The Night has whispers... (Open)

[kitsune]

A cold air hung over shadow village as a soft breeze made the black mist thicken. The outer fringes of the village were covered in a black mist, and it made it even more eerie now that it was a dark night out. The forest seemed silent, as if waiting for something, anything, bad to happen. Rustling could be heard throughout the shadows, making those still outside shiver in fear.

A growling came from an alleyway between to tall houses. Red eyes gleamed in the night as the growling grew louder, much to the horror of a passing lady. She was in her mid thirties, and had just moved her, not knowing the dangers of the night. They had said it was safe, because of a hidden protector... but the lady could only watch now as a huge creature emerged before her, perhaps the size of a large van. It had a long, green snout with a feline like nose and sharp pointed ears. Its broad head swinged back and fourth on a thick neck as it drew back its lips into a snarl, revealing sharp, feline like teeth.

The thing has deep green fur and thick, long legs, with spikes going down its back in tuned with its spine. At th end of a long tail, there was multiple spikes, and immediately the tail swung strait for the petrified woman. The woman closed her eyes, awaiting a lot of pain that was about to come. She remembered how nice it was to be back at home, back in her own country. She had moved here to see new things, and it seemed she was about to pay dearly for it...

Suddenly, a black flash intercepted the tail as it was about to strike the woman. A black mist thickened easily onto the area, making the green, cat -like monster confused. Where had the woman gone? In fact, the human had been pushed far back behind none other then Shadowsoul, a black fox demon. Right now, her eyes glimmered a deep red as she revealed her fox teeth to the cat demon; she was the only thing it could currently see.

Black fire sprung all over the cats fur, making it shiver. It howled and lashed out at Shadowsoul, managing to make a small cut on her cheek. She smirked and ran to the back of it, now wrapping it in shadowsnakes. It could no longer move now. Finally, she intensified the fox fire, making it colder and colder. Soon, it froze the cat, making Shadowsoul grin. She watched it freeze to a stop and released the snakes, knowing that it was now dead due to its heart being frozen in place.

The woman sat there, eyes wide the whole time. The mist faded and Shadowsoul turned slowly, voice like ice. "Hello there. Are you OK?" she asked, expressionless. The woman managed to nod and shakily stand straiter. Shadowsoul nodded and suddenly seemed to disappear into the shadows, leaving the woman there to gape in awe.

The fox demon turned to her patrol, knowing that the previous battle had been too close. If she had delayed a second longer, the woman would be dead. She sighed and flicked an ear, walking onward and vowing to be faster next time. Shaking out her tail, she glanced around for more danger, making sure to stay alert.

[morrisb]

Shadowsoul had not seen any more potent dangers in her direct vicinity. But she heard one. A loud "bang", somewhere deeper in the forest. Several birds made their hasty escape from that area, frightened and shocked.

The sound she heard was not familiar. She never heard such a bang before. What could it had been...?

...

Meanwhile, at the source of the noise, Gavron Alexander slowly reloaded his pistol.

The grim Inquisitor-Captain has arrived to this strange, rugged land only recently, and he hated and despised every single inch of it. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but demons, oppression, falsehood, demons, poverty, war, demons, superstition, idiocy and even more f*ing demons. Kind of like everywhere else he went. Why he exatly hated this place more than all the others was known only to him.

He was also angry at his own stupidity. He wasted a bullet on a miserable lesser fiend, and the loud noise probably gave his position away to others. Bah, no matter. At least they will be easier to find this way.

He pulled out a ragged map he bought from a merchant, trying to analyze it.

It was then that his tiny companion, the small monkey-demon, Tila, popped out from beneath his coat.

"Let's see. We're supposed to be near a village. No doubt our target will make its way there to get supplies." - Gavron muttered to himself.
"You-hold-map-upside-down, master-Gavron." - Tila noted.

Gavron grunted and turned the map the way it should be looked at. After some time, he nodded and put it away, along with his pistol. He didn't want to waste any more precious ammunition, so instead he drew his rapier and got hold of a holy ward. He slowly proceeded onwards.

"This mist and darkness here just isn't natural..." - he thought. - "Too silent, and too well-suited for an ambush..."

OOC: Expendable Equipment list for this adventure:

- Pistols x2
- Cartridges x19
- Holy Wards x11
- Holy Water x2
- Grenade x1 (Splinter)
- Steel Gauntlet x1 (right-handed)

[kitsune]

Shadowsoul stiffened at the sound of a loud bang. Her lips peeled back from her fox teeth as she turned her head and thickened the mist, wondering what was going on. She sniffed slightly, ear flicking in annoyance. What now? She had wanted to turn in before daylight, but now it seemed that yet another threat was on them. She had never before heard a bang like that, and it seemed to be nothing good. Giving a final glance around, the fox demon advanced through the mist, her eyes glowing a dull angry/ annoyed red.

She unflattened her ears, listening intently and wandering closer to the bang. Narrowing her eyes, she lashed her tail, sniffing deeply. Something smelled off... like smoke, but yet not like it; possibly a fire, but there was no light. She shivered, thinking of fire... that was her weakness, evil and hot. She shook her head and focused again, wandering in a circular motion as if closing in on her target.

She was shocked to see a human, taller then herself, holding several forein objects that she had never seen. She lashed her tail; was it an intruder, one to try to ham the people of her village? She watched what he was holding (the gun) with confusion. What was it? She had never seen anything like it; was it that had produced the big bang?

She circled closer, black mist hiding her as she watched. She would wait to see what he did; if he wandered into the village and tried to harm anyone or anything, definitly including the animals and people, then she would strike him down. If not, she would still keep an eye on him; newcomers always brought her a huge amount of dread. He seemed to hold a hidden danger within him...

[morrisb]

Shadowsoul remained hidden from Gavron's sight due to her silence and the blackness of the starless, cloudy night.

However, Gavron was experienced enough to know when he was being watched. It was an uneasy, unexplainable feeling, but he knew something observed him. This feeling was only further backed up by Tila, who shivered as she grabbed into Gavron's clothing. This was clear sign of her worrying.

Gavron wondered what could be the source of this uneasyness. A predator, ready to prey upon him ? Or another misbegotten demonspawn ?

For a moment, Gavron tightened his grip on his sword while he thought the situation over.

Finally, he decided: for the moment, he'll ignore whatever - or whoever - watches him, and continue his stroll. Slowly and steadily, observing his surroundings. If that thing that follows him becomes an annoyance, he'll deal with it.

And so he acted accordingly: sword in hand, he treaded carefully in the dark, trying to avoid branches and shrubbery while he did so.

[kitsune]

Shadowsoul watched him carefully walk onward. It seemed he was suspicious; but she followed anyways. She lashed her tail, staying dead silent for the moment, eyes glowing a brighter red. She was worried for sure; he could be dangerous, and she might have to intervene. She glanced at his sword now, wondering if that was as bad as the other weapon he had, or if it was worse. She'd been attacked by a few swords, and they had done some damage. She made a note in her mind to keep track of his weapons in case there was a battle.

She followed a distance behind, never taking his eyes off of this human. He seemed normal, but he could be hiding something. She lashed her tail again, glancing at the other demon and wondering what it was. It did not seem from around these parts...

She almost tripped on a root but caught herself, managing only to make a small bump. That could have given her position; she quickly darted through her mist to a different area of her circle now to the right side of him rather then behind. She winced, feeling the sting of old wounds she had gotten some hours before. She could ignore it, for now...

[morrisb]

Gavron heard the bump, and he noted the dash through the woods as well; what an untrained man would had perceived as a breeze of wind, he knew it was movement.

He kept a neutral facial expression, trying to pretend he didn't notice a thing. But he was thinking hard:

"Not animal. Too fast, and moves by a different logic than a forestial beast would." - he concluded in his mind, tightening his grip on the handle again. - "He... or she... must be puzzled. There are not many like me or Tila around."

For a moment he glanced at the sky. A cloud moved aside, revealing the faintly glowing sickle-shaped Moon. A momentary brightness descended on the forest. Gavron felt a temptation to use this momentum to seek for his stalker, but banished the thought immediately.

"Not yet." - he thought to himself. - "Not yet..."

[kitsune]

Shadowsoul silently observed still, ears flat. She stiffened, not moving from her spot now. Had he noticed? It did not seem like it, but she needed to remain catious. She noticed his tightened grip and against her will, her ears started to lay flat again. It was an annoyance; when her ears were flat, she could not hear as well...

She waited still, trying to remain silent. Her heartbeat was fast, as she was fearful and worried; but at the same time, determined. If these new people proved dangeroous, she would risk her life for the village as they did to save her. She would die for them; it was her duty.

[morrisb]

Gavron kept going on. Now that he knew that what followed him must be an intelligent creature, possibly demonkin, he intended to test it further.

"Whatever this is, it knows the area much better. If it was a purely malign entity, it would had attacked by now. So it's either weak, or driven by curiosity, or both." - Gavron thought.

But evil or not, Gavron was having enough of this hide-and-seek game. Fortunately for him, he spotted a clearing nearby, and made his way to the middle of it.

"I'll camp here for the night. My legs could use some relaxation anyway." - he muttered to himself in a language unknown to Shadowsoul.

An ideal place. If his stalker attacks, he or she will have to reveal him- or herself. Once he makes fire, it will be all the better !

"Tila, go fetch some dry wood. We'll spend the night here." - Gavron spoke in Japanese intentionally. His accent was weird for Shadowsoul's ears, but clear enough to understand.

The little monkey demon nodded and ran to some nearby woods, in the direction opposing to Shadowsoul's. Gavron himself sheated his blade and readied some tools. He didn't really need them to make fire, but why give away his abilities ?

For further safety, he secretly pushed the holy ward he held in his left hand beneath his glove. No way it can be spotted now, and if need rises, it will be an instant suprise...

He waited for Tila to return with the wood then, sitting down, looking around with pretended casuality.

[kitsune]

Shadowsoul listened intently, not knowing what he had said. So he was a foreiner; she had not met many of those, but she had heard about them. They were from different places, all over the world. She flicked an ear, now even more curious as to what he had said. She heard something about dry wood, and staying the night. Hmm...he would stay here, then? She shrugged, not minding it. IT was in his own right, after all. But still, this foreiner could pose a threat, and she did not like that.

She saw the monkey demon run into the woods, and darted closer to it, but it was not effective since she was too far away. Cursing herself, she growled slightly like a fox. IF that demon went to attack the village, it would be her fault. But she could not just leave this man here in case he too decided to attack. She remembered how it was off to get wood, but that could be a lie... she would just have to wait and see.

She watched him look around, now farther in the shadows due to not wanting to be seen in the clearing. She ade a rim of lack mist surrounding it in order to hide better and cause confusion if needed. She shivered at the thought of fire... it was the thing she feared the most...

[morrisb]

Gavron noticed the thickening, unnatural fog which began surrounding the clearing.

"This thing really is cowardly. And potentially hostile. If it was merely curious it would not resort to such pathetic tricks. Tricks... trickster ? Hm..." - such ideas floated around his mind, 'till Tila returned with a small bunch of dry branches.

Perfect.

He soon made a little campfire with his tools and took out a piece of meat, which he carried with himself. Tila, on the other hand, helped herself to an apple he found among Gavron's stuff and began eating it joyfully. Gavron put the meat on his sword, holding it above the fire.

"Just a couple or so hours 'till it dawns. No storm clouds in sight. When the Sun rises, my opponent's chances to ambush me will drop drastically. I wonder, though... a trickster... could it be...?"

He kept silent, slowly frying the meat, his eyes focused on the fire, but not lowering his awareness.

[kitsune]

Shadowsoul's eyes darkened as the fire started. She might have to just have to abandon her spying to flee into her cave. Daylight was ot what she admired at all; she loved the night, hated day. She flicked her ears, debating on a course of action. Her dark mist was not nearly as good in sunlight, and she would be easily seen. Prhaps dig a fox den? But that would take up too much energy... She sighed silently and turned, wanting to make sure her village was safe but knowing that she could not in this way.

She started to dart away, wondering how to warn the village of this new prescense. She wanted to be welcoming, but the attacks latley had gone too far; and not just from demons, but humans too. Sone treasure in the center of town, said to hold extrordinary magic. Being a theif herself, she knew it would be valuable to steal. However, she never planned on doing so; it was special to the vilage and provided a safer barrier from the evils.

She went deeper into the forrest, deciding not to abandon thie area and not to go to her cave. She would just wait here, and figured he would not follow her into the forrest anyways; she had been silent, so she felt safe. She watched the glow of the fire in the distance and curled up, planning to follow from far now that daylight was near. She might be able to get in a tad bit of sleep now though...

[morrisb]

Gavron was satisfied for the time being. It seems the fire forced his persuer to reconsider his or her actions. The dark fog started vanishing as mysteriously as it came.

"The guy must be tired of me as well. Well, fine by me. I didn't plan on fighting today anymore anyway. But I can't delay any further than this. As soon as it dawns, I'll make my way to the village and ask around." - such was his final conclusion.

He didn't plan on sleeping, but Tila, after eating the apple and then a peach, fell asleep soon, leaning against him.

Gavron smiled for a moment. It would be funny if that stalker who followed him fell asleep and do something stupid while dreaming. Yeah, like that's going to happen. Nonsense.

Gavron ate the meat, and a peach afterwards, then waited. Waited for morning to come...

[kitsune]

Shortly before morning came, Shadowsoul awoke. She twitched her tail and was glad nothing had happened while she had been sleeping. She stood up and stretched, looking in the direction of her village. The sun almost blinded her; luckily, she shady trees of the forrest helped her see better. She had an idea on what to do now, and how to follow him. She turned and started toward the village, eyes wide in anticipation.

She wandered into her cave and looked through her stuff, deciding on what to do now Finally, she found a cloak, a perfect black one. She eagerly put it over her head and grabbed sunglasses, sheilding her eyes. After tucking in her tail and ears, she wandered outside, knowing that if the newcomer came to the village, it wouold be easy to find him. She particularly wandered by the guarded castle where the treasure was in case he might turn up there.

She got a few glanced from the townspeople, but usually this was their attire, even on a bright day like this. Still, she was a bit overdressed and stuck out. No matter; no one would know she was a demon on sight. She sighed and waited quietly fir the man to come; she was the size of a smaller teenage girl anyways, so it was not likw she was overly big. She could blend in if needed.

[morrisb]

(OOC: sunglasses in the late middle age ? )

As soon as it dawned, Gavron woke Tila up and made a hasty inspection of his surroundings. Tila helped him with her sense of smell; while not on the same caliber as a fine hunting dog, her nose was more sensitive than a human's. And so were her eyes.

Gavron took into account the most obvious traces first. A cracked twig here, a tiny footstep there, accidently squished bugs... Gavron couldn't track his persuer like this, there were too few tracks. But this lead him to a different kind of discovery:

"Extremely skilled in camouflage, superhuman dexterity and speed. Humanoid, but not particularly big. Heck, I can barely see his or her steps on the grass. The size of a taller child, perhaps ?"

Tila pulled his trouser. He turned towards her, and she presented something she found: a piece of black fur. Gavron smelled it.

"Some sort of canine. Let's sum it up then, Tila." - he hummed. - "Trickster, humanoid, canine, uses illusions, too cowardly to expose itself in the open, possibly shuns from daylight... are you thinking what I'm thinking ?"

Tila scratched her chin for some moments, then attempted to figure it out:

"Kitsune ?" - she asked.

"Very likely." - Gavron nodded. - "I never met a kitsune before, but there are a lot of tales circulating about them in these lands. The description fits our stalker perfectly."

Tila climbed up to Gavron's shoulder.

"Me-heard-they-look-cute." - Tila whispered.

"Cutely malicious, maybe." - Gavron responded. - "You know exactly what this turn of events means."

The little monkey sighted.

"Me-know, me-know..."

...

It wasn't long 'till Gavron arrived to the village. The locals weren't used to visitors in general; only a few bypassing merchants travelled through here from time to time. Gavron was like a snowflake in the middle of a desert, and attracted similar attention.

Shadowsoul just happened to be around when the foreigner walked in. The villagers, while keeping some distance, began to mass around him, particularly children.

Gavron felt uncomfortable. He hated such publicity. No matter, it's only a momentary disturbance.

For the time being, he glanced around with pretended carelessness. If the villagers want something from him, they'll probably speak their mind anyway.

His mission had a focus, a target. That's what matters now.

[kitsune]

(oops... well, you have advanced firearms; we can make exeptions here and there XD and wow; he's a great tracker ^^)
Shadowsoul swished her tail under her disguise, ignoring the heat from the sun. She resisted panting; there was no time for that now, none at all. She shook er head and focused; it was harder to do so in the daylight, that was for sure. She yawned slightly; not good. She rememberede how after all of the battles before, she had not gotten much sleep. hse would need it soon... for now she would be alittle slower than normal.

She noticed a number of villagers staring in a certain direction; that must be him! Quickly, she turned and stood near a building, sighting Gavron and the monkey demon once again. Giving a fox grin, she felt victorious. Now she just needed to discover his motives before letting her guard down.

She knew she was being way too overly catious, but she could not help it; the attacks from the foreiners had been too much latley, and she had some slip ups at some points; the treasure had almost been stolen multiple times. She would leave him alone pnce she knew exactly what was going on, but not until then.

Flicking an ear, she remained silent to observe, eyes flashing underneath her glasses. She had found these once in the forest and taken them, finally figuring out what they were used for and putting them on. She knew no other villagers owned a pair, but right now, even if she stuck out only slightly, being undetected for what she was was too vital.