Dark Nights

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

The sun was setting and Callista was wondering through the forest looking for a resting place, for she had been traveling all day, she was wearing a long black cloack which was pulled up over her head to hid her face, underneath the cloack, she was wearing a long silver dress, with gold outlining the hems, on her back was a long silver bow, of great magnificence, she also had some silver tipped arrows, as she walked you could see a small dagger tapped to her leg in its sheaf, on the hilt of the dagger there was a small glistening diamond, as she countinued to walk, she spotted a small inn just oppisite her, she walked towards it and took in the surrendings, she wlaked to the door and forcefully pushed it open, there was silence inside as she entered, and strode to the bar "a red wine, if you please bar tender" she said in a soft voice, her hand began to move to her hood which she pulled down revealing a long lock of ebony black hair fall around her face, the rest fell into place down her back just to her waist, her ears were well hidden, from sight.

Callista sat on one of the stools at the bar and looked around the smoke filled room, the chatter had started up again but quiter than it was before, she took in each figure as she sat sipping her drink, her hair kept falling around her face, and she kept pushing it back but with no provail.

[Nobody]

Elves. What did they think that nobody noticed? Oh yes, certainly, nobody noticed that she was covering up her ears, as if the silver bow, and the arrows didn't give it away. Serraph guessed that it was probably a High elf. No self respecting wood elf would be caught dead with a silver bow. He was surprised that the high elves had not caught on to the fact that even the ability to put a much heavier enchantment on the bow would not copesate for the fact that the metal would not spring back into position. You wound up wasting half of it's enchantment value getting enchanting it to fire like a wooden bow did anyway. And once the cost was added up. Yes well, they always did think that they were some kind of divine creature, bestowing their knowledge upon the world, and of course the world never did teach them a lesson to show them that they werent the mystics that they claimed to be. Serraph never did really find the kind of altruistic nature that they always claimed to have. The bow was actually probably more of a status symbol.

Serraph continued to lie beneath the floorboards of the inn floor. The inn was built on a slope, and although wooden boards had covered it up, Serraph had his ways of getting into things. He was plannig to wait until the Innkeeper went to sleep, and then go up through the secret hatch he had made and basically rob the place blind.

Until then however, all Serraph could do was lie on his back and wait...

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista turned to the bar-keep "i wish to stay the night, i am weary from travel and i feel i will not be able to countinue, if not rested, how much will a room be for one night" she looked at the bar-keep expecting to hear the price but no noise came from his lips, his eyes were transfixed to the door, where a tall man stood just in the doorway "i have come for the elf" came a hissing from beneath the cloack "give me the elf and you all will go unharmed" Callista spun around, her bow and arrow already gone from her back and in her hands, an arrow already ready to fire, the bow with mighty strength seemed to be glowing a, slight red as she aimed it, "phonex" the figure stepped into the inn, he was wearing a long mahogany cloack with a dark sign etched into his hand as he walked forward towards Callista, Callista didn't take her eyes of the man, her head felt dizzy surely she will fail if she fought him know, all she needed was some help just for know, but everyone in the inn were fully paralysed as they stared at him, he countiuned to walk forward towards the elf, with a sudden burst of speed the man ran at Callista knocking her over and knocking the bow out of her hands, Callista pulled herself up using the bar, all strength had left her at this moment she was weary and needed sleep but she had to do something intill help arrived

[Nobody]

Oh great. Just what he needed. They couldn't have taken it Outside the inn could they. No they would have to make things difficult on Serraph. Well, this wasn't his problem. Nor was he equipped for a one on one fight against this person.

Serraph quietly scurried out the back entrance of the area underneath the floorboards. He emerged behind the back entrance to the kitchen, its two windows illuminating the back alley. He slipped into the shadows without a sound. He heard a loud crash nearer to the back entrance, and in response held himself still against a wall, letting the shadow conceal him.

He would not die if he could avoid it...

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista threw herself to the side and grabbed her bow, as fast as the eye could see she had already drawn an arrow and shot it, it hit the man right in the arm, he laughed, although pain in his laugh gave away that it had, he once again moved towards her, she pulled the dagger from the sheath on her leg, once again she fired again, once again hitting him in the shoulder, she brandished her dagger, the tiredness taking over her, she moved forward in a low crouch, phonex grabbed her by the throat, she thrusted the dagger into his ribb's she heared a crack as the dagger dug deeper, he winced in pain, he picked her of her feet and chucked her through the backdoor where the young rat-man was hiding, before falling down, dead, Callista stood up and rubbed the back of her head, she looked at her hand and her fingers were covered in blood "geez, it's no good being an elf" she sighed taking a sip of a small flask which she kept in one of her cloack pockets, she turned to look where she had fallen,

OOC: it is up to you if she see's you, she has got keen elf eyes, but if you would perfer her not to bump into you then so be it

[Nobody]

All that everybody knew was that a huge amount of smoke filled the area. It billowed out seemingly without end until nobody could see. The smell of the smoke was very strong and now the only sense useful now was hearing.

Callista may have glimpsed a quick hand flash out and even a dark figure, but nothing more. A bolo flew silently threw the air at the humanoid walking towards Callista, followed by a dart of paralysis that also flew unheard. If the man managed to dodge either, he would have to have done so when the smoke bomb went off, because the next two attacks came without any warning.

Serraph now worked his way up the wall behind him. It was made of basic wood planks, more than easy enough for him to fit his claws between, and he was several feet up in almost no time at all. He was planning to unlock the window anmd slip inside the abandoned house.

Serraph was glad for his preparation now. He had gone to some lengths to make sure that the town thought of it as haunted. Evil ghosts that would put all occupants into ruin. In truth, all he had to do was sneak in and steal any inmportant documents necesary (sp?) to running an honest life.

He also slipped sedatives into drinks that would cause people to wake up twelve hours late for important meetings, took valuable jewels and airlooms, and put on a ghost show to assure them that there was not a three fot nine rat stalking around the house stealing stuff and putting sedatives in their drinks.

He had been quite pleased with his own handywork and now it proved useful. All of the trap doors in the place made it a perfect place to hide whenever something was going down badly.

He was not scared of the girl. Whether formidable or not, she was not after a fight, she was running from one. The other man was more dangerous, and quite unpredictable.

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista splutered as the smoke went down her throat, her sensitivehearing was working double time and she could hear something scrambling up something behind her, the smoke cleared a tiny bit and she looked for the man who she was sure they or at least she and someone else had slain, but the body was no longer there, "d**n, i thought i got him this time, she turned and with all her might tried to see through the smoke, but she couldnt see anything, all she could hear was some movement aorund this room somewhere, but where?

[Luke Lavin]

A robed monk walked down a path that lead to the inn, after a very long day of training and hikinh he was happy to see the inn.  Untill it started billowing smoke everywhere.  At first it seemed that it was fire smoke, but as he got closer he could see no flames.  It was like a pale billowy fog.  The monk moved to open the back door when it burst apart a dark figure burst through and smoke followed him.  

Lucanus instantly felt a shadow about him it seemed that he sullied his surrondings.  Like nothing Lucanus would do would ever make him happy again.  Then as soon as he he came he was gone, Lucanus was troubled he should have been able to sense him.  

"d**n, i thought i got him this time," A woman's voice reached him.  A very elegant figure stepped through the smoke.  She wore a silver dress with gold trimming's and cared a silver bow and knife, very high elf fashion.  Her cloak was ascrew revealing the pointed ears and locks of hair.  

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance.  Allow me to present myself.  I am Teras Kasi Monk Lucanus.  Serraph you may reveal yourself the items you have stolen from here and previous towns need to be returned.  If you help me, I'll consider your debt to society settled."  The monk had a quiet tone that you had to be careful to hear but had a soft forcefulness to it.

[Nobody]

"Bite me". And Serraph was gone. He was in his house with its numerous trap doors and hidden passageways. Stupid monks were all hypocrits. In all his years Serraph had never seen a monk attack a dragon who plundered from a city or a powerful master wizard killing innocent men. But they always had time to pick on the three foot nine rat. Stupid pathetic...

At least Serraph never hid what he was...well actually he kind of did that perpatually, but at least he never pretended to be something he was not...or well ok, he did that all the time too, but at least he did not look down on people and discriminate against them...well ok he was doing that right now. But the point was that monks were not as altruistic as they pretended to be. The were worse than the elves. At least the elves stayed out of your affairs.

Ah well what can you do, he thought with a smile as he weighed the elven purse that he held in his hand.

This haed not been the greatest night, but the day had not been so bad....

[Luke Lavin]

"Have it your way but I don't think I want a high elf's curse on me.  You know they bewitch everything, especialy their valuables." Lucanus said snidely.

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista looked at the monk, with a confused sort of way and then she felt down for her purse, "You thieving little git, give it back" the softness had gone from her voice know, and she was more than shouting, whispers could be heared from in the inn, Callista banged on the wall knowing that he was behind there somewhere, "if i ever get hold of you, i will pin you to a tree by your ears with my arrows" she yelled, frustatration on her face, she banged once more on the wall and then turned back to the monk, "umm well have you ever heared of someone called Phonex, he is a very high black mage, i have battled with him about 7 times and each time i think i have disposed of him, he always comes after me again and again, i am trying to find my way to the city of pelan, to seek the advice of the high elf Tarrak, i myself am a high elf, but he knows far more than i"

[Luke Lavin]

"I have sensed an unbalance, a taint in a way, in my travels. I would like to accompany you to find out more about this black mage.  Would that be acceptable to you?" Luke commented.

[Nobody]

"You do know that the city of Pelan is under high gaurd right now, right?" came a voice out of the window. "Nobody goes in or out without special edict from the magistrate. It comes it the form of an insignia sewn onto a jacket." They are very hard to get. Have to work for the magistrate for a good thirty years to get in and out, and the patches are kept closely inventoried. The place is locked down so tight that I couldn't even sneak in. I had to actually go out of my way to get a stupid patch made so that i could go in and out. It was really very annoying"

Seraph said all of this while he dropped one gold coin after another back into the purse. He knew that it must just aggravate the girl tremendously that he had her money, and of course it only added insult to injury that he was the only way they had of getting in....

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista narrowed her eyes "and what would you say if we ask you to join us then?" she said, still fuming from having her purse taken away from her, she turned to the monk and answered "of course, i think the MAN, behind there is right though, i have heared of a great protection over that city, he may be our only chance of getting in" she turned once more to the wall, and knocked more gently this time, "alright, if you will not join us then you can keep half of that money in that purse if you can get us in there" she said quietly "well what do you say?"

[Nobody]

"Howabout I keep all of the money in this purse, and you tell me what is so special about Pelan that you want to go there, and then, depending on what you say, i will determine what my additional fee is gonna be, because you arent getting this back, and right now you don't have many options if you really want to get into Pelan." Came that same voice from the window.

Seraph just enjoyed the moment to put a high elf in her place, and a monk whats more. He savored each moment as he started playing magic tricks with a coin from the purse. In one hand and out the other.

He was standing now, near the wondow so that he could hear what they said, and be heard when he spoke.

"If i think that its worth it enough, ill even let you stay here for the night. No additional charge or anything. I doubt that the Innkeeper wants you and that dissapearing friend of yours wrecking up the place again."

[Luke Lavin]

Lucanus growled from the back of his throat, "If you want to be able to sleep in safety at night in some place other than this abandon house.  Let me tell you little some thing about me.  Teras Kasi litteraly means 'Steel Hands', I'm not your average ring the charity bell monk.  If need be I'll pay for services rendered but you will give this lady her purse back and you will give some good information about the city."

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista pulled a highly annoyed face, she gave a huge sigh "Fine...... i need to get to pelan, to find out some very important information on a dangerous demon, and his minions who are threating to open the gates of hell and suck the whole of the universe into a large hell hole, and to be queit honest i would rather, the world survived another century or two, before it is blown to smithers" she said in a strong, annoyed angry voice "so will you help us or not?" Callista stared at the wall awaiting the answer, she hadnt heared what the monk had said before,

[Nobody]

"My name is steel hands and im not incompetent" seraph said in a mocking voice. "You arent doing anything if you want to get inside Pelan, so howabout you let me and the lady work this out huh buddy?"

"What is in Pelan that you cannot get the information anyplace else?" Said Serraph

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

"What is in Pelan that you cannot get the information anyplace else? do you not know of the high elf's in pelan, the one's who faught, this evil last time, that is what is in pelan which can give me more information, then anywhere else, unless you are going to tell me that you know more information then they do" she said in a smug voice "well do you?" she said truning on her heels and hovering and the balls of her feet,

[Luke Lavin]

Incesened but not enraged the monk hung back, "Fine deal with him, I'm going to get a drink."  Lucanus walked back into the pub.  He walked up the bar and placed a copper pice on the counter and drank down the frothing green grog.  Let the elf and rat sort this out, all he wanted to do was find the mage.

[Nobody]

"It depends on what information you need Honey. Those High Elves are great for whining about lore and stupid stuff like that, but when it comes down to practical information, you have a better chance to live through a decapitation than getting anything reliable out of them"

"So here is what im gonna do for you." he said with a pause "Im gonna get you inside Pelan, so that you can talk about all the fairy tales you want, and also impress your friends with the fact that you got inside while the place was in lockdown, and I will relieve you of that charming little knife of yours, which you will no doubt get replaced by your rich elven friends. How about it? Deal?"

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista looked down at her knife there was nothing special about this knife except for it could cut through almost anything, she picked the knife up with two fingers carrasing the blade, she flung it into the wall the knife shot through the wall and into the oppisite wall leaving a large slit in the wall it had gone through, "you can have it if you can remove it from that wall", the dagger had wedged itself good and proper between two planks of wood, she knew that he would easily pull it from, the wood, but she liked playing games, it may take him a little while but he would get it in the end, it was no loss to her she had millions of them, given to her as gifts most of them, but still no loss to her, "how about you give me some of that money back and i buy you and me and our dear monk a drink"she said slyly

[Luke Lavin]

Lucanus sat on the wooden bench, already on his second glass of grog.  Using a minor medatative technique he mitigated the harmful effects of the grog, blurry vision, confused thoughts.  Just a small buzz in the back of his head that kept him comfortablely unaware of the cold weather and hard stool.

[Callista Miala Moonshade]

Callista walked over to where the monk was sitting "hey hey hey, take it easy there" she said as she took the glass from his hand and smiled kindly at him, "maybe you should slow down just a little" she giggled, as she countinued to talk, "i wonder what that little rat will do?" she asked herself more than anything,

[Luke Lavin]

Lucanus just ordered another and winked at the elf, "Well he fill follow where the most money is.  Even though he has you purse and your knife he still suspects you can fleeced out of alot more.  So he'll think about it, he'll porbaly make some hurrendous demands again and try to suck us dry then leave us with nothing.  His type are everywhere these days."  Lucanus took a long pull from the new grog and smiled.  

"If anything he'll exagurate the infallibility of the security of Pelan or whatever it's called and make it seem he's the only one that can help us in, at the same it increase his own selfworth.  Since your a high elf I don't know why you bother you could get us in easily by just showing the guards who you are.  They might snub the rest of us but the elves have respect for you because your one of them."  Lucanues paused maybe his mitigating technique because in that silver gown Callista looked stunning to him for that moment, maybe it was the grog or maybe just him but it seemed to hug her in just the right spots.  

"Barkeeper, another for this fair one here.  So tell me a little more about yourself."