The night was slightly cool, a light dusting of snow falling from the heavy cloud cover. Deep in the forest, just out of sight from a road, was a small group of people. Four humans all with horses. The horses were all hobbled off to one side while a pair of tents had been pitched under some large trees. A large fire pit, one apperantly frequently used by travelers, was set in the center. The narrow path leading from the road to this small spot was also proof of it being used by a few different people.

One of the travelers was a woman who seemed of noble birth, as did the younger boy with her. He seemed perhaps 14 years old and was dressed much too nicely, with a fur cape that looked more like a cloak on him and a gold chain about his neck. The woman had a nice cloak too, but it seemed more functional then fluff for this weather. The other two humans were clearly guards, or perhaps, AD hoped, real warriors highered to aid these people wherever they were going. Either way they were wearing studded leather armor, one with a breastplate, and each had a blade at his side. The one without the breastplate also had a crossbow. In AD’s mind Guards were fake warriors, false solders who could dress the part and play it too, but when it came down to actual skill they were quite useless. For now she could pretend they were highered.

They had built up a campfire and were cooking something in a pot. AD had no idea what it was, nor any real interest in it really. It was there before she had arrived. She had stationed herself in the branches of a nearby tree and hadn’t moved since. That meant they couldn’t see her or even sense her in any way. No one could, unless she moved, but she was perfectly fine where she was. She was waiting though, waiting in hopes of a story. People always told stories around campfires and now that they were nearly done eating… Aether Draka waited. It would come soon enough, unless they just went to sleep. Then she might have to take that fur cape for waiting and getting nothing. She might take it anyways though. It looked very soft and was a deep gray, it looked like rabbit fur. She would definitely have to take it if it was rabbit fur.

Then, just as she had hoped, one of the guards she hoped wasn’t but most likely was started to tell a story. Sadly, she couldn’t hear it too well and was forced to guess that they were talking about some battle they had both been in. Then, the boy spoke up, wanting to know what they were talking about. “Well…” one man hesitated and looked to the other. That man looked to the woman who raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to go ahead. The second nodded to the first and the man who had been telling the story started over, a bit louder this time.

“We were just talking about a interesting story we had heard of a while back. There is a tavern in Taras that seems to draw the wrong type of people, despite what the owner does. One night, this very noble and proper man walked into that tavern and basically announced, “Hello. I am looking for the thieves and or ruffians’ guild as I am too a thief and or ruffian.” They ended up chasing the guy out of the tavern and he later got arrested for sneaking into a noble’s party and making it so the alcohol was no longer alcoholic. Turns out the poor fellow had been turned into a vampire and didn’t know what to do with himself after that.”

“Vampire?” the boys eyes went wide, as did his mouth. “How did that happen?”

((OOC: true story, someone tried to play a vampire in a D&D campaign and this was his attempt to find the thieves guild! ^_^ ))

Do I see a fire? Over there, through the trees? I think I see a fire and it calls to me. Something's a burning, and it wasn't set by me. Zorgn had been walking the path through the forest, he didn't really know where it went, but hey, why not take a look, see where it goes. It had paid off, it seemed, his impulsive walk through the woods. There was a fire nearby, and he could've sworn he had heard voices carried by the winter wind.

It presented a rare opportunity, Zorgn was sure. Sneak up on the group, determine the numbers, and take them out one at a time without being detected. Factor in the snow, and you have an interesting, spur of the moment, self imposed mission. I'm going to love this. The sneaky stuff rarely works for me, but chasing them through the snow might be fun too. He could almost feel it, theor fear as they realized that they could not escape...

I'm going too fast, I haven't even seen the camp. See the place, then kill them. Stop getting high on your imagination. Zorgn shook it off and began making his way to the fire, careful to go slowly and avoid the snow that coated the ground in some places.

(ooc - can the story continue please? this whole eavesdropping bit could be cool.)

The one guard who was telling the story leaned forward a bit and said in a tone meant to lend mystery to it. “No one knows for sure, but it’s said that there is a monstrous being, a man half vampire and half winged beast, that had discovered the noble’s son out hunting on his own. He was attacked, and his horse killed. He had begged for mercy from this monster. The monster laughed at them man, but said he wouldn’t die if the monster could have his soul. Without even thinking about what that meant in his panic, the noble’s son had agreed. The best fell upon him anyways and the world went dark. He woke up later that night and walked out of the woods. He didn’t know what had happened but he realized that he had agreed to let that monster have his soul. In order to get it back, he had joined a group of adventures who were looking for someone who fit the description of the monster. They had decided to test him by giving him the tasks.” The guard shook his head and his tone turned sad. “What ever the story really is, the man is doing his time in the dungeons. At least there he doesn’t have to worry about the sun.”

Aether Draka decided she didn’t like the story much. She knew a few real vampires and this one sounded like a sorry excuse for one. She was going to take the fur cape, any coin she could find, and perhaps a few other things if she found something useful. Then she was going to go shopping for some new clothing to match her soon to be new cape. Something nice but not too fancy. Perhaps elven made… simple but elegant. She liked that thought.

“That didn’t really happen, did it?” The boy asked.

“They say it did, but you know how rumors work. There is a grain of truth in it somewhere, so keep it in mind.” The guard who hadn’t been telling the story had disappeared into one of the tents.

The woman then stood up and ran her hands down the front of her to smooth out the fabric. “Time for bed hon. Come on.” She said and held a hand out to the boy. He made a face that clearly meant he didn’t want to, but stood up anyways. He went inside the other tent, swinging his arm out wide to open it and letting it fall heavily behind him. The woman turned to the storyteller. “Where did you hear that one?”

“Taras docks. They were drunks and probably made the entire thing up for all I know. It’s just a story dear lady. Nothing to worry about.” She looked at him for a moment, then blinked once and nodded. She turned and reached out to open the tent’s flap when she paused. She glanced around and the guard gave her a look she didn’t see. “I’ve got this my lady. You need your sleep. I’ve got the watch.” He rose and looked around as if to prove his point. She glared at him and ducked inside the tent. As soon as she was out of sight the man strolled over to the horses and checked them over, his back to the camp. AD waited a moment, waiting until the time was right for her to act.

With the people still talking, it had been a lot easier to creep up to the camp. Yes, he'd blundered a few times, the crunch of leaves here, a twig snapping there, every move he had made had been unbearably loud in his ears, but the campers had not seemed to notice as he approached. He was currently laying on the ground at the back of one of the tents, and had been enjoying listening to the story told by the unseen man. Dinner with entertainment too, a fine thing on any occasion, and better when freezing in the snow.

But now the story was over, and he didn't have a clear idea of how many people were in the camp or where they were. At least one was standing guard, two were in the tent to his right, and an unknown number were in the tent he was using as cover. First task, take out the sentry, second, any armed escorts, and lastly, take out the two noncombatants. The main problem with this plan was that the people in the tents were probably still awake. If one stuck his head out at the wrong time it could seriously impact the completion of his mission. If he waited, perhaps until he heard snores, he might be ably to attack with a good chance of success. If he walks the perimeter of the camp, I could take him with no problem.

Zorgn pulled himself over to a nearby tree and moved behind it so that the trunk was between him and the camp. He'd wait there until the situation changed.

As the camp began to settle in for the night, Aether Draka noticed there was another visitor creeping about the camp. He moved under the tree she had chosen and she risked the slight movement of looking down at him. The shadows were thick around her and she made no real sound except for her slow and easy breathing.

A man, something familiar about him… though she didn’t know what it was about him that was familiar. This may be fun. Would he act before her, acting too soon perhaps, or would he wait long enough for her to get what she wished for first. She would have to intervene if it looked like he was going to spoil the lovely fur cape the child had. She did not want that damaged. She wanted it, and was going to get it. That foolish boy had no right to have such a lovely thing. She shifted her attention back to the camp then, ready for either outcome now that she knew he was there. Still once more, she was perfectly hidden.

The second guard came back out of the tent the woman and child had not entered. He went over to the pot that still had a bit of stew in it. “Hey, do you want any more of this?”

The other glanced over his shoulder from where he was checking the ropes and shook his head. “No, I’ve had my fill.”

“Alrighty then.” He sighed and picked up the now cool pot of food. “I’ll go dump it away from the camp then. No need to bring wild animals in the camp looking for food.” With that he walked off into the woods with the pot in hand. He went off to one side, traveling almost parralal to the main road. His footsteps sowed on the ground easily because of the snow. After he felt he was far enough away for any animal who passes by to be interested in the leftovers and not the camp, he used his boot to shove some of the undergrowth and debris aside. He turned over the pot, dumping the remains of their meal in the spot. Then, half heartedly, he knocked the stuff he had moved aside back with the same boot. Looking at it, he made a face. “Lovely.”

It was a perfect setup. One man walking off into the woods with his hands full, and another busy checking on the horses, Zorgn couldn't ask for a better way to kill off the people. Kill the one with the food; circle back and kill the one with the horses; and finally get in the last tent. It was almost too perfect. For a perverse moment, Zorgn considered entering the tent first, then going after the guards. No, play it safe. As the man passed near, Zorgn rose and crept along silently after. He'd stop eventually, and soon Zorgn was rewarded.

The man had just finished pouring the soup into the snow, when Zorgn was close enough to make his move. He rose, slid his dagger from his sheath, and covered the man’s mouth with his gloved hand. The man dropped his empty pot and grabbed at Zorgn’s hand, but his grip was as iron. The man’s throat parted easily for his dagger and spewed his life out into the cold. Easy and quiet. Zorgn supported the body for a few seconds more until he was sure the man was completely dead, then he laid the corpse down and stepped back.

It was almost art. There he lay, eyes staring, blood everywhere… Zorgn planned to do the same to the rest of the camp. He would paint it with blood and savor every minute of it.

AD watched as the guard left the camp and the man beneath her followed after. She lingered a moment, then stood up on the tree branch and drop easily to the ground. Moving slowly and silently, she stepped carefully in Zorgn’s foot steps. She came upon the scene as the man’s throat fell to the knife and crimson filled the air, forced from his body by his own heart. The pot slipped from the man’s fingers as he died and AD stood where she was as Zorgn waited a moment. Mortals… humans… you didn’t have to wait for most of them to die. Most were dead so quickly. It was other beings you had to be careful with, more powerful beings. She had known demons who where dead for nearly five minutes as they went on killing before even realizing that they were dead. Then there was the cases where they died and came back or were powerful enough to heal the damage of a death blow and return.

So it was one of two things, over caution or someone who dealt too much with other kinds of death. Death was something she understood after all… Her finger traced along the handle of her normal dagger, the one she had brought with her to Imythess. She spoke softly then, as to not alert the camp, and let her hand slip back to her side. “I was here first, so I get to act next. I think that’s fair as you got the first kill.” Her emerald eyes were locked on Zorgn. She seemed relaxed though.

If Zorgn had not already had his dagger in hand, he would surely have been reaching for it when the woman appeared. She made no overtly threatening gesture, but the fact that she had approached without his detection meant she was more than she seemed. Or maybe he was just inattentive, it mattered little.

In fact, he'd been snuck up on too much recently. Was their an evil entity out their who liked to keep him on his toes by sending people at him? At least this time he had his blade already out. And it didn't hurt that she seemed to have the same goal as him. Wipe out the camp, have fun spilling some blood, maybe throw some loot into the mix... Things might be good.

"More than fair, Mistriss. If I had known you were here, I would have let you have pride of place." Zorgn smiled. Perhaps there was a friend in this cold wilderness, perhaps his lust for blood was matched in the woman before him. At the least, he would not be killing alone tonight. At worst, he had misjudged and was about to have to kill another. But he was in the mood, so even that would be but a small inconvience, worthy of little note.

Aether Draka wrinkled her nose in what was almost disgust. Then she shook her head and the look vanished. “Why do people do that? Don’t call me Mistress. I’m neither anyone’s Mistress nor anyone’s Lady. AD is fine, just AD.” With that she turned about and let the shadows wrap about her as she shadow jumped back to right under her perch under the tree. From there she walked right into the middle of the camp and paused right next to the fire. Kneeling, she drew a simple circle with some symbols around it, and then rose again, leaving it there for now.

“Can you hand me that rope there man?” the remaining guard said from where he was, still by the horses. AD walked toward the tent, ignoring him. The man turned to see AD open the tent flap and enter it. He shouted “Hey!” as AD pulled out a blade, her dagger laying against the length of her arm for a moment before twisting her wrist and running it through the woman’s head, pinning it to the pillow she had yet to raise from. Before the boy could even move, she snatched the rabbit fur cloak up and shoved it in her bag. The boy sat up and was about to say something when AD loosened her blade and came back out of the tent. His wail filled the air behind her. The guard was coming toward her then, his own sward drawn.

The woman calling herself AD had just turned from him, and disappeared into the darkness. She had appeared not a second later near the camp and proceded to draw something on the ground, Zorgn couldn't make out the form at such a long distance. It took him only a moment to realize what he had seen and what that meant. A shadowdancer? That explains a lot. And not totally inexperienced by the look of her. Zorgn grinned and ran towards the camp. As a shadowdancer who had moved on to being able to shadowshift, she had the advantage in movement. But that didn't mean Zorgn was out of the fun yet.

As he neared the camp, a wail pierced the night and AD exited the tent. Zorgn guessed that at least one person was dead or dying, possibly two if the wail was a death scream.

He was too far from the camp, he realized. AD's shadowshifting had backfired on her as she was now out of range for help. She was being charged by the last guard, sword drawn, blood on his mind, and he could do nothing to help. Zorgn could possibly throw his shadow dagger, but he was running, the guard was running, no way could he hit him. AD was out of luck.

(ooc - I assume you're going to summon something to save yourself since you took the time to draw the circle.)

((OOC: AD doesn't think like that. She has it for a different reason.))

The man who was charging at her was most definitely a guard and not any sort of real warrior. He had to be. There was rust on his blade’s edge and now that she could see him better, his armor wasn’t the best either, though it had been polished up for this job. AD didn’t move as the man charged up on her and right before he struck her she rose her right hand and pressed her fingers against just below where her left shoulder met her collar bone. The blade sliced through the air above her and struck… nothing. It hit AD’s sanctuary spell and slid down the side of it. She pulled out a cloth and cleaned the blood of her blade as the man recovered from his first attempt and tried to strike at AD again. She continued to ignore the man as his second attack failed too. She checked her own blade and put it away. She tossed the bloody rag in the fire. She could still hear the child in the tent, his wail racked with sobs now. She turned her back on the guard who was now shouting obsenities at her and double checked the diagram she had drawn by the fire. It hadn’t been disturbed at all.

“Turin. Take your little friend with you and fine us some coin.” She said then. A tiny glimmer zipped from her bag, a black fluffy thing with little bat wings not far behind it. The pair flew into the empty tent to search for something of value as AD waited for the other man to make his move.

It seemed AD had the situation in hand. The guard had beaten him to her, but found that his weapon just wouldn't make contact with her. By the time Zorgn reached the edge of the camp, the manwas reduced to cursing and occasional jabs with his sword. Unless the man knew how to dispell magic, his attempts were in vain. There was no possible way he would hurt her while her spell was up.

Zorgn guessed she was using a sanctuary spell, and probably infused within a tatoo for easy activation without the need for words or gestures. Zorgn had toyed with the idea of getting one himself, ages ago, but had always been short of gold with too many things he thought he needed to buy. It was somewhat funny that most of the things he had spent his time and money were gone, but when the chance came for him to buy something that could not be taken he had refused.

Zorgn passed the man, and headed for the tent. He wanted to see if the guard would give up on AD and come after him. Perhaps he would attack on sight, or maybe Zorgn would have to take the kid to invoke his wrath. Either way, Zorgn didn't look back to find out what effect his passing had.

She noticed the man who had killed the first guard walk swiftly past, not too close to her or the remaining guard who was focusing on her for the moment. The two small flying creatures zipped back to her and back away, depositing anything of value that they could carry. She paused and as the tiny fly dragon returned she asked, "Anything that may help me around here?"

'No, not really. Mostly travel rations and dirty clothing. One locked trunk in the other tent.' Turin told her telepathically and AD sighed. She had been hoping for a spell book or at least something worthwhile. The trunk may be useful... she would come back to that in a moment though. It seemed those in this camp knew little about magic. She was going to have to seek out her magic teacher again. He had always shown up right when she needed him to though. Perhaps the time wasn’t right then… She decided she could wait a bit longer. It wasn’t a matter concerning more then herself after all, or so she thought. Turning her attention to the circle she had drawn a spoke a few sharp words. She then turned her attention to the remaining guard.

"Those that play with fire..." She said almost kindly as the circle she had drawn seemed to catch fire and build quickly upon itself until a humanoid form stood there. "Kill him and then the beasts. They are of no use to me." AD walked past the fire elemental as it rushed forth on the man, embracing him in fire. AD heard the man scream. She paused under the tree once more and shrugged off her backpack. Setting it on the ground, she pulled out the rabbit fur cape and smoothed the fur out. As she did so, the two tiny flying creatures she had with her continued to zip back and forth. One had a ring, while the other had found some more coins. They didn’t halt even with the guards dead. The sounds of the horses screaming and burning flesh began to fill the air.

Evidently, the guard was now dead. The air was filled with screams and the smell of cooking flesh. It smelled, not good exactly, nor appetizing since Zorgn no longer needed to eat, but interesting. It was a good backdrop to the night. Zorgn could almost taste the foul meat. It was almost as good as blood in making the hunter within him rise from the depths of his soul.

And now to continue with the hunt. Zorgn bent down and twitched the flap of the tent aside. It was empty, lit only by the flames from behind him. Why was he so surprised? Who would sit still while everyone else was killed? The child was smart. He had cut open the back of the tent at some time and escaped into the night. Zorgn grinned and walked around to the back of the tent. A little snow lay on the ground, and tiny footprints could be seen heading off into the dark woods.

Chasing after would be foolish. In haste, he could easily lose his prey. If he followed at a walk, looking for signs of passing, he'd surely find the boy. He couldn't run very far. Not from me. I'll find him before that shaodwdancing woman does. Zorgn sheathed his dagger and walked off into the night, following the footsteps of his prey.

AD settled the rabbit fur cloak about her shoulders and walked back into the camp to find out about the locked trunk in the other tent. She left her bag under the care of her two fast little flying friends. She found the trunk easily enough and with a shove or two was able to remove it from the tent. She looked around and didn't see the man around. She shrugged and sat down on top of the trunk. "Turin! Are we done with the tents now?" She asked him.

'Yes, I think we have done well.' He replayed, lighting on the offered hand she rose.

"Oh, good." AD turned her attention to the fire elemental. "You can burn down the rest now. Don't worry about the trees. It's supposed to look like an uncontrolled fire." Letting the elemental do as it willed, she turned her attention to the trunk. A key? She needed a key... Well... Aether Draka hopped off the trunk and went over to what was left of the second guard to die. She shifted the ash aside with her boot and looked for the key. Not seeing one she paused to think for a moment. Then she remembered the first guard.

"I'll be right back Turin!" she announced and then AD shadow jumped back over to where the first man had been killed and knelt down to search for a key on him instead. She was bent over him for a short time before discovering a pair of keys on the man. She took them and rose to her feet and looked around. Red and white... the snow made the blood stay red instead of becoming darker... and the snow was still falling, softer now and much heaver... It was turning the world white very slowly.