gather that one up up we're leaving." the leader said to the man leaning against the wall. He looked rather reluctant at first but after a second or two he agreed and bent over to retrieve the slash victim. "And make sure to mind that ones teeth. He is more of an animal than we originally thought." he said to the others before he came to confront the woman that had interrupted their business. "No missy, there is not a problem. Now mind your own business before you get hurt like that one did." he pointed to Vien over his shoulder. "Lets move!" he shouted as the ragtag group gathered up their fallen and began to move. The leader took the lead while Vien and the two restraining him followed suit. The two injured men supported each other as they took up the rear cursing underneath their breath the whole time.

[Alea Davenport]

Seeing the scrawny man get beaten and captured so quickly made Alea hesitate to jump in. If he'd been able to put up a longer fight, Alea might have been able to help him turn the tables, but now she would basically be going up against them by herself. True some of them were wounded now, but at least a couple of them were fully healthy. No way she'd win a direct confrontation. Even if their threats made her want to rip their faces off...

But she couldn't just let them disappear. Questions burned in Alea's mind as the group walked past her. Who were they? What did they want with the scrawny man? Where were they taking him? It took a fair deal of will-power not to blurt out those questions here and now. Somehow, she sensed that, unlike in Avanthal, these were not nice people, and they were not likely to put up with her.

Somehow knowing what she was going to do before she'd even really decided to do it, she stepped aside to let the group pass, pressing herself into the shadows of a building. It was still fairly dark, though the sun was on its way, so she had at least a few chimes of darkness to hide in. Depending on how far they planned to go, that might be enough.

When the last of the group had passed her by about ten paces, Alea casually and quietly strolled after them. She was careful to roll her steps, so there would be no loud slap of her feet hitting the ground, and she keep to the edge of the walkways and the shadows of buildings as much as the landscape permitted. It wasn't too hard to follow the group, as their cursing was louder than they perhaps realized. It also had the added benefit of further masking any telltale sound of Alea following them.

Abruptly, one of the men in the rear, the one who'd been bitten, started screaming in terrifying agony. Alea froze, not because the others were turning around and she didn't want to be seen, but because she could not understand the sheer amount of pain in that scream. What could do that to a man? Alea had never seen anything like it?

The thugs however, apparently had. The woman grabbed the throat of the scrawny man and demanded with a firey glare, "What did you do to him, you son of a--"

She was cut off by the sound of a splash. The woman looked back, startled. Their leader had just kicked the screaming man into the lake. He said in a sharp tone, "He was already dead. You know nothing survives a Symenestra bite. Now let's move!" He resumed his position at the head of the group.

Alea didn't know what to think. These thugs, or at least their leader, were clearly heartless in a way Alea had never thought possible. But their prisoner... if they were to be believed, he had killed someone! It was horrible, unforgivable... and yet, if Alea were threatened by that many enemies, would she stop short of killing? She wanted to believe she would, but... the truth was she didn't know. She had felt bloodlust rise in her too many times to believe she would never kill another human. But did that make it okay?

Alea's head was spinning, and she still couldn't decide whose side she was on. Maybe it was better to just let them kill each other. If neither side was good, why should she help either of them? But her curiosity was too powerful to let her leave without finding out more. There were still too many for her to attack on her own, and it was too open. If she was going to do something, she needed more of an advantage. Maybe if they got to where they were going, they'd split up and she could take them out one by one...

In any case, it seemed, for the moment at least, that she only had one option. Keep following them, and see what happened next.

[Vien Lotus]

Vien watch the scene unfold with a rather hideous smile. It did not take a lot to realize the woman's temper was her weakness and Vien planned to use this to his advantage.

"What are you smiling about you piece of filth?" she asked trying hard to keep her temper under control.

"You asked me what I did to him, correct?"

"Shut up, Sym scum!" the leader roared from the front not even pausing to turn around. Vien took advantage of this by continuing to taunt the woman.

"I bit him. You know what happens when you get bitten by a Sym? No?" he asked grinning ever so pleasantly. "I release my venom into you. Mind you it take a bit to kick in but if bitten by someone like me who has not eaten in a couple of days? Well lets just say your pain would be excruciating to say the least. In fact I remember a person not so long ago that I did this too mind you it was an accident but still that does not expunge the sin. She was from Sunberth and very pretty. Do you want to know what happened to her?" he asked leaning in so only she could hear him. "As soon as I bit her she was dead. tragic mind you, and I felt horrible for it as well but who am I to turn away a meal, hmmm?" he chuckled in her ear and that was all it took.

"That was my sister you, monster!" she said releasing her grip on his arm to take a swing at Vien. The woman's rage clouded her judgement and that was all he could ever hope for. As soon as he felt her grip release he knew she was going to lash back. He just did not know where. As she swung her punch Vien saw it coming towards his head. She meant to knock him out but that was not going to happen. Vien craned his neck as her right arm came around. The resulting collision broke his captures nose which resulted in him releasing his grip to cradle it like any normal person would. Shocked by the turn of events Vien thrust his right hand forward slashing her face even catching her right eye in the assault. The leader who had already whirled around could not stop the slash but did manage to knee Vien in the side knocking him away from the woman.

"You're lucky. I could of bit you and you would of had a fate worse than death." he chuckled again as the third member of the party who was partially blinded from the attack before wrestled him down while the one who was suffering from a broken nose came over and kicked him in the stomach.

[Miro]

Miro had roamed all day today in search of, well, he would say prey. Not to hunt for sport, or to feed, but more for potential. Potential to serve the Chained One, or something greater. This would be for a very special test, one for the benefit of those beyond even the wizard. At least, that's what Miro would convince himself, for he always felt so selfless. And he always thought of his twisted view of fairness. He would force a service on somebody and demand something in return, never truly a selfless act. That was what Uldr commanded of him.

Not to say the undead was always fair. For where there is gain there must also be loss. And Miro refuses loss as a policy, only investing. The rule of the undead, everything given with a cost and interest. And the interest of a twisted wizard was something only sought by fools. This was the case for his prey, to be the losers in the deal, in the hunt. But they would gain something in exchange surely, and would become valuable in ways they had not before. Those uninitiated to magic were limited and what they could accomplish without it. Luckily it is not always the case that a man need be a practicing wizard to bear consequence of it's use.

And magic truly was the greatest gift to the races of the world. Both in the gifts of the disciplines of the world and Gnosis so graciously given. In their combination was a truly great creation. One such as Miro, a master wizard without Returning, and with it an immortal Chained One. With all the benefits Uldr intended for the true undead, and not like those of the Nuit. Though the chains placed around him were indeed heavy. Though as he had been reminded, he had neglected his praise to the gods. He had a duty to serve, and would see it done well.

The day had passed by long ago and the night had poured over to a pitch darkness. Despite his natural dark sight, damaged eyes prevented the wizard from seeing very clearly at all. However Ender suffered not from this disability, and indeed saw clearly in the night. "Easy, you're walking the water's edge. You will fall in if you do not watch your step. Left turn ahead. The Irylid scoffed internally at his master. By now he was used to guiding him. "Turn now." It was fine, nice to be needed, and definitely brought them closer. "It sure is a dark night. I doubt we will find anyone worthwhile."

Miro followed the order and turned and followed along the water's edge, listening to it gentle lap against the hard surface of the walkway. Though there was another sound, up ahead, people. "Ender, what is it?" The Familiar picked up on his master's curiosity and excitement and peered ahead. He saw figures, though the details were not so clear. He could however count them out. "People for sure, five of them."

The undead hustled forward, hurrying as fast as his lame leg would allow. It was faster, but not hardly what any would call fast. As he moved he communicated with the Familiar whose sight of the situation grew with every step. ”It appears as some Ravokians are celebrating their culture and attacking what seems to be a Symenestra. He is out matched though, three men, and a woman. Things don’t look to be turning out well for him, but that is how things go. At least you have found what you are looking for.”

The Irylid sensed the apparent distaste when the word Symenestra was mentioned, as his master’s grew a scowl. The Reimancer began to emit Res as a cloud of blue smoke from his body and focus on the pathways in his arm. He drew from it, pulling its Djed and redirecting it to his eyes. Now he could indeed make out some figures. Though still, many of the details were obscured. However a Symenestra was always easy to pick out, simply the lithe figure, in most cases at least. Miro lifted his arm and guided his Res forward, and transmuted it to lightning, hoping to disable the smallest figure.

The attack landed, and a yell was let out. The figure dropped to the ground and Miro released his redirection. ”You are helping this Symenestra? I had thought you to despise their kind.” Miro halted his advance and clenched his hand to his mask. ”You mean I didn’t hit him? I missed?” Ender was amused to find this. ”Killed a Human woman. Looks like the others are in shock and near to fleeing.” The wizard thrust his arm to the right, frantic to correct his mistake. ”Zlynge! I can’t see anything, and I have made a mistake. Before any get away, kill them!”

The Irylid snapped from his master’s wrist and returned to his natural form, a large orb of ice a few feet in diameter. He began to produce Res of his own in a white mist, and drifted towards the group while preparing his spells. The woman was on the ground, done convulsing and didn’t appear to be breathing. One attacker was still engaged with the Symenestra, another staring in awe, while the other one did not hesitate to turn tail and run. The man running away took priority, followed by the man staring in awe at a man who spawned both lightning and an ice ball, but Ender would leave the man to grapple with the Sym. Miro could choose which he desired to take as his prey.

The Irylid Called his Res to condense into a liquid and take shape. He created a barrage of sharp spikes, long and thick enough to penetrate clothing and flesh alike. There were at least two dozen for each target. The fleeing man had gained some distance, but the accelerated Res quickly followed behind, and when transmuted to ice pierced the man’s chest and dropped him to the ground without even a yelp. The man who was previously trapped in awe had witnessed the event, and now merely cowered in terror. He covered his face and Ender hesitated. He wondered if Miro would say anything, give him a reason not to, but with no command from his master he was free to act.

Ender grew lustful with excitement as he felt an unspoken acknowledgement of the kill. The Familiar produced a torrent of brilliant white Res from his surface and guide all of it to the canal. The substance landing loudly, yet without a the slightest splash. His Res attracted as much of the lake’s water as it could hold and splashed it down on the man and transmuted it to a thick block of ice. The Irylid lowered himself to watch his victim suffer and watch the panic and fear as life left his eyes. ”Like that Miro? My first kill, and as efficient as anything. And this, well, I saw you do it on Rayage. Didn’t have the same effect on a Nuit.”

It was almost disturbing for Miro to see the monster Ender still was. No amount of Hypnotism in the world could change the way the Familiar viewed human life and using magic to kill. It was the only thing he could do to earn his master’s respect. Though through the empathetic bond Miro held with Ender, he could feel just how proud and happy it made him. The wizard had come to realize that it was far from the only thing his partner had to offer however. It was a lesson he needed to learn already. To be careful what one wishes for.

Miro smirked, as he could hardly see what happened, but perceived it just as well. He was able to feel the pull on their Djed as Res was produced, and feel the chill of tiny icicles sailing forward. Then the crash in the water, and then the mass of cold where whimpers had been coming from. He hardly needed to see what his partner had done to know their fates. ”Yes, you were perfect, so well performed.” Ender’s pride grew, and he felt the acceptance he had craved for so very long. ”Don’t tell Rayage, but I imagined that he was the one trapped in ice suffocating. And also, now you can take either the Human or the Sym.”

Such things were always mutually humorous between the two. And now the wizard had a choice. ”How do they both look?” Ender scoffed and spoke in a dull tone. ”Great choices here. The Human looks strong enough, and twice as dull minded. The Symenestra is not much better. He should really have known better than to try and fight, but he was willing to fight so many alone." The wizard replied instantly, nearly cutting off Ender. ”I had already decided to take the Sym. I just wanted to know what I was throwing away. Once I had killed the woman instead, that decision was made for me.”

”You know it doesn’t matter what they think if you are going to just kidnap them anyways.” Ender formed one last spike of Res and aimed it to ensure that the Symenestra’s target was spiked when the opportunity rose to ensure he was dealt with. It was sent and guided into the target’s chest, right through his heart. Miro smirked as he approached the last man standing and pulled forth his badge. He had only a moment to finish their telepathic conversation before dealing with his prey. ”It is much better to not have to kidnap at all. I did just save this man, and I am with the Ebonstryfe. He appears to owe me his life.”

Again Miro redirected the Flux from his arm to his eyes to ensure he could see where the man stood. Meanwhile Ender returned to his sealed form and became a silver colored bangle made of ice. The apprentice held his badge out in front of him, though his arm shook. He could barely make out any detail, as his eyes were so much worse up close. ”I am Ebonstryfe. The name is Miro, and I just saved your life. I am going to assume you aren’t a citizen. Who are you, and what business do you have in Ravok?” The Hypnotist expanded his aura of influence and focused on the Symenestra he was interrogating.

The wizard began to focus his Djed to in his throat and channel it through his voice. The strong tone would inspire an emotional response of respect. And with his next line he would push a subconscious suggestion into his target's mind. The suggestion, ”I owe this man,” would be pressed into his mind just under the surface. ”Normally the Stryfe would see you dead and rather than taking several Human lives.” He tucked away his badge and grinned behind his hideous mask.

Miro began to produce a liquid Res from his right hand and guide it towards the street where the kills had been made. He started by tapping his Ice Reaving mark and melted the spells Ender had cast. One by one the Chained One grabbed a corpse by the leg and pulled it towards the water’s edge. Once there he would attach Res to their legs and toss them in. The Res was then transmuted to heavy rock around the limb and dragged it to the bottom of the lake. After finishing with the last one, he then turned to clean the mess. He attracted a wave of water from the canal to take with it any blood and leave no trace of any bodies.

All of the bodies were disposed of save the female. The undead had aimed to only disable and not kill, and was curious of his success. ”I’ll bet you’re hungry, desperate you could eat one, right?” He walked over to the last body, still watching through Flux empowered vision. As he knelt down and rest his hand on the suspected corpse he released the spell. He instead closed his eyes and began to breathe softly. He concentrated on every sense in his body, tuning his Djed with her Djed. It was a slow process, but he was making progress.

Every sound had a soft pulse to it, every touch a shiver of activity, and the air he breathed was rich with flavour. He could taste Djed in the air, so rich and icy. Though there was a growing strain on his mind, his Auristic senses had been opened. He could sense the woman’s aura, watch her chest rising and falling, and then the soft currents of airflow from her lungs. He felt her weak emotions, only filled with the remnants of terror and fading. The connection was fading, as was his concentration. The Djed flow was cut.

Miro was struck with vertigo and gripped the ground to hold balance. After a few moments he regained composure, but did not dare rise. ”She is still alive, and yours to have, if you’ll share.” The Chained One grinned, as he would soon indulge in consuming the rare delicacy of flesh. ”We can take this to a dark place and enjoy a meal. Talk about how you can begin to pay me back for keeping you from Dira. You know that I’ve done something I shouldn’t, and that I am a wizard who eats flesh. You are not Human, and you owe me. I have a few suggestions I might offer.”

[Vien Lotus]

Vien gasped as the man sent a kick hurtling into his stomach. He had been kicked before but never with so much rage put behind it. He realized how much rage could affect a battlefield in that instant but as the man went to hurtle another kick into Vien's stomach he stopped as a blood curdling scream sent shivers down the man's spine as well as Vien's. The thug turned slightly to examine the scene. Vien did so as well but his vision was obscured to most of the drama that was playing out. Through the legs of the thug he could see someone, or rather what looked more like a something approaching the group.

The figure did not speak nor did the thugs. The only sound that could be heard was a the rhythmic rapping of the walking stick against the docks base. As he came closer the thug shifted positions leaving Vien blind to the man for a split second but it was enough to create some confusion for the young Sym. When the thug's legs spread again after the sudden feeling of fear another figure had appeared. At first it was a sliver of liquid that after a few breath taking moments became a sphere the likes of which Vien had never seen. It was a tiny orb like structure that floated of to the side of the figure who continued approaching at his own pace. Where on earth?! What is going on? Vien screamed inside his head as questions raced through his every thought process.

Yet it did not stay besides the first figure long. It floated forward and in an instant brilliant yet deadly ice spikes appeared from thin air leaving Vien baffled even more as to what all was taking place around him. Yet his mind was not allowed to wander far because in a flurry of motion the first set shot forward. Vien closed his eyes, not knowing whom their intended target was, and just hoped for the best. As it so turns out his luck was holding out as a heavy thud resounded in the immediate area. He could not see him, due to his current position but he could visualize the leader of the group lying face first with numerous spikes of ice protruding from his lifeless body.

Yet as his attention focused back to the situation at hand his eyes widened in disbelief as the man in front of him, who had fell to his knees from fear suddenly turned to ice. It was at this point both figures had made it in front of the man and were looking on him intently. By now the figure was close enough for a through glance over. It was difficult to tell anything of great importance save for the figure's jet black hair and the the grey eyes which to Vien look like grey pits of despair that lead to a blood soaked existence.

At this point the man whose top priority was to hold Vien down wavered in his resolve. Realizing all to late that his comrades had fallen he slacked his grip giving Vien the incentive to make his move. He crossed his index and middle finger of his right hand and stabbed into the man's wrist. The man instinctively released Vien and began rubbing his wrist where two tiny stab wounds remanded. Vien taking advantage of his enemies reflexes rolled away several feet before crawling into a squatting position. He now resided several feet from either party but was ready to spring if either tried to advance on him. He knew the figure was too strong for him but having that knowledge at hand was a double edged sword. Knowing he was to strong meant he could not attack recklessly or at all for that matter; however, after glancing back at the leader, who was just as Vien imagined him, he realized running was just a futile. Well..... what are you going to do? He asked himself.

As he glanced back and forth between the pair of hostiles he could not figure out what to do. His mind was reeling from all that had taken place so far and his mental fortitude was taking severe hits. As he broke from a brief revere he heard a load thump. He glanced at the thug who now had a spike of ice of his own protruding from his chest. At this point Vien's mind was in a whirlwind of questions, doubts, and fears as the figure started walking towards him.

As Miro walked he introduced himself then started interrogating him immediately. Vien at first did not want to speak but then he felt something. He did not understand what it was but he was compelled to tell the figure.

"My name is Vien and I am only passing through. I am searching for something and it is clearly not here." he said before going silent. He sat there confused as to why he would tell this stranger his goals. He did not trust him but somehow his tongue did not stay silent. He peered at the man with anger and confusion lining his face. Well you do own him your life..... What? he shook his head in a feeble attempt to clear his mind; however, the thought remanded like an itch he could never scratch enough.

As Vien struggled against his own mind Miro had begun cleaning the the scene of the fight. Fight? Ha! More like a slaughter. After the bodies had been disposed of Vien looked at the woman as Miro walked towards her. He offered her up as a meal but only if he shared.

"I do not share meals. If you want her have her. I will not stop you, but don't ask me to share her." Vien said as he got to his feet and turned his head. "Thank you for your kindness in saving me, but I think I must be going." he said before attempting to walk away; however, that nagging thought hit him like a brick wall making him stop in mid stride. You owe him your life! The thought resonated throughout his consciousness. As much as he wanted to fight it his will bent to it causing him to turn around. "I would like to repay you somehow. You did in fact save my life." he said the words rolling off his tongue like warm butter. He pressed a hand against his head and began massaging his lobes. His hunger was starting to get to him. His stomach growled and he could not bear it anymore.

He walked forward and placed his hands on the woman's shoulders. After raising her up his canines extended at the thought of a meal. At first he fought the urge to bite but his hunger took over and he bit into the woman delivering a lethal dose of venom into her system. He released the woman and let her collapse on the ground. Knowing her screams would alert other to their presence he decided to do the woman a kindness. He reached down grabbing her head with both hand and twisted. A snap resounded in the empty docks as Vien let go.

"We should go. People will be about soon and I do not want to be caught in anymore struggles this morning" he suggested. "Where should we go?" he asked.

[Alea Davenport]

Before Alea could make up her mind whether she had a reasonable chance of surviving a rescue attempt (or whether rescuing an admitted murderer was even a good idea), someone else approached the group. Alea pressed herself against a wall, and crouched low for good measure. She was getting an increasing sense that she did not want to be involved in whatever was about to happen. It was still fairly dark, so she couldn’t see much more than an outline of the person who approached, but there seemed something off about him. She couldn’t quite make it out at this distance and with this lighting though.

Then she saw something unmistakable that made her stomach sink. A blue glow formed around the man. Glowing blue hands; she knew by now what that meant. The man was a mage. Her whole body tensed trying to keep herself frozen and not let there be any excuse to draw attention to herself. The last time she’s faced a mage, it had killed someone. They were dangerous, unpredictable, and usually insane. Her fears were confirmed as lightning shot from the mage’s hands. The woman fell to the ground, dead. It was happening again. She was now pretty sure who the bad guys were. The group of thugs weren’t exactly nice, but there was a huge difference between them and killers.

...She’d just watched two people die and it wasn’t even dawn yet.

And it looked like it wasn’t over. One of the thugs fled, running right past an immobile Alea. Poor fool had never tangled with a mage before. As the giant white ball passed her as well, Alea’s breath caught in her throat. That was way too close for her comfort. She closed her eyes and prayed silently to whatever god might be listening for the mage not to find her. She flinched as she heard the thud, and even though she didn’t want to see, she half-opened one eye to confirm that another man was dead. If she got out of this alive, she was going to go home and cry like she’d never cried before.

As a result of her eyes being open, she saw what the mage did to another thug. It was too cruel. The man didn’t even have a chance to fight back. He wasn’t trying to fight back, or even running. If the mage was powerful enough to kill so effortlessly, why couldn’t he capture instead? What was the point of casually slaughtering people, especially people too scared to threaten him in any way? He didn’t even know them! A sick worry filled her as she wondered...was this a common thing in Ravok? She would have to ask Valerius. Or, maybe not, as moments later, after murdering the last thug, the mage declared himself one of the Ebonstryfe, the guard of Ravok.

Alea stayed still, though her legs were starting to cramp. She had seen what mage did to witnesses, and she was not about to risk catching his attention. If she was lucky, the mage hadn’t spotted her, and wouldn’t before he concluded his business and left the area. And if he did spot her? Her best tactic, as far as she knew, was still to not doing anything unpredictable that might provoke him into attacking. Maybe since she wasn’t part of the original group, she’d be spared, though she had trouble convincing herself that was remotely possible.

She did not expect a wave of water to suddenly rise up from the lake. She gasped and held her breath, unsure whether the water was meant to drown any survivors, but all it did was knock Alea over. As she lay sprawled on the walkway, she decided this was better. It was certainly more comfortable, and if she were spotted, she could pretend she was a homeless bum who has slept through the whole thing.

Overhearing that the mage was a cannibal almost didn’t even surprise Alea at this point. What was one more bit of homicidal crazy to add to the pile?She did feel slightly betrayed that she had even considered helping the scrawny man though. A chance that the woman was still alive and he didn’t even consider helping her. In fact it seemed like he was joining the mage in his insanity! She tried not to shiver as the cold morning air blew across her wet clothes, and she hoped the pair would leave quickly, without noticing her, so she could get up and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

OOCIf at all possible, I’d be perfectly fine if no one noticed Alea and she got to sneak out of the thread

[Miro]

Miro grinned at getting a response from this Vien. He claimed his business in Ravok was short, and that was never a good thing. To delude one's self was meant for Alvadas, and he would soon change his mind. Most who came to Ravok to visit thought much the same, but those who experience Rhysol's glory rarely can escape it so easily. And even fewer who have caught the Chained One's sight slip away. Though there was an obvious hint of doubt and dismissive behavior from the still ungrateful creature. As he spoke of not wishing to share, and needing to leave, something had to be done.

The wizard again focused to expand his aura of influence and embrace the Symenestra with his hypnotic presence. He began to hum softly and flow Djed through the light displeased tune, a soft charge of Hypnotism hidden within it. An emotional response of gratitude, subtle, yet seemingly effective on the man who seemed hungry. The undead expected the urge to eat was much stronger for this living being who needed it to survive. And the spell did seem to have effect, as the man turned and expressed his wish to repay the favor. The Hypnotist grinned at his seeming ease of manipulation.

However as the now more grateful man went to examine the woman, Ender had another bit of news to relay. "Oh and Miro, there is one more thing I should tell you. When shooting down the fleeing target, I passed a woman, and I am not sure how much she saw. At the time I had other things to take care of, and you yourself Vien. However now that things have calmed, it may be best to see that such things are taken care of. It was likely she was spying." The wizard was not sure if he was to be worried or excited, and decided to treat himself to both. "Oh," he replied softly.

Miro turned to Vien as the Pulser asked where they should go. "Where exactly was this at Ender?" The undead asked his partner as he had an idea. "Up ahead, hidden in the shadows of that building. I almost did not see her, as I was focused on my spell. But after I finished it there was the unmistakable gleam of eyes filled with terror." Both the wizard and Familiar were rather slow, and hardly willing to chase a target who might flee. But a young Symenestra eager to eat certainly should be.

The Chained One spoke in a soft and clear voice, putting emphasis on the seriousness of what he said while also attempting to seem calm. "I know just the spot Vien. Up there, in that alleyway behind that building. I don't like to share either, so just make sure it's clear and capture any prey you see. If there are any who may have witnessed our misdeeds, they must not get away." The wizard grabbed Vien's soon to be meal by the leg and limped after the Symenestra. "I am right behind you. I'll clean up any messes we happen to make."

[Vien Lotus]

Vien gave Miro a questioning gaze but decided to avoid any useless questions at the moment. Instead he follow instructions and lead the way. His thoughts wandered as he walked. He desperately wanted to know how Miro had accomplished the things he had. He had not seen many mages in his short life time but after seeing what Miro had accomplished could only be done from a mage. At least that was the only conclusion Vien could think of. From what Vien had seen of mages in the past he did not particularly care for the stuff but after seeing Miro in action his opinion was slowly starting to change.

As he walked on he started to slow a bit. He realized that Miro did not seem to hold his unique ability to see at night and he did not want to run off and leave him, even if he had proven himself more than capable of taking care of any threat. Which is in fact why Vien decided to slow down. He knew his abilities were sorely lacking compared to Miro's and if another fight ensued he would want Miro as an ally not an enemy. It was just about this time that his eyes caught the glimpse of moment from his left. He turned and came face to face with the girl who had interfered with the bandits before. He gazed into her eyes as if trying to see straight down to her very core.

As he stared at her he hesitated. Vien had no interest in turning her into a meal but Miro would of surely noticed his suspicious behavior, seeing as he had not moved from that spot for several seconds. What do I do?! If Miro catches up and sees her for himself he might just try to eat her. If I say anything then he'll increase his pace. Vien might view himself as a killer but he had no reason to take her life. If anything he owed her a small debt of gratitude. Torn, he knew he had to come up with a plan. One that would preferably allow both of them to live. Then it hit him.

"Miro, it seems we did have a witness." he said taking care to keep her in his sights the whole time. He prayed that she would not try anything foolish but in case she did he wanted to at least attempt to catch her. Maybe even inadvertently blocking her from view in the hopes that Miro valued his life more than attempting to take hers. In any case Miro was aware of her presence now and if push came to shove he would attempt to help the woman in any way he could.