I Hunger

[Scrasamax]

"The first shot is free." Erik Ironspirit said, the guardsman raised his bow, and drew the arrow back to his cheek, his eye sighted along the shaft. The arrow sang through the air and struck true, piercing the breastplate, and punching deep into Eriks chest.

"You know," Erik said, snapping off the shaft of the arrow with one hand, "I thought that with one free shot you would have made it count." The guard staggered back in disbelief, the arrow had struck him through the chest, very likely piercing the heart of his foe. The warrior lunged forward, the footmans saber cutting a bright arc through the air. The Guard desperately tried to evade as he notched another arrow, but he failed in both tasks.

The man fell, his chest torn open by the curved blade, his eyes wide with the shock of a man deeply wounded, and not completely comprehending. He twitched, but Erik was not done. He screamed and brough the saber down again, and again. The blade was wet with gore, and flecks of blood peppered his face like a sea squall. He screamed until he was hoarse, the blade rising and falling with maniac frequency.

He stopped, no sweat beaded on his brow, no pulse raced in his ears, no sweet thrill of victory, or even the elation of pure savagry moved him. He dropped the saber on the ground, hands clenching and unclenching as he looked around. There had been a dozen men at the post, and now he was alone, each had foudn death in the same manner, bu his hands.

It was still empty. He heard the soft crunch of footsteps in the leaves, someone was coming...

[Sentinel*]

The large and curious man saw it all from the shadows, showing nothing as the men were slautghtered by the man. He jumped from his hiding place in a croach rising and looking up then started to walk towards the man. The mysterious man was huge, maybe 6'5 and broad shouldered, wearing all black clothes with black boots and black leather gloves and trenchocat that covered all his body. He were a top hat with wide rims covering his head. He had a very large great sword strapped diagonally across his back. He stopped five feet behind Erik and smiled underneath the hat.
"Well done, though a little too bloody."
He said calmly, his voice a mix of dialects and sounding like an echo.

[Scrasamax]

"Well done you say." Erik said through the lips of a dead man. He cracked an artificial smile, one that only showed teeth and gums blackened by deaths passage. "I would have to disagree. It was poorly done, and there was not enough blood."

He picked up the saber, still wet with the blood of the slain archer. "So do you wish to fight with me? If you saw the confrontation you know that I am not so easily dispatched, though I have been killed before. I will be killed again undoubtedly." The smile faded from his stolen face, there was no gleam in those eyes, dulled and milky.

"But you see, I have to. I have to find it. Its been so long, I am not sure what it was anymore other than it was precious to me. It is surely valuable, for why else would I remain...it must be something powerful that binds me yet to this place." he said.

"So, I know I will find no satisfaction in killing anymore, but if you wish to try to kill me, I will oblige your effort...it is made of gold...I remember that much..."

[Dark-Lord]

A boy around the age of thirteen sat in a tree watching all this. Well I'm not sure you could call him a boy. He scarlet skin shined in the light his face was that of a boy though he had pointed ears and the sharpest of teeth. His black hair rested against his scalp his pale blue clothes flowed in the wind torn and stained with dark blood. His claws clutched the tree, his yellow eyes watched the scene intensly. His tail hung free behind him and his bat like wings were folded against his back. He was a demon, once a boy but in a crave for power became a demon. Constanly thirsting for human flesh, once this fight was done he would devour the corpses of the victems. Usually he killed his own food but it was rare that a meal be set for him. Though his barbaric acts his is as intelligent as any man and two times more clever. He smiled at the deaths of these humans, to him, it was the best thing in the world.

[Sentinel*]

He tilted his head and smiled, this was interesting. Many spirits who found bodies and made them 'alive' were usually searching for something, like all spirits do. The smile faded away. This creature must be thousands of years old, indeed. Good, he might use this thing in his own little ways.
"I see, I wish no fight, violence begets more violence wouldn't you say?"
He shrugged caring naught what Erik said.
"How about I help you, and you help me?"

[Dark-Lord]

This was getting boring. If he did not act soon the corpses would get cold. He wondered if he should jump out now and kill them both. No, he could not eat that much, he didn't want to waste food. His tail wagged in anticipation. But, when his tail moved it caught the sun making a bright red light. His location had been discovered, but he stayed. If these were like all the other humans, they would be too stupid to notice.

[Sentinel*]

Xavier's head shot up from it looking down and he sensed something. He yelled out in the Voice, a spell which could control an entity with just mere uses of the voice. The creature from the tree flew from it's hiding place and slammed into a trunk of a tree. Xavier growled as he unsheathed his great sword and throwing off the hat and trenchcoat. It was horrifying to see him, his skin was dark navy blue, shining like it was metallic, his body fluid and cut like he was nothing but muscle and he was completely bald.  His eyes were a dark violet, shining brightly. He had a black vest with pants and black boots. He twirled the sword and smiled a very white smile.
"Creature of the Flesh! Prepare yourself!"

[Dark-Lord]

Finally, some action. He got up, licked his fangs and stood at ready.
    "But why fight," he thought to himself, "When I can do this." With a wave of his hand a great wall of fire twenty or so feet tall, three feet thick, surrounded his enemy in a circle. He barely ever got to use his power over flames, and smiled at his handiwork. This man had spells but he doubted if he could destroy his demonic flame.

[Sentinel*]

Xavier closed his eyes and twirled around making the fire light out as he smiled coming to a stop.
"Is that, but all you have?"
He shrugged and sent lightning dancing acorss his fingers.
"You will have to do better then that."

[Dark-Lord]

The smile remained on his face. He knew this trick well. His tail flicked with anticipation.
   "Well," he said in his completely normal sounding voice, "it appears we have a trickster on out hands." He licked his fangs again. Then, he started walking toward the man, slowly and calmly. Though he had to resist the urge to leap on this man, sink his teeth in his warm flesh, his blood flowing down his throat.
   "No," he thought to himself, "I would win the fight, but I might get hurt, better to leave this battle unscratched. He continued to walk, his face in a grin, and his tail flicking with excitment.

[Sentinel*]

"Surrender?"
He said as he twirled his sword. he was no trickster, he was from a very different plane and this creature did not even suspect that. Indeed few saw a Gate Guardian and survived.

[Dark-Lord]

He chuckled, how amusing these creatures were. But, he would need to kill them both. WAs a shame though, he would not be able to eat them, one has rotting flesh and the other has bad meat. He contiued to walk closing the gap between him and Xavier.

[Sentinel*]

He growled letting his power lose as his sword hit the creature with the flat of his blade in his chest.
"Back off."

[Scrasamax]

Quickly loosing interest in the infantile display of power between the draconian beast, and the blue skinned man, Erik shuffled away from the scene of the conflict. He ignored the crackle of lightning, and the whiff of flame as he squatted down over the body of the captain of the guard. He thumbed the mans eyes open and peered into his skull, seeking for his lost precious. The dead man did not know of it...

Reluctantly he stood, feeling the first stages of decay starting to inhibit this shells usefullness. He could stave some of it off, but for how long was never sure. The aids in the stomach had already breached their vessel, and were dissolving the other internal organs, some of which had started to bloat from gases generated during decomposition. There would be more gas, and then the skin would become loose, sloughing off until putrid meat was all that remained. Thankfully muscle lasted the longest. There would be an uncomfortable time where the contents of the abdomen, the intestines, remnants of the stomach, and the multitude of other organs would slough out of the body. After that moment, he would be more capable, but only for perhaps another day or two before the muscles and ligaments of the joints started to snap and fray.

He would need to move on and find another settlement. The precious wasnt here...

[Dark-Lord]

"I do not wish to fight," he said his face turning into a scowl at turning down a fight.
"I only wish to eat." He motioned to the dead bodies.
"I only kill for food and," he paused for a moment, "Because he wishes me to."
"So, may I eat in peace?" he knew this man was of great power. He couldn't kill him, but his master could. He grinned at that thought.

[Sentinel*]

He nodded and waved his hands as it looekd like an invisible man put them back on him. He sheathed his sword and bowed his head as he put on his hat once again.
"Go ahead."
he walked away and over to Erik.
"You need a new body?"

[Scrasamax]

"In time I will, but this one will do for a while, perhaps a week before I must find another one." Erik said. "Arrows are the best, they kill the body with the least amount of damage. The worse the killing blow, the less time the body will survive."

"Why..."

[Dark-Lord]

He instantly leapt on one of the carcasses and ripping it appart and eating chunks of the flesh. It was a truly guesome scene. After the first corpse was nothing but bloody bones, he moved on to the next. Soon all were gone, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, adding more to the fresh blood on his clothes, soon they would become more of the stains, several more meals and the clothes would become black with blood stains. He turned to Xavier and Erik.
   "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. "It's so dreadfully boring around here, all I do is hang around, kill a traveler or two a week, I barely get to use my wings anymore!" He opened his wings to full size, the wingspan was about five and a half feet.
   "Ah that feels good," he said, "I need to stretch them every once and a while."

[Sentinel*]

Xavier shrugged and smiled.
"Curious."
He tilted his head over to the creature.
"it will matter upon him."
He said meaning Erik.

[Scrasamax]

"I can only imagine the horror of your bowel movements." Erik said in complete deadpan, having watched the draconian consume the flesh of nearly a dozen people.

"I see no reason to deny your company, it might alleviate the boredom..." he said, his voice trailing off as he started walking away from the two, "Where to next, I wander..."

[Sentinel*]

Xavier smiled once again. Excellant! A companion of terrible three, a zombie, a flesh eater, and well, a gate guardian. The zombie and a flesh eater. the irony of life.
"To the city of Elimirth, to the city."
He tilted his head. It would be a wonder how Sentinel, that d**ned elf, would be able to fight his way out of this one, and for the years he had been waiting he would have the whole guild to its knees and he would rule the city with the guild, and with the city eventually the whole realm of wood elves and after that all the lands. He could wait for that, oh yes, he had after all, an eternity.

[Dark-Lord]

"I can get you a new body," he said to Erik. "I can kill without leaving a mark." He smiled, he loved to talk about his special abilities, but loved it more to show them off.
   "By the way, what are your names?"

[Sentinel*]

He looked at the flesh eater.
"People call me Xavier Kinslayer, you may do the same."

[Scrasamax]

"My name was Erik once, and I still go by it. There was more, but it is gone now. A wizard I encountered once called me Ironspirit since I have long endured past the point where other ghosts have simply faded." Erik said.

[Dark-Lord]

"You may call me by the name Khan," he said. This was getting boring, he thought to himself. In the forest, when he was bored, he would chase a rabbit or a deer just for fun. He didn't kill them, he didn't even hurt them. Human meat tasted so much better than animal meat. Besides he liked the creatures, humans and other highly intelligent beings had hate, and anger, as did he. He hated that, that is why he liked the animals, no hate, no anger, the perfect personality. Once, when he wasn't even hungry, he killed twelve men when they found a bear and tried to kill it for no reason. He hated that, he was like the animals, he never killed for fun, only when he needed to, which, unfortunataly for him, was alot.