RPG Witches: Darkness Forged

[Kayin Cloud]

Chiron awoke with a start as his alarm went off, still a little shaken up from the conversation he left the prior evening off with. He shook his head, exhaling sharply as he rose out of bed. It wasn't the first time he woke up that way, but it didn't make him any more used to it. He rolled his neck, popping the stiffness free from it before rubbing the base of his neck. He rubbed his eyes, seeing the time was roughly seven hundred hours. He took a half hour to himself to get refreshed for the day. He stepped into the shower, cleaning himself off thoroughly, cringing a bit at a recent scar on his back. "Still hasn't healed completely..." he sighed, going back to washing the rest of himself. After washing his lengthy hair and drying it along with himself with the aid of a quick spell, he got himself dressed with a second spell as his shadow engulfed his body then descended again. The man walked out of his bathroom in his regular attire, gathering the items he carried in his pockets since he could summon the remainder of his belongings if need be. Once he was prepared, it was about 0745 so he decided it would be a good a time as any to head to the mess hall.

 

As the mage stepped into the hallway, he felt something amiss. "No, she should be dead..." Chiron's eyes narrowed as he disappeared into his own shadow, appearing within Victor's to his surprise. He braced the massive soldier before, looking up to the troops who were just as confused as he was. "What happened here?" he asked, his glance moving curiously to Victor's hand on the wall.

 

"W-we don't know, sir. He started acting like he had a sudden migraine and-"

 

"That's alright. Victor, Victor are you with us?" Chiron said, shaking the soldier. This can't be good. How could she influence him with her soul gone? he thought to himself, trying everything to get through to him and remove his hand from the wall before Dassem arrived. After explaining the situation and a bit more time and effort, the two got their squadmate free. With a sigh of relief, he let the old friends talk about what happened as he investigated the area, only to further his suspicions. As Victor departed the two, Chiron looked to Dassem before heading along with him to the Mess Hall. "Dassem, I've been meaning to tell you something."

 

"What's on your mind, Chiron?" Dassem asked, glancing over his shoulder at the blood mage. "You're generally not too talkative," he added with a chuckle.

 

"While this is true, I've been meaning to thank you," Chiron said, glancing ahead of the two. He could see the questioning look on Dassem's face so he saved him the trouble of asking. "For essentially saving me back there. However it was that you dispatched the demon kept me from losing myself."

 

"Wait, so you made a pact with the demoness back at the church? What if anyone else had killed her, Magus?" Dassem asked, stopping in his tracks, causing Chiron to do the same.

 

"I would have survived..." Chiron said, looking over his shoulder. "But the consequences would have been dire. Surely you must have heard that I'm considered a 'risk' to any squadron that takes me. Not unlike Wolf, there are two sides to me in a sense. There is my soul, and the soul who originally owned my weapon," he explained, the two walking again. They made their way into the mess hall and grabbed some food to go as well as something for Nayomi and Victor. "The demoness made a pact with the Doom Sickle's original owner. Had she died and her soul survived, he would have absorbed her soul and had the chance to overwhelm my strength of will...and there would have been no way to be sure if I could win my body back."

 

"Sounds like quite the gamble you took back there, huh... You really wanted to save that kid, huh?" Dassem asked, taking a bite of the muffin he'd picked up for himself. "What would you have us do if you ever did fully lose it?"

 

Chiron gave no response initially, looking ahead as the two made their way to meet with their squad. After a long silence, Chiron finally spoke. "If you couldn't subdue me long enough for me to recover, you will cut me down. I expect you not to hesitate, Dassem. Our squad cannot afford it," he said solemnly, eyes closed.

 

"Should...we tell the others?" Dassem asked with an eyebrow raised.

 

"You're the only one I trust who could kill me...And I'll entrust that task to solely you," Chiron said casting a shadow over his palm, drawing blood from it as it filled the lines of his hand. He reached out to Dassem, pressing it to his shoulder and uttered a few words. "Wear this rune like you wear the others and you will be protected from the shadows that strike against you..." Chiron exhaled as the blood disappeared and the rune seemed to do the same. "I apologize if it comes across as a burden, but at least I can grant you a bit of insurance," Chiron said giving a very faint smile before heading back toward the meeting room.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Kayin Cloud

[Darth Vectis]

0430- Dassem rose from his bed with a light fogginess, but became quickly alert as he touched one of his lamps and illuminated the solitary room with his legs thrown over the edge of the bed. Rolling his shoulders before fully getting up and making his way to the bathroom, turning on the hot water and letting the steam gather, breathing it in deeply before stepping into the shower and letting the water cleanse his body. A few bruises throbbed as he touched them, but the pain was reduced greatly from the previous day, the med team having done their job well enough. He had refused their healing abilities and opted for more traditional ointments. He had his fill of magic and metas with powers that affected the world, after his meet with Neos he had been at the end of his rope. He needed the time away from being touched by that stuff, from feeling its power intrude on his body, and he was also starting to suspect, he was becoming resistant to those forms of power.

 

It was just a suspicion, could be that he was just resisting it in his mind and making the user work harder against his own stubborn will. Whatever the reason, he needed time to heal on his own, the traditional methods would do for now and the sword would make up for the rest when he needed it. Turning the water off and stepping out, he dried off before wrapping the towel around his waste and stopping in front of the mirror, wiping away some of the condensation to look at his reflection. Taking in the details, finding it refreshing and rather eye opening to actually look yourself in the face, to stare yourself in the eyes and see whats changed about you. Dassem could always see more then he liked, always see the ever evolving being that he was, as each new responsibility settled its mantle on his shoulders and clung to his flesh. He had little time to reflect, he had much to do before the briefing commenced and he needed to push forward with his routine. But, before he pulled away from the mirror and its impeccable ability to show all the flaws, he thought he heard a sound. Faint and lost in the rest of the noise, something he had never heard before, his eyes looking around for what he thought he heard.

 

'Was that the sound of, chains?' He strained for the noise for a moment longer, but as quickly as it had come, it had vanished again and left the soldier standing alone once more. Disregarding it quickly, he went about his routine and dressed into his training clothes and carrying a gym back with him as he departed and made his way to the gym and training area.

 

0545- The sounds of wrapped hands smashing into the leather bag rang in the quiet room, being the only one there made it easy for him to focus as he bounced around on the balls of his feet and striking quickly. His attacks varying as he struck with his right hand, then the left foot, then right foot, right hand again, left hook. Letting his mind imagine the parts he was hitting as he picked up the pace, hitting harder and faster and visualizing the damage each hit did. Fractured ribs, broken clavicle, snapped ulna and radius, torn ACL, compound fracture of the tibia. Each hit became more furious and focused then the last, his body remembering all the training he went through since he was a boy, the culmination of many different fighting styles layered on top of one another and evolving into a new style all of his own. The sound was unending, each successful hit smacking against the bag making it swing more and more until finally he swung one last time, a powerful round house kick dead center of the bag.

 

The bag swung, straining the chain until finally a link gave out, snapping away and sending the bag tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud. He stood ten feet away, his chest rising and falling heavily as he let the sweat trickle down his brow, his body still tense and his fists clenched. In that moment, he heard the sound again, faint as before but slightly louder and his eyes traveled upwards to the changing hanging from the ceiling. Reaching up he grabbed the loose end, stopping the rattle from the broken link, hoping deep down that the sound was coming from the chain he held in his hand. And for a split second, he felt the false hope of relief as the sound was gone, until it came again,just loud enough to hear but gone in an instant again. He searched around the gym, trying to see if he could hear it once more and find the source, but the place it emanated from was no where near by, the sound was gone and he was left with nothing but frustration. He was forced to abandon his search as he cleaned himself off in the gym shower, thinking to himself how ridiculous it was he took two showers in one day, but his military lifestyle made all his habits and routine important to his day.

 

"I am losing my bloody mind." He said softly to himself as he dressed once more, this time in his proper attire before heading off to his office where rosters, briefings and stacks of paperwork waited for him. He only had a moment, but he took what he could and looked to the clock on the wall and let out a soft sigh.

 

0638- "Move it boys and girls, we don't have all day!" The pounding of boots on hard ground as the cadets ran around the indoor track, a massive pack of them trying to out pace one another. Dassem stood on a platform as two of the drill sergeants ran with the cadets, hollering and egging them on. Another sergeant was beside Dassem with a clipboard, making notes as he watched them go and taking further ones as Dassem spoke, scoring them on their strength, speed, and most importantly to Dassem, cunning. All of the recruits ran with ease and kept pace with one another, but a few were not using their full ability, they were holding back and seemed adept at keeping themselves relatively concealed amongst the pack. Those were the ones he was spotting right now, he was separating them out now into the kind of training they would receive. One fact about his training no one ever spoke of, or truly knew about, was it was also broken down into different forms of training depending on the skills and abilities of the person. The people who graduated his course, which was actually a higher percentage then he had given the recruits to begin with, made more then just special forces units, they were all specialized in some area. These people he had picked out were going to be put into an intelligence gathering, better at blending and fitting while still having powerful abilities and strong physical ability as well.

 

"Recruits Anderson, Bellows, Tores, Lawson, Mengsk, and Carson. Select them for further testing, specifically Advance Intelligence, I want to see them all in that training course today." Dassem touched the button on the side of his radio, the signal broadcasting over all the radios of his Sergeants.

 

"Sergeant Ark, 4,16,18,22,31,43. Protocol 10." With those words, Ark halted the pack and called out their numbers then instructed them to head off into the locker room. He could see the discord that created in the pack, one of their more dominate personalities had just been sent out of the pack with no explanation and the rest was forced to continue onward. He would divide them up, and send them on their ways to becoming better soldiers, tailoring them to their own unique strengths and then further dived them into squads that would run on missions only 12 hours after they graduated, if they graduated. He put them through several more trials, obstacle courses and short drills, he whittled out a few more and sent them into their respective training as well while still leaving every last one of them in a moment of uncertainty. He suddenly felt his pocket vibrate, pulling out his phone he saw Victor calling him, which was odd anyways as Vic usually just would find him. As he pressed the phone to his ear, he heard nothing on the other side but random voices and the sound of Victor grunting.

 

"Victor? Hello Victor? Talk to me Victor." He heard nothing and then the line went dead, putting his phone away he jumped from the platform and took off without a word. His sergeants knew what was needed to be done, they could separate the rest of the cadets and would make sure they reported everything they did. He was on the scene rather quickly, coming to Victors aid as Chiron had found him as well. It was rather unsettling to feel the presence of that witch still around, when she was locked away within the sword pushing the caravan like the rest. He had to eat, his stomach was finally catching up to him as he had eaten nothing before this time. Before they had even set off to the mess hall, the words that escaped Chirons lips had set the tone of the conversation then.

 

"Dassem, I've been meaning to tell you something." When they finally got to the mess hall, Dassem listened intently as Chiron spoke of Dassems saving of his soul, and the ramifications of what might of happen had events occurred differently. It was enlightening and helped him gauge him the person that was Chiron easier, and then he did something wholly unexpected, tasking him with killing him if ever he lost control and then bestowing upon him another rune. One meant to fight his power in particular, he could feel the hold of a new mantle settle on his shoulders and the weight was rather light for now. He watched as Chiron left him alone, heading to the meeting room on his own. All he did was stare at the glass of mango juice, seeing the stillness of the surface until someone walked by or bumped his table a bit. The tension was always present now, and he knew he knew he would need to hold up to the task. It didn't matter if he had promised or if he had struck a deal, he was given something important to do upon certain conditions and he would hold up that end, to perform where no one else could or would. Dassem let out a sigh before he drank down the juice quickly, wiping his face he rose from his seat and finally made his way to the briefing room.

[Akieen Cloud]

Nayomi stretched and arched her back grunting as it popped in various places, sighing as tension released she looked at the clock on the wall and grinned the door opened and the guys filed in one at a time a few moments after each other.

"Right on time fella, as always."

She noted right away that all three of them seemed somber, Victor was pale, his white eyes aimed at the ground, unmoving; Chiron looked grim, his face set in a tense scowl as he took looked at the floor. His face set in a thoughtful almost pained expression and Dassem...he looked the most troubled of all. His face set in a scowl as well only his was lost, aged and unfocused as he opted for looking straight ahead to give the impression he was listening but Nay could tell he was far within his own thoughts counting on her or one of the others to get the details and fill him in later. She put the nail of her right thumb in her mouth and bit down on the tip worrying it slightly as she looked at her men. She was worried for them, the last mission seemed to do more damaged then she first thought. She looked over her shoulder at Hale and opened her mouth to ask for another night of rest and felt her heart sink as he shook his head.

"Alright Beta. Attention to me. The details of this mission are grim and are rather scarce I'm afraid."

Nayomi looked out of the corner of her eye towards the three men, all three now wore the same expression Dassem did, feigning their attention only to be lost in their thoughts. Shaking her head she listen closely.

"These creatures are a top threat to the towns that are in that area, they are destroying the wild life and are slowly making their way to the towns and towards humans. Your objective is to put a stop to them at all costs. They are rumored to have no pain threshold, they are also rumored to be very resilient. Your to attack them to your fullest and put an end to them. For the time being we are calling them Corpses until we can identify them. The intelligence we've gathered in the short amount of time shows us some rather disturbing qualities about them. Their numbers used to rank in the hundreds...but as they hunted their numbers dwindled."

A small plasma screen lowered slowly from the ceiling and Nayomi's eyes locked onto it, the pale figure on the screen shuffling forward almost lifelessly, the river below it's feet splashed and roiled angerly as if it knew some unholy creature was in it's waters. The scene shifted to that of a small pack of the beings, closing in slowly on a large brown bear who stood on it's hind legs defending it's meal, the closest being stumbled back as the bear swiped it paw and took half of it's head with it, falling to the ground it still writhed around as it trying to get up and continue the hunt. The others moved quickly now, sprinting forward and lunging onto the bear biting where they could. The faint sound of flesh ripping could be heard over the small screen and Nayomi turned her head, her face hiding in Chiron's shoulder til the noise ended. She looked up an felt her stomach twist as the remains of the bear were scattered everywhere, blood soaking the ground and covering the beings as they closed in on their struggling comrade, the next thing Nayomi saw made her want to vomit. All at once the standing beings lunged and fell upon the fallen, the noise made her cringe and cover her ears, even with the volume turned down Nayomi could hear it, almost the same as tearing metal, she frowned as limbs could be seen flying this way and that, fingers and an arm flew at the screen and at that moment it went to fuzz.

"These things are violent and show no mercy. You must be cautious and stay together. Your mission starts now. God speed and good luck Beta. May the ancestors be with you."

Naymoi found her self frowning at his words. The higher ups in the base had been getting grim lately and she was hoping she wasn't the only one to sense it. It made little sense to her and she noticed they all acted as if some huge calamity was about to strike. Sighing she led the way to the departing bay where Smoke was waiting for them, she nodded with a shy smile and crossed her arms over her chest. The thin grey smoke filled the area, the smell changing slowly from the confined bay to a clean crisp scent that had Nayomi's eyes drifting shut in bliss. The hair on the back of her neck and her arms standing on end; a shiver of enjoyment went through her and she could feel the need...the want to run away then. Shaking her self physically she closed her eyes and gathered her self. Opening her eyes she looked up and saw Chiron looking at her questioningly. Shaking her head she looked around and felt her self relax as the green trees shadowed them, the smell of pine and fresh snow almost causing her eyes to drift closed again til the copper scent of blood cut through. She frowned and phased to the wolf noiselessly, a low growl bubbled in her chest, her voice soft as she spoke.

"That way, the smell of blood is so strong I'm shocked none of you can smell it..."

They all nodded and as one began to move slowly through the thick woods, Nayomi took point, her sense of smell leading them, Victor and Chiron were in the middle reaching out with power and senses as well for anything odd, Dassem brought up the rear making sure they weren't being flanked as they slowly made their way towards the river, the smell getting stronger almost with few feet they moved.

[Shwa]

The harsh environment of the Canadian mountain side gave little mercy to the team as they trudged through the dense, snowy forest towards their destination.  It seemed as if stealth would be of little help to them as their audio footing onto the ground gave away their position step by step.  The heavy weight of Nayomi in her wolf form echoed the most, even Victor sunk down as the path became thicker with each step.  His powers keeping his body above the white power, but even his build sank as the snow moved away from his bare feet as they touched the cold grassy ground.  The silence would have been normal to the group, if it had been a natural silence that is.  Though the snow continued to fall from the sky care free, the wind was as silent as a field mouse and almost none existent.  The scary silence was between the team members themselves, each contemplating in their own thoughts of recent events that occurred before their mission started.  They may have been fully healed physically, but mentally, their minded were below their capable peaks.  Victor sorted through his own thoughts; shaking his head slightly at the incident that happened in the halls, how such a powerful force made him see what he had seen, the first time ever he was able to see for a short sweet while.  It was a painful process, as if a migraine appeared out of nowhere and would not relent in it's assault of his frontal lobe.  The bulking soldier shook his head softly as he peered to his right side.  Thanks to the mass amount of snow landing on the ground and piling up, he was in an excellent position to map out their surroundings for a miles distance around the team.  Every step he took was that of a radar, continuously scanning the distance for any surprise encounters they may face.

 

"So far so good, nothing within my sensory range"  Victor broke the silence as the group continued on their way, Nayomi nodded slightly in her wolf form, she seemed to me more on edge than the rest of the team.  The again, everyone seemed to be in their own world.  Dassem was especially silent as he brought up the rear, his hands on his sword at the ready, never letting go.  Chrion flanked the groups left side, remaining silent as his own scans of the area with his powers took president over simple conversation.  Nayomi stopped abruptly, snarling slightly as the group stopped at her side.  Before them, were the bones of the grizzly bear they had witness being torn limb from limb earlier.  Every piece of bone seemed to be stripped clean of flesh and fur, some pieces even broken open, sucked dry of its marrow and tossed aside.  Dassem and Chiron stepped forward together to inspect the carnage, Nayomi moved closer to Victor, nuzzling his hand as the soldier placed it atop of the wolf's head.  

 

"What do you think?"  Dassem sank to his knee as he inspected a large pile of bones, finally extending his hand away from his sword, the palm of his aged hand blistered and sore.  He was holding onto his weapon for dear life.  Brushing some snow from the bones, he placed his bare hand down onto the largest bones he could find.  Besides being a seasoned soldier with the force, he is one of the best hunters besides Nayomi and a select few with his natural human senses.  

 

"There is no blood for me to recreate the scene in my mind.  Actually, no blood soaked into the snow.  Victor, would you mind moving the snow away for me?"  Victor nodded and made his way to his two team mates, Nayomi close behind.  Victors powers working before he even made his way towards his allies, the snow moving away as if a harsh gale storm were passing through.  Victors feet only felt the cold floor of the forest floor as the area cleared itself of snow, leaving the team and carcass of the girzzly in an circle patch of grass as the snow surrounded them now.  

 

"Make sure you keep any snow from falling down upon us Victor,  Chiron needs his concentration"  The soldier nodded as he felt his powers extend, the snow now landing on top of what seemed like an invisible barrier, coating and collecting above and around the team.  

 

"Many thanks"  Chrion nodded as he sunk down to the ground himself, placing a hand on the ground, moving it ever so gently from side to side as the snow covering the bubble barrier made their shelter darker and darker by the second.  Dassem stood, peering towards Victor and Nayomi for a moment before looking around their entrapment.  Instantly, he already knew something was off.  Chiron stood shortly after and shook his head.  "This almost seems unlikely"  The man tilted his head ever so slightly, walking around the remains of what they presumed to be the slaughtered grizzly.

 

"You noticed it to I take it"  Dassem grunted slightly, rubbing his arm form the coldness.  

 

"Nayomi, take a sniff of the remains."  The leader hesitated not as she came forward and sniffed the brittle bones, they shattered as her snout came in contact with the material, almost turning into dust.  

 

"What in the world?  There's no scent"  The wolf growled.

 

"No blood"  Chiron grossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head at the sight.

 

"No temperature to the touch, or structure"  Dassem looked down at his hand, seeing powdered remains of the piece of bone he tried to pick up earlier, it simply blew away as if it were a pile of ash.  

 

"We can conclude these are not the same remains of the grizzly that was mauled to death on the footage we saw.  But this seems staged.  A trap for us or for those creatures...I wonder".  

 

"We still have a mission to complete, and we need to make haste.  These may not be real, but the blood scent is stronger here than it was where we landed.  We're getting closer to out destination.  Victor, go ahead and drop your barrier for now, we should get moving."  The others nodded, expecting the snow to be blown away or drop upon them, but it stayed.  "Victor, did yo-"

 

"Shhh!"  Victor spoke as quietly as he could, small crackling sounds echoed inside of the barrier, a thick layer of ice rose from the bottom slowly, making the barrier visible in its size and height as it reached the top, enclosing the team inside as the snow was then blown away.  The other members shielding their eyes slightly from the reflective light for a moment before seeing a single, shadowed creature stare at them from the other side.  Nayomi hunched in defensive position as the other readied themselves.  

 

"When?"  Dassem whispered, unsheathing his sword slowly.

 

"I dunno, whatever that thing is I didn't detect it until now, when it got too close for my comfort I acted."  Victor made his way towards the others, keeping his hand on Nayomi's back shoulder.  They all peered towards the creature, it had the exact likeness of what they saw in the video, up close and personal it was twice as gruesome and grotesque, Nayomi's snarls echoed deeply inside their protective bubble, her fur stood on ends.  The creature merely stood there, staring endlessly at his reflection on the other side.

 

"I don't think it can see us inside of here"  Chiron spoke softly.  

 

"No, but it can definitely sense something, and I would imagine it's hungry."  Nayomi spoke quietly, the others nodded.  In the distance, they saw another one shuffling ever so slowly and at its own pace, then another, then another.  Almost from the distance, it looked like a small battalion of the creatures showed up out of nowhere, almost shocking everyone.  They had made it this far without being noticed by any of them until so close, their abilities were more than what they were told during the briefing.  

[Kayin Cloud]

"So they truly do hunt in packs...which means this one must have been the scout. With their current numbers and with very little element of surprise on our side, we would be overwhelmed for sure," Chiron thought out loud, rubbing his jaw briefly. He looked to the others, seeing if any of them had any ideas. They all seemed to be trying to come up with something of their own plan with no promise of a secure place to be. We still can't determine if this is a trap for them or for us until we figure out who planted these remains. Certainly an illusion won't work since they rely on their sense of sm- At that moment, Chiron broke his thoughts. "I've a way to distract them..." He said, drawing the others' focus to him, but by the time they noticed, he had opened a small hole in the shadow realm and stepped into it by himself, closing it behind him.

 

"You guys don't think he's ditching us do you...?" Dassem asked, eyebrow raised with a small smirk. The other two shook their heads at him though they were likely just as curious of their plans.

 

Victor seemed to notice something a ways off. Only to see the creatures all take off in the same direction that he had felt something. "They must have noticed it too...That sudden appearance felt like it might have been Chiron. But he's not there any more so what did he find to distract them with?" he asked, the others seeing the portal open and Chiron emerge from it.

 

"Sorry about that..." Chiron said, wrapping a bandage around his forearm. "That will only distract them for so long. We need to move."

 

"You managed to lead them that far away with your own blood?" Victor asked, eyebrow raising.

 

"It was the first thing that came to mind. I did manage to leave it near an animal, but there's no guarantee that they'll pursue it. Any ideas of where to go from here? It's a given that they need to be stopped, but we need to be able to figure out a plan of attack. Going head on against them would be foolish. It would be wise to dwindle their numbers instead before going after the whole pack. But we need to do so in a way that wouldn't draw attention to usshit..." Chiron facepalmed as a thought crossed his mind. "I have a plan that could either really piss them off or really work in our favor."

 

"Well, couldn't we just plan things in the shadow realm thing that you keep going to?" Nayomi asked him, head tilting.

 

Chiron shook his head. "The three of you wouldn't be able to survive in there longer than necessary. It's not really for the likes of you. I can go into detail but essentially, the time flow there isn't the same here. It would affect your aging because of it to put it simply," he said, looking to the others. "I'm not going to risk that. Now we could individually wound the four toward the rear of the pack, but given how durable they truly are, we wouldn't be able to just do a hit and run. We'll have to seriously damage them first. Once they're wounded, however, we'll need to escape quickly. Once we do, it could slow the pack down enough to work on the stronger ones, but we'd have to be able to actually single them out. The problem is, there's no guarantee we could all stick together or coordinate enough of a strike against multiple Corpses that would take them out of the fray... For now, we have Victor's barrier. Once they make their return, I'll place us elsewhere so we have a chance to come up with something at least. If anyone has any suggestions, speak now. Our time is limited."

 

(OOC: Just trying to give us a little push forward for now. May add to it when I have more time though.)

[Akieen Cloud]

Nayomi huffed, baring her fangs in frustration.

"This is pointless. We can't sit here this whole time we have a job to do. The town is in danger and the longer we sit here the more chances of them getting put in the line of attack increases."
Dassem crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his leader turned wolf.

"You say that like it's so easy to just fight a horde of flesh eating brick walls."
"I know it's not, but we have to think of something. I mean we're out here in 3 feet of snow and everyone is acting...wait a minute...Victor, can you sense them?"
"Not entirely. They do not feel as if they have souls."
Nayomi nodded slowly as she sat on her haunches to think.
"Dassem, if you and Victor work together so much you two must be able to understand each other better then most right?"
"I suppose. Where are you going with this Nay?"
She let loose a wolfish grin. 

"Think about it. We're in 3 feet of snow, this is Voctor's element. If Chiron could get you two where the pack is you can give Victor directions, or coordinates or what ever moon speak you two share and he can either put a barrier around them like he did us, or he can freeze them all in blocks of ice."
Chiron tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"It could work, but it's risky, what of the scout they send out?"
Nayomi growled slightly.

"I'll handle that."
With only nods of the head Chiron took them out from under the barrier and Nayomi lept into action, her nose taking in the rotting scent of the creatures, catching the scent of one that veered away from the others. Following it quickly she found that in almost no time she had come face to face with the beast. It's straight squared teeth were stained red, it's body was rittled with scars and chucks of flesh missing. She felt the wolf cringe in fear, felt the fur on her back raise on it's own as her hackles grew in volume. The passive nature of the creature so far telling her it was the scout, she let out a barking growl and saw as it turned slowly in her direction, it's wide, seemingly sightless eyes locked on her and with a hiss it moved. Nayomi felt her growls die in her throat as it charged at her, the speed was something she was ready for. They had seemed so slow and sluggish before but this...this was unnaturally fast. It took far more to keep up with the creature then she thought. Feeling it's thin strong hands latch onto the fur on he shoulder she whipped her head around and sank her teeth into the junction between it's shoulder and neck. Tasting it's rotten blood Nayomi gagged and stumbled away from it, the wolf hacking as it tried to rid it's mouth of the taste. She didn't have much time before it was on her once again, this time sinking it's own teeth into her shoulder. Letting out a shrill yelp Nayomi cast out a large paw and swiped the creature from her. Smelling her own blood she didn't dare look at the damage it did for fear of taking her eyes off it. But seeing it chew, then swallow thickly, seeing the blood coating it's face and jaw made her pretty sure a chunk was gone from her shoulder now. Growling she took the first step on the attack this time and charged. Ducking low she caught it's left leg in her strong jaws and bit down as hard as she could, snapping it's leg, the ripping it clean off. Black blood coated the snow as it fought for balance before attaining it. Nayomi could only growl in frustration as it moved again, it's speed cut in half, but no less impressive. Once again the thin strong hands latched onto her, once again she felt it's teeth sink into her flesh, this time on her back, and she panicked slightly feeling how close the thing had been to her spine. Shaking it harshly she reached around and grabbed hold of it by it's middle. Her teeth sinking into it's midsection, slicing gashes deep enough to kill anything normal. Yanking the beast from her she stumbled slightly feeling light headed from the loss of blood, 2 bites from the thing is all it had taken to make her dizzy, the bites causing the blood to flow freely from her body. She growled and waited, patiently for it to charge again. As it did she reared up on her back paws, her left front paw coming down and slamming into the top of the creature's head, it hit the frozen earth hard and Nayomi gave it no time to recover, she was upon it instantly, her teeth ripping and shredding the thing til it looked as it if had been hacked apart by a mad man. Panting she sat back on her haunches and assessed her own damage. She could see the bone of her shoulder and her back was almost as bad. Any deeper and she was sure it would have pierced her lung. Taking as deep a breath as she could she stood and began to walk slowly towards the others. Hoping they had had a better time then she had with the monsters. 

[Darth Vectis]

Everything was dark, devoid of any semblance of life or warmth. Things that made the world bearable and right was missing from this barren land. The world of shadow and darkness, the birth place of gods and demons alike and where the light goes to die, a world Dassem had been to before and would return to until the end of his life. But today was not the day for his end, at least he hoped it wouldnâ??t end too soon, he still had more to do before his clock ticked to midnight. He looked around in the shadow world, trying to forget how many times he had been here, and could see all the aberrations and murky shadows that taunted him, reached for him and called to him. Those who were gifted with power in the shadow realm, like Neos and Chiron, were strong enough willed and strong enough to block the aberrations with ease. They did it without trying, it was more effort for them to focus on the entities then worth, but for Dassem it was a nightmare world filled with monsters and ghostly beings that wanted nothing more than to consume the souls and bodies of Dassem and Victor.

 

The creatures didnâ??t reach for the three men, feeling the power radiate off Chiron deterred them from him easy enough, and Victor being blind oddly enough made him less of a target as these creatures fed off being seen and feared. Victor learned from a young age that there was nothing to fear in the eternal darkness that he lived in, giving him a sort of immunity to the haunting beings. The entities would have gone for Dassem, but two things helped him out in the dismal place. One, he bore the mark that Chiron had bestowed upon him, making him highly resistant to his degree of shadow and the places he traveled in the realm. The other was his many pervious ventures to this place, even creatures that didnâ??t have physical possessions or bodies remembered the ones who survive their onslaught and return the favor in kind. Though time seemed to drag on in this dark world, it wasnâ??t long before they were welcomed back into the light, though the warmth was still absent as the cold air touched Dassems skin, nipping at his nose and fingers. The moment they touched down and were firmly on the ground, Victor held out one hand and Dassem responded quickly.

 

His fingers started to dance in Victors palm; it was a form of sign language they had developed on their own. Getting across quick messages and used for situations where speech was impossible or restricted. It was simple, getting across what needed to be said, like the telegraph machines of old, it was a similar idea.

 

â??Can you sense them from here Victor?â?? Dassem held out his palm and Victor replied quickly with a simple yes.

 

â??I will remain here. Flank them. Bring the pain.â?? Victor pulled his hand away, Dassem taking the signal and holding out his own palm while he let his eyes look into the whiteness and seeing the mass of shuffling bodies not to far off.

 

â??Full force?â??

 

â??Full force. No bodies left.â?? Victor was facing forward and simply nodded as Chiron watched the exchange of hand signals.

 

â??Wait for my signal. Then attack. Safety not a priority.â?? Victor had to â??lookâ?? at him then, his blind eyes still scrutinizing Dassem as the First Sword looked at the Corpses. His safety wasnâ??t an issue, Victor needed to hit them hard and fast, and he would just need to hit harder and faster than Victor. Dassem looked to Chrion, turning his head as much as possible to direct his whispers toward the Blood mage.

 

â??Take Victor to another position, and then move to your own location. Weâ??ll hit them from all sides, go now.â? Chiron nodded as he took hold of Victor and vanished into the darkness, leaving Dassem alone to stare at the dispersed mass of Corpses. They were so docile, looking more like cattle then as dangerous monsters, their disturbing visage gave them credence, but their lack of instinct and predatory nature was unnatural and seemed designed. He hadnâ??t brought his satchel of tricks this time, no grenades or ways to hide anything he needed to. It was a risk he would have to take; line of sight was needed for Chiron, and Victor needed to focus on using his powers rather then moving through the distraction of scent of smoke. He waited for several minutes, not moving a muscle as he didnâ??t want to alert them to his presence just yet. The silence let him think to himself, combing through his thoughts carefully and planning his moves as precisely as he could. But in the silence, in the solitude that was the nation of Dassem, he heard it once more. The soft rattle of metal on metal, shook by an invisible hand, the rattle of the chain could be heard clearly now. Links clinking together gently to make just enough noise to alert the First Sword to its existence and he felt a chill run down his spin, as if fingers danced gently down his spine and tried to crawl its way into his brain. He had to shake himself to make the feeling pass, and even then the ghost of the touch lingered on his body and in his mind as he drew his sword and rose from his hiding place in the snow. Lunging forward, jumping down the snow bank they had perched on he roared loudly as he gripped the sword in both hands. Grotesque heads turned on awkward necks and looked to their new prey, their movements halted for just a moment as they seemed to just stare at the human running at them.

 

He lashed out with his two-handed swing, the power behind it cutting down and through one of the arms of the closes Corpse. Severing it completely from the ruined body, the creature didnâ??t respond with a sound or a cry of pain. It didnâ??t reach for the numb of its severed limb; it just stared for several more seconds before its lips pulled back and revealed its twisted, yellow teeth and reached out for Dassem. It had only moments as the sword was making its trip around and swung again, the soldiers roaring as he swung as hard as possible and tore through the creatureâ??s neck. Passing through and exiting the neck the Corpse continued its forward moment, but Dassem was already moving away as its head and body started moving in different directions. Dassem had no time to access the kill as the rest of the horde suddenly dashed for him, their speed and agility was remarkable for creatures that had been shambling moments ago. He had to relinquish his two-handed grip for a one-handed swing, using the other to deflect and maneuver around the bodies trying to converge on him. He had no time to see the body kneel to the ground as the head rolled away before its body rose again and started moving again. Moving toward the vibrations of the rest of them, its movements uncertain and sloppy but still trying to push forward to hunt down its prey, the head stared up at nothingness with unblinking eyes.

 

â??Come on! Fight me!â? He made as much noise as he could, seeing one of the creatures barreling down on him, he saw where it would hit, and he jumped forward, appearing right where he needed and swung in the torso of the creature, the sword moving out of its body. A killing blow, at least on normal creatures as it tore through where lungs and the heart would sit. It hardly seemed to matter to the creature before staggering forward and turning on a dime to lung at his new position. Dassem had to jump again, the creatures surrounding him quickly as he was jumping faster and faster each time to try and avoid the mass. He swung when he could, inflict wounds that would have killed other creatures, but these Corpses cared little as they wanted his blood more. Reaching and clawing for him, he was starting to lose ground quickly, having to jump around ever few seconds to avoid getting swarmed. He had to keep their attentions until Victor and Chiron struck, he would have to if he wanted to live pass this day.

[Shwa]

Both the blood mage and the aquatic bender reached their next destination, the shadowy portal opening once more from the ground as the two men appeared from the center until fully visible.  The harsh wind blew past the tree line, striking the two with great force as their clothing gave way to its might.  Victorâ??s hand found his temple, rubbing his flesh lightly as he groaned.

 

â??Exposure to that realm must be setting in quicker than I thought; how are you feeling?â?  Chorn turned his head slightly, Victor merely nodding.

 

â??Iâ??m alright, just a slight dizziness.  We have to be quick to-...â? Chatter stopped as the distant noise of slashing could be heard not too far from the two.  â??Heâ??s started alreadyâ?¦.damn him.â?  Both men knew Dassem was serious about the plan, especially if it meant that safety was not an option or priority, but the two thought they had more time.

 

â??Iâ??ll make my way to the next spot, be ready Victor.â?  Chiron made a mad dash to his next destination and vanished within his shadow realm, Victor could no longer sense his presence nearby.  The muscular soldier made a firm stance, the snow lifting from the ground slowly and twirling around the aqua conjurer as his powers charged for his immediate attack.  Just then, in the same direction where Chiron vanished, he reappeared once more, faint, but just enough to give Victor the news that he made it fine in the distance.  Short bursts of shouts could be heard from where Dassem made his attack, the intensity grew in his voice, clearly he was beginning to lose his stand as more of the creatures appeared to assist the pack.  Victor made no hesitations as he collected more snow, the streams of white powder synced with the soldierâ??s own heart-beat.  With every beat, small thorn sized spikes appeared from the streams, growling larger and larger with every pulse.  Thatâ??s when the time came.  â??Victor, letâ??s go!â?  Taking no room for error or pause, the muscular soldier began his fast paced dash towards the direction of his ally, closer and closer until before his senses picked up Dassem in front of his path.  His own heavy footing echoing on the ground as the snow he passed parted on the ground so his bare feet would touch the chilling grass, the snow that parted lifted and followed the man as he made great haste.  Another power signature rose to the soldierâ??s right side, Chiron was preparing to launch something massive as well.  Both men would have to be quick with their assault and make sure it hitâ??s their key targets, already more and more of their enemies were appearing and huddling in on Dassemâ??s location.  A scout must have alerted others their group was being slaughtered by a single entity.  More and more did Victor sprint towards his destination, feeling a slight heat signature in his senses to confirm that Dassem was still fighting and alive.  The veteran soldier made a couple more slashed before he noticed a figure in the distance coming closer and closer to his location, sparing no time to stay still as another claw like hand swiped towards his face.  Maneuvering with skill and precision, Dassem managed to sink to his knees and carve the creature in half in one fell swoop.  The soldier huffed for air, tired from his assault, small cuts on his arms and torso area showed his enemies were able to get too close for Dassemâ??s own comfort before their demise.  With a flick of his wrist, First swordâ??s weapon decapitated two more monsters with one strike before the others noticed the approaching men.

 

â??Hit them hard!â?  Dassem shouted.  Mere inches away from the outer huddle of beasts, Victor stopped dead in his tracks, his own feet digging into the grass hard as the man extending his arms forward.  The great mass of white snow following the man acted without hesitation as streams of white powder now crystallized into sharp waves, striking down their enemies.  As each silk like strand pierced the decaying bodies, they would freeze internally before their exterior forms shook and remained still.  Large spikes of ice escaped from their pierced flesh and covered their bodies almost like a rash.  Those who were not hit by the ice attack began to dodge the streams and make their way towards Victor with great haste.  Dassem continued his assault, having the space and freedom to move how he pleased, but also stopping any more of the creatures from getting close to Victor.

 

â??Theyâ??re getting closer!â?  Victor grunted in worry, concentrating his powers to knock down and immobilize those who came towards his direction.

 

â??Allow me.â?  Dassem looked up to see Chiron in the air, the manâ??s light weight allowing him to jump to great heights as he peered down upon the battlefield.  Extending his own palm, the blood-mage unleashed a volley of lightning from his hand, but it was as if it were different.  The color matched blood-red and the effects of the attack made their enemies explode upon contact.  Loud bursts, almost like cannon fire, sounded as each creature exploded when struck, fire spread easily to their enemies, allowing their positions to be spotted by Victor as another wave of crystal streams attacked.  Dassem maneuvering past his allyâ??s attacks, finishing his own enemies one by one with little effort thanks to the confusing their group has caused.  Within minutes of their barrage, the battle had been won by the three soldiers.  Dassem peered around the field, making sure anything slightly moving was dealt with swiftly, Chiron doing the same, blasting the corpses one by one as they burst into flames or explored where they lay.  Victor made sure to do his part as he shot large shards of ice into the eyes of the survivors, sensing their life dwindle before they stopped moving. 

 

â??Iâ??m sure thatâ??s the last of themâ?  Dassem spoke, removing the tip of his sword form a lifeless corpse, sheathing it back to his side as the three men gathered together.  â??Victor, Chiron, good work from the two of you.â?

 

â??How are you holding up Dassem?â?  Chrion questioned, seeing the small cuts and scrapes on the manâ??s uniform.

 

â??No flesh wounds, so otherwise fine.  Victor, how you holding up?  That was a lot of power you used back there.â?

 

â??Iâ??m still good to go, thankfully this is a battlefield with my element stocked a plenty.  However, we havenâ??t heard from Wolf in quite some time.â?  The others nodded, thinking the same thing. 

 

â??I have a vile of her blood, itâ??s still active and moving, so sheâ??s alive.  But Iâ??ll track her down and we can rendezvous at the assigned town weâ??re supposed to be investigating.  Be on your guard you two, this was only the beginning; you saw how their numbers multiplied.â?  Dassem and Victor both nodded quickly, Chiron closed his eyes and vanished into one of his portals once more.  Victor towered over Dassem, placing a hand on his friendâ??s shoulder.

 

â??Lead the way.â?

 

â??Of course, the town was marked on the map 5 clicks from here, we should get moving, almost noon time if Iâ??m correct.â?  Dassem turned and began their walk with Victor close behind.

 

"So, do you think this was all a set up then?"  Victor sighed.

 

"You bet your life I do my friend.  But, we should gather more information on who's pulling the strings of this operation before we jump to anything definite.  It's either from our side, or whom ever was controlling those ghoul-like creatures.  Either way, I'm not holding it in high favors for either side."  It was then Dassem stopped and grunted, his hand placed on the side of his forehead.  Victor raised an eyebrow when he bumped into his friend, almost stumbling forward.  

 

"Dassem?"  

 

"Blasted ringing, where is it coming from?!"  His voice seemed dark and deadly then, almost scaring Victor.  

 

"Ringing?"  Victor looked around, trying to sense what noise could be causing a disturbance to his friend.  Only the cold weather could be felt around the soldier and the heat signature from Dassem as well.  Dassem collected his thoughts and grunted the annoyance away, shaking his head slightly.  

 

"Nothing Victor.  Come, let's get going."  Victor only nodded, hearing Dassem's foot steps in the snow and following the sound close.      

Edited October 28, 2013 by Shwa

[Kayin Cloud]

Once Dassem's strange activity seemed to have resolved, Chiron knelt down to inspect one of the slain creatures, gathering a chunk of its remaining mass and looking it over as the other two continued. It seemed like it was something that wasn't made in nature of any kind. These seemed to be man-made which was lining Chiron's suspicions up with Victor's. But only someone with a high intellect, impressive technology and a way to keep it all hidden would be the kind of culprit he'd expect. Most likely an alchemist...or potentially worse, another mage. Whatever the answer was, Chiron knew he wasn't going to like where it lead them. He stood up, shoving the sinewy contents into a vial and stowing it away. It was then he poured the vial of Nayomi's blood into the palm of his hand. Instead of spilling through his fingers, it became gelatinous and shaped like a sphere before it expanded into a compass like arrow. "Good, she's still on the move. Her condition is still stable. I'll lead the way," he said, walking ahead of the taller men. He was grateful for Victor's ability. Though snow wasn't too hard to concentrate through, it was nice to be able to focus solely on the task at hand with Victor's shielding.

 

"So what is your take on our ghoulish friends, Chiron?" Dassem asked, Victor seeming to be interested as well.

 

Chiron exhaled, watching his breath condense in front of him. "My theory would be that these creatures are indeed unnatural, though not supernatural either. They seem to be manufactured and that would limit our culprits for the most part. They could either be crafted by alchemy or necromancy. Either way, they're nothing I've ever seen or heard of from any of the known planes."

 

Victor nodded, seemingly in thought. Dassem glanced to Chiron and then to Victor once their larger friend began to speak. "So how hard would it be to trace it back to the source with your skill set, Chiron?"

 

Chiron tilted his head a bit then sighed before peering over his shoulder. "In all honesty, it depends on just how powerful a being we're dealing with here. If they lack the power or skill to cover up their tracks, it could take me days to a month. If they were too proud in their work, it could take a matter of hours. It's very circumstantial for beings so complex. However..." Chiron paused, thinking a bit on it before he looked back again. "Being that these creatures are as powerful as they seem to be, there can't be too many people with the power or resources to complete them. I would merely need the time to figure things out."

 

"Well, it's a lead even if it's theoretical. For now we should get to the Wolf and head to town to see what we can't find out for sure," Dassem said after digesting Chiron's input. With that, the three men made their way to find their squad leader. It didn't take much time since she was tracking them as well. "Good to see you're more or less in one piece..." Dassem said, looking over the damage.

 

"Yeah...Glad to see you three our in one piece though. How'd things go?" Nayomi asked, obviously favoring her shoulder then looking to Chiron. "Really...? Why do you have my blood handy?"

 

"So that I can be creepy and stalk you to the ends of the earth," Chiron said flatly. As Nayomi's face began to show worry, Chiron chuckled to himself.

 

"So, the blood mage has a sense of humor...Ha...ha... Not funny," Nayomi huffed before cringing at the pain that racked her body.

 

Chiron shook his head. "Well, this will be another reason to keep your blood handy," he said, pressing the blood sphere to her shoulder and uttering a few unrecognizable words, causing the wounds to close up and the blood to return to her body. "Though I suppose I'll need another vial sometime," Chiron said with a chuckle, dodging a punch from their leader. "Or I could have just let you suffer longer. Is that how you say thank you?" he asked with a faint smile.

 

"Yeah, yeah. But seriously, thanks. I can't believe those zombie-like creatures can get so mobile though. I wasn't expecting that kind of speed," Nayomi said, shaking her head and massaging her recovered shoulder wound. "The next step should probably be h-"

 

"Heading to town, regrouping, and gathering information?" Dassem spoke up, catching Nayomi off guard briefly. "We were thinking that ourselves at least."

 

Nayomi nodded in agreement. "Well, that's probably our best bet. Anything you guys may have come up with already?" The others filled their squad leader in as they made their way to the town ahead, not sure of what to expect exactly.

[Akieen Cloud]

Nayomi still felt slightly light headed, the wound on her back still oozing slightly as they trekked slowly through the snow towards the outskirts of town. 

"Since we've dealt with the problem, if nothing seems out of the usual, we'll contact HQ and have them evacuate us. Understood."

"Shouldn't we-"

Nayomi shook her head and let out a hum of argument as Victor tried to argue.

"Not today. Those...things...took more out of us then they should have I think. If the town seems normal we head home and recover."
Chiron put his hand on his chin in thought.

"Is it, that your fight took more out of you then you care to admit Wolf?"
Nayomi let out a low growl.

"Look, in case you haven't noticed I'm still bleeding from a gaping wound on my back where that thing tore into me. I have probably another good hour or so before I'm pretty much useless. So, lets find out what we can and get the hell out of here. Got it?"
This time they all gave her a confirmation as they crested the last hill to look down at the town, and Nay felt her heart sink. It looked normal, the little houses lit up and looking cozy, the small flurries that had begun to fall making it look like a lazy Christmas town in a snow glob. Dassem let out a small noise of what sounded like regret.

"Looks normal to me."
She nodded slowly, her fur slowly standing on end.

"Yeah...I don't like it."

Chiron frowned.

"I thought this is what you wanted so we could return home Wolf."
She shook her head and sighed.

"Yeah, normal would mean that these people would be aware that something, anything, is out there. Killing their live stock or something like that. Normal would mean some kind of protective measure to keep dangers out of a sleepy little town like this...but...there's nothing.No sign of awareness that they live in the wilderness, among bears and wolves...nothing to keep the dangers of the night from entering into the town, into their homes. Normal is far from what I see."

Victor crossed his arms and frowned.

"But what if they don't know about those things we took care of? Wouldn't that make some sort of sense?"
"Yes and no. It makes sense that they wouldn't know what they are, but to not know that a danger like that lurks just beyond this hill makes no sense what so ever. Hunters or travelers or something must have either caught a glimpse of them, or a the remains of one of their kills. It makes no sense that they're completely oblivious to something like that."

Chiron nodded slowly.

"I can see the logic in that, but tell me. What if Victor is right and they really have no idea what's going on?"
Nayomi shook her head with a small growl.

"Something is telling me that's not the case."
She sighed and sat back on her haunches, her ears pinned back as she surveyed the town, she was ready to let it go and have them go home when something caught her eye. Two grown men were hauling something from the town, she caught the scent of blood and felt a chill run through her. She could see the red stain seeping through the bottom of the canvas they were hauling between them. The smell was musty and a few hours old, but it was gamey and wild.

"Why are they hauling a dead bear out of town instead of into it for meat?"
The others followed her gaze, Victor frowning as he tried to make sense of her words.

"What do you mean Wolf?"
Dassem chimed in, his voice thick with tension now.

"Two men are hauling a dead animal out of town instead of into it."

This made Victor's frown deepen.

"That doesn't seem proper."
Nayomi nodded and watched as the two men crested the hill on the far side and threw the carcass over, watching as it rolled down and stopped in a snow covered heap at the bottom. What happened then made Nayomi sick to her stomach. Out of the tree line more of the creatures they had just worked so hard to dispose of flocked to the kill, ripping and tearing away at the flesh of the best, She could see the men still watching in a form of fascination before turning and leaving. Nayomi sighed and shook her head.

"Guess we know who planted the first bear...these people are feeding them...but...why?"
She took a deep breath through her nose and let out a hack which she deafened in the powder below her feet, her teams eyes all on her now. Dassem kneeling next to her as she tried to get fresh air back into her lungs.

"Wolf, what's that all about?"
Nayomi had never smelt anything as putrid as this, it was almost like death it self, dark and hazy, musty and foul. She swallowed mouthfuls of the snow to try and rid her self of it but it was no good. It was as if the smell had fused it's self to her taste buds and nostrils. She began to feel whines escaping her and cut them off. She looked up, her eyes watering as she tried to locate the source of the smell and when she found it, she felt her blood run cold. The man was fearsome looking, his black eyes and swallow skin making him look no better then the creatures feasting not to far from them. She tried her best to concentrate tried to read the lips of the men who walked back to him triumphantly, wiping their hands free of the bear's blood and scent. The sickly man smiled, his black tinted teeth looking like daggers in his mouth and then, as if knowing she was looking his head shifted and his eyes locked with her's. She felt frozen as he glared at her, his pale skin and hair seeming to melt into each other. She didn't know how long they stayed like that til she felt a rough shake on her shoulder. Shaking her head she looked around and noticed Chiron and Dassem looking at her worriedly, Dassem speaking first.

"You alright Wolf? You seemed to go into shock there for a moment. It was as if you were under some kind of spell..."
Chiron nodded as Victor frowned yet again.

"Was something distracting you Wolf?"
Nayomi took a deep breath, relieved to know it was free of the smell and taste yet again.

"The man that the other two met at the bottom of the hill, he looked almost like those things..."
Dassem frowned now, his confusion clear on his face.

"Nayomi, I think that blood loss has gotten to you, there was no man there. They walked back into the village and into their homes. Nothing else happened."
Nayomi blink and shook her head.

"I know what I saw...that man...he looked evil. He had beady black eyes and his hair was almost as white as the snow we're standing in. It had a yellow tint to it though like he was lacking nutrition or something though...and his teeth...he smiled and his teeth all looked like fangs that were rotting in his mouth...There's no way you two wouldn't have seen him...He was impossibly tall..."
She looked from Chiron to Dassem only to notice the other man had gone pale in the face. As if Dassem had seen a ghost. She was about to ask what was wrong with a loud chime broke them from what ever trance they were in. The large church in the middle of the town was tolling it's bell, and as each toll fell across the town the little houses, one by one, became dark as the lazy town shut down.

"Awfully early for lightly out don't you think?"
Nayomi nodded at Chiron's words.

"I say we check it out while everyone stays inside."

They all nodded and slowly they made their way into the town. It was quiet, the hills surrounding it shielding it from the winds of the wilderness around them. Nayomi had changed back into her human self so as not to cause any chaos in the chance of being seen. 

The streets were dark and Nayomi frowned as the only light came from the church in the middle, the wide double door to the entrance were open and inviting. Almost a beacon for lost travelers or towns folk. Nayomi felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle and shook her head.

"I don't like this. Feels like a set up..."
Dassem nodded as Chiron added with a hint of a sarcastic tone. 

"Then I would assume that it would be Wolf."
She shot him a look over her shoulder and slowly made her way up the stairs and peered in. It was empty, the lights left on and the church abandoned, which in its self was strange, A church this size always had a clergyman on standby. Her slight frown deepened as she looked deeper into the church, the center was not that of norm worship, but of the man she had seen. He was just as ugly and frightening in stone as he was in blood and bone. His skeleton like frame embodied in the middle of the church gave her chills she couldn't shake, and worse yet his right arm and hand were crafted to look like a deep curved claw, his mouth was agape in a silent battle cry exposing the pointed teeth she knew she had seen. His sunken beady eyes shone even in stone, she knew this man was evil, and she had a gut feeling it wouldn't be the last time she would see him. She regarded the statue stiffly, committing every detail to memory, she would have Sketch, a young artist who did mug shots at the base, draw him again when she got back. The statue had one difference to it then the man had. The statue's face was full and healthy giving the man a regal, almost handsome; if not creepy; look to him in stone. The man she had seen earlier had looked sick and dying, as if a few days with no food or water would do him in. She felt a nagging sensation in the back of her mind, as if the man was known to her, yet unfamiliar all at once. She looked back at the others and noticed they were simply waiting for her to finish her inspection as if nothing was out of the norm.

"Please tell me you see this..."
Dassem shrugged as Chiron crossed his arms.

"It looks to be a regular church Wolf. I think you've lost to much blood. We should get you back to base."
Nayomi let out  a small growl.

"You mean to tell me, Chiron, Dassem, neither of you see the statue in the middle of the church..."
Dassem looked at her in confusion as Chiron shook his head.

"What statue Wolf? I seriously think you've lost to much blood. I think your hallucinating."

Nayomi shook her head fiercely.

"Why is it your acting like you don't see that man I told you about, carved in stone, standing in the middle of the church! For gods sake his arm is carved into the most wicked claw I have ever seen. And your telling me you don't see that?"

Once again Dassem showed a mild sign of stress, and this time Naymoi didn't miss it. 

"And you mean to tell me that every time I mention him, or something about him, that fearful look in your eyes, the way your skin turns a shade paler is nothing?"
Dassem composed him self just as quickly as he had let him self slip.

"Your seeing things Nay, we need to get you back. Chiron, call for extraction so we can get her to the healers and back to 100%"

Chiron nodded and did just that as Nayomi took one last glance into the church only to have her blood run cold as the man embodied in statue was standing below it, a cruel smile twisting his features as their eyes locked. Her voice frozen in her throat as she watched him lift a thin hand and wave slowly, wistfully at her until a blue mist covered her vision and she found her self back at base. 

She barely let the healers do their job as she shoved and pushed her way through the masses til she broke through and rushed down the hall, the others left behind. Finding the man she was looking for she caught him in his office.

"Sketch. Ralph..I need a favor...can you do a sketch for me as I describe it to you?"
The red haired man blinked in surprise. His brown eyes meeting her blue ones.

"Nayomi, what's going on?"
She shook her head.

"Can you or not?"
"Of course I can but what's this about?"
She sat down in the chair across from him and put her face in her hands.

"I think I'm losing my mind. I saw a man on the mission...and in the town's church there was a statue of this man...but I was the only one who could see it. Dassem and Chiron either honestly didn't see what I saw or they were playing a cruel joke on me..."
Ralph shook his head as she leaned on his desk.

"Nayomi, are you sure-"
"Please Ralph. Just draw what I tell you..."
The man nodded, and with out another word from him set about drawing the man Nayomi described to him. After nearly an hour she pulled the sheet of paper out from under his pencil and frowned. It was exactly as she recalled him.

"Perfect, thanks Ralph, I owe you one."
He shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Where have I heard that one before?"
She didn't answer as she folded the paper and made her way hastily towards Dassem's room, paging Chiron and Victor on her way there. This man was a part of something, a piece in a larger puzzle, she could feel it, she knew it. She wanted to know what, and why her gut was telling her she, and no doubt many more, were some how involved.