☠ 43rd of Ash, Year 120, Nightime ☠
Company: Crowded City streets| Theme: | Thoughts: | Mood: Alert, Curious, Alarmed
Company: Crowded City streets| Theme: | Thoughts: | Mood: Alert, Curious, Alarmed
Continued from HERE
☠ The night air was alive filled to the brim with the seduction of magic never seen before. As I walked the streets I could see the allure it would have on people from the countryside. Mages on display for all the eyes to see.
It was a stark contrast to living Nivenhain, where magic was suppressed, heavily suppressed. This was......refreshing to say the least. But I wasnt here to marvel at the performances of magic, no I was here to catch a kidnapper or stop the next one at least. I saw Cullen waiting for me, as instructed, and whistled for him to approach.
"What have you learned Cullen?" I asked, the young blonde following me as i surveyed the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. "Well .... it..it" he stammered, which garnered a sharp look from me.
He straightened up and composed himself, obviously nervous. "It appears from what I gathered, the last person to be seen with Lynora was a Johnathan Bathory. He's from a Celebrant family here in Brandt. My sources say she was asking for directions, and he came to aid her." he reported, his eyes filled with the hope he had done a good job.
"Do we have a description of this Johnathan Bathory?" I asked as that would be the key to finding the missing girls. "Oh yes, though I couldnt get a physical description that wasnt generic and didnt look like almost everybody here, I did learn that he loves the color red. Specifically blood-red sir. They also say he is often seen with another male, a scar over his left eye."
"Johnathan, wears blood red, and travels with a man with a scar" I mused to myself, looking to the crowd for anyone who may have fit that description in the vicinity. There were too many people around, and I needed to get a better vantage point.
"Come Cullen, let's get a bird's eye view, there are too many bodies on the ground for me to find this man in blood red." I instructed, looking for how to get on higher ground. Cullen smiled, jogging a few paces in front of me, motioning me to follow him.
"This way sir, we can get a much better view from up here." he inclined, jumping up onto a nearby crate. As clumsy as I was, I did my best to follow behind him. With some well-placed leaps, I found myself upon the roof of one of the small buildings. It wasnt much but it gave me just the right amount of height I needed to overlook the sea of people below me.
Our patrol began, sweeping one area at a time as we looked to Johnathan or any sign of the missing girl. I was not used to jumping around ledges and leaping over alleys. Sculking around was never my strong suit, but this matter needed a delicate touch. I figured this would be a new skill to add to my roster of skills for my more malicious hobbies.
As we searched we found ourselves in the heart of the festivities, the noise palpable to where one could physically grab it. It seemed listening to anything suspicious was out of the question. "I want you to remain here and be my eyes in the sky, I'll head down and try to get a more detailed view." So finding my footing, I jumped from the ledge we were on and almost broke something, not knowing how to brace myself. It felt like I was going to break something when I landed.
Mingling within the mass of mages and mundanes I would inquire ever so often about this Johnathan, what kind of man he was? who his family was? If there was anything strange was about him. He seemed to be regarded by the people, which made things tricky. He was a charmer, a patron of the arts and magic studies, but most of all he was regarded as a pillar of the art community.
If he was indeed the culprit then take him down would be risky as he had many who would defend his character and save him from prosecution of the law. It also gave him ample opportunity to snatch these girls away. How could a simple country girl resist the charm of a suave and rich noble from the city? For now, I would save my inquiries for when I found him, as I'm sure there could be other suspects.
For a moment I found myself alone observing a demonstration.....Elementalism magic maybe? It involved the manipulation of fire and water, so that could be the only logical explanation. Amidst my own musing Cullen let out a whistle, and when my eyes met his, he was pointing towards an alley off into an area away from the crowded streets.
Forcing my way through the crowd of spectators, I came upon the alley and my eyes widened upon the site. There he was, at least I believed it was him. The figure was draped in red from head to toe, and it seemed there was another with him. It seemed as if he was giving her something, pouring something into the mouth of the other.
Taking a step closer, my presence must have alerted him as he turned his head. his face was covered but it was no mistake, this was the man in blood red. What shocked me even more was the look of his eyes. They were just like Fayeth's, crimson red, bright and piercing. They sliced into me as I looked to the figure kneeling at his feet.
She seemed to match the description of Lynora but I wasnt sure even with the light of the night lanterns that illuminated the alley. "Are you Johnathan Bathory?" I asked, the mere utterance of the name causing the man to flee, long ivory hair trailing behind him. I went to go after him but I found my path blocked by the woman. She was not happy I interrupted whatever it was they were doing.
She was snarling at me like some beast, feral in nature, and showing high levels of aggression. "Lyn...Lynora? Your parents are worried sick about you, I've come to take you to them." I calmly declared, trying to show I was not hostile, but no matter how I sounded it didnt seem to matter. With a guttural snarl, she charged me forcing my hand, causing me to quickly pull Nevermore from its scabbard.
I had no intention of killing her, but it seemed I was the only one sharing that sentiment as she came at me with a level of speed and strength unnatural to a normal human. It was alarming how quickly she closed the distance between use, striking against my sword beastial strength.
I was trying to put some more space between us, but each time she would close in, her claws ripping into my flesh each time. I lunged at her with Nevermore and he easily evaded, grabbing my sword hand and flung me aside like a ragdoll into the brick wall. The air was knocked from lungs as I struggled to my feet, losing more blood from the wounds she had already inflicted.
Quickly getting on my strong leg I found that the feral woman was already on top of me, I somehow catching her snapping maw with my blade. As I struggled with the rabid creature I had no clue that Cullen had already descended from up above was in the alley. It was a true struggle for my life as she was leaving more gashes on my arms and even bites along my forearm.
Luckily I wouldn't have to suffer for much longer, as Cullen came charging at her with a large stick, bashing it against her head. It only served to piss her off as she lunged onto Cullen biting against the thick piece of wood, scratching the young man up just as she had done to me. It was perfect, however, as she was distracted and open to an attack from behind.
Forcing myself through the pain of my injuries, I came from behind her as she was trying to maul Cullen to death. Sensing my approach she whipped around but her fangs met something other than my flesh. Regrettably, my sword found itself lodged into in her mouth. For the first time, I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek, as I truly had no intention of killing her.
She fought against my sword trying to claw her way to me, but with another thrust forward, Nevermore found its exit out the back of her skull. She dropped to her knees as I saw the life fade from her. I collapsed from the exhaustion, blood loss, and the searing pain of the slashes adorning my torso.
Nevermore clanged against the cobblestone as Cullen came to rest next to me. "Are you alright sir? he asked, pulling Nevermore from her mouth. "Yes, though I wish I could have saved her." I answered, my head tilting back looking up to the nightsky.
The only problem I had now was figuring out how I was tell her mother that she would not have a daughter to bury. ☠
"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"
"Cullen Speech"
It was a stark contrast to living Nivenhain, where magic was suppressed, heavily suppressed. This was......refreshing to say the least. But I wasnt here to marvel at the performances of magic, no I was here to catch a kidnapper or stop the next one at least. I saw Cullen waiting for me, as instructed, and whistled for him to approach.
"What have you learned Cullen?" I asked, the young blonde following me as i surveyed the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. "Well .... it..it" he stammered, which garnered a sharp look from me.
He straightened up and composed himself, obviously nervous. "It appears from what I gathered, the last person to be seen with Lynora was a Johnathan Bathory. He's from a Celebrant family here in Brandt. My sources say she was asking for directions, and he came to aid her." he reported, his eyes filled with the hope he had done a good job.
"Do we have a description of this Johnathan Bathory?" I asked as that would be the key to finding the missing girls. "Oh yes, though I couldnt get a physical description that wasnt generic and didnt look like almost everybody here, I did learn that he loves the color red. Specifically blood-red sir. They also say he is often seen with another male, a scar over his left eye."
"Johnathan, wears blood red, and travels with a man with a scar" I mused to myself, looking to the crowd for anyone who may have fit that description in the vicinity. There were too many people around, and I needed to get a better vantage point.
"Come Cullen, let's get a bird's eye view, there are too many bodies on the ground for me to find this man in blood red." I instructed, looking for how to get on higher ground. Cullen smiled, jogging a few paces in front of me, motioning me to follow him.
"This way sir, we can get a much better view from up here." he inclined, jumping up onto a nearby crate. As clumsy as I was, I did my best to follow behind him. With some well-placed leaps, I found myself upon the roof of one of the small buildings. It wasnt much but it gave me just the right amount of height I needed to overlook the sea of people below me.
Our patrol began, sweeping one area at a time as we looked to Johnathan or any sign of the missing girl. I was not used to jumping around ledges and leaping over alleys. Sculking around was never my strong suit, but this matter needed a delicate touch. I figured this would be a new skill to add to my roster of skills for my more malicious hobbies.
As we searched we found ourselves in the heart of the festivities, the noise palpable to where one could physically grab it. It seemed listening to anything suspicious was out of the question. "I want you to remain here and be my eyes in the sky, I'll head down and try to get a more detailed view." So finding my footing, I jumped from the ledge we were on and almost broke something, not knowing how to brace myself. It felt like I was going to break something when I landed.
Mingling within the mass of mages and mundanes I would inquire ever so often about this Johnathan, what kind of man he was? who his family was? If there was anything strange was about him. He seemed to be regarded by the people, which made things tricky. He was a charmer, a patron of the arts and magic studies, but most of all he was regarded as a pillar of the art community.
If he was indeed the culprit then take him down would be risky as he had many who would defend his character and save him from prosecution of the law. It also gave him ample opportunity to snatch these girls away. How could a simple country girl resist the charm of a suave and rich noble from the city? For now, I would save my inquiries for when I found him, as I'm sure there could be other suspects.
For a moment I found myself alone observing a demonstration.....Elementalism magic maybe? It involved the manipulation of fire and water, so that could be the only logical explanation. Amidst my own musing Cullen let out a whistle, and when my eyes met his, he was pointing towards an alley off into an area away from the crowded streets.
Forcing my way through the crowd of spectators, I came upon the alley and my eyes widened upon the site. There he was, at least I believed it was him. The figure was draped in red from head to toe, and it seemed there was another with him. It seemed as if he was giving her something, pouring something into the mouth of the other.
Taking a step closer, my presence must have alerted him as he turned his head. his face was covered but it was no mistake, this was the man in blood red. What shocked me even more was the look of his eyes. They were just like Fayeth's, crimson red, bright and piercing. They sliced into me as I looked to the figure kneeling at his feet.
She seemed to match the description of Lynora but I wasnt sure even with the light of the night lanterns that illuminated the alley. "Are you Johnathan Bathory?" I asked, the mere utterance of the name causing the man to flee, long ivory hair trailing behind him. I went to go after him but I found my path blocked by the woman. She was not happy I interrupted whatever it was they were doing.
She was snarling at me like some beast, feral in nature, and showing high levels of aggression. "Lyn...Lynora? Your parents are worried sick about you, I've come to take you to them." I calmly declared, trying to show I was not hostile, but no matter how I sounded it didnt seem to matter. With a guttural snarl, she charged me forcing my hand, causing me to quickly pull Nevermore from its scabbard.
I had no intention of killing her, but it seemed I was the only one sharing that sentiment as she came at me with a level of speed and strength unnatural to a normal human. It was alarming how quickly she closed the distance between use, striking against my sword beastial strength.
I was trying to put some more space between us, but each time she would close in, her claws ripping into my flesh each time. I lunged at her with Nevermore and he easily evaded, grabbing my sword hand and flung me aside like a ragdoll into the brick wall. The air was knocked from lungs as I struggled to my feet, losing more blood from the wounds she had already inflicted.
Quickly getting on my strong leg I found that the feral woman was already on top of me, I somehow catching her snapping maw with my blade. As I struggled with the rabid creature I had no clue that Cullen had already descended from up above was in the alley. It was a true struggle for my life as she was leaving more gashes on my arms and even bites along my forearm.
Luckily I wouldn't have to suffer for much longer, as Cullen came charging at her with a large stick, bashing it against her head. It only served to piss her off as she lunged onto Cullen biting against the thick piece of wood, scratching the young man up just as she had done to me. It was perfect, however, as she was distracted and open to an attack from behind.
Forcing myself through the pain of my injuries, I came from behind her as she was trying to maul Cullen to death. Sensing my approach she whipped around but her fangs met something other than my flesh. Regrettably, my sword found itself lodged into in her mouth. For the first time, I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek, as I truly had no intention of killing her.
She fought against my sword trying to claw her way to me, but with another thrust forward, Nevermore found its exit out the back of her skull. She dropped to her knees as I saw the life fade from her. I collapsed from the exhaustion, blood loss, and the searing pain of the slashes adorning my torso.
Nevermore clanged against the cobblestone as Cullen came to rest next to me. "Are you alright sir? he asked, pulling Nevermore from her mouth. "Yes, though I wish I could have saved her." I answered, my head tilting back looking up to the nightsky.
The only problem I had now was figuring out how I was tell her mother that she would not have a daughter to bury. ☠
"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"
"Cullen Speech"
