Thread: Kiss of the Beast [::Haru|barb::]

Once terms had been met, Odilon and Aldric booked passage west along the Halian River. The airship they took was an older model but nonetheless reliable. The girl they were to seek out went by a single name. The Belladonna. It was an odd name, to be sure, and some women had been described with that moniker over the years. It would either make her easier or more difficult to find, depending. Aldric, for his part, could not wait to reach the forest and bypass the deadly rays of the daystar. He was old enough that to be destroyed by sunlight would take a long time, but that was not to say it was comfortable. It was quite irritating to be out in the sun, and in full bright sunlight he would be rendered comatose in a matter of an hour or so. Much easier to then be dispatched that way. But as a vampire, and an old one, Aldric knew how best to avoid such situations. Odilon was another matter. The pneumafera was looked on with a little bit of suspicion, but he had become well known due to his travels, and had earned reputation as a trustworthy sort. Which was good since it helped him and Aldric get jobs such as this one. By now the leopard had taken up a spot high in the riggings, quite at home in the heights and looking down at the land passing below them. Aldric would come and get him as the sun began to set, and it was then that they would discuss business. It was a few days until they reached Beh Ayan, and from there they would have to go by land and head south into the Shadowlands. The border of the Shadowlands was easily marked, the stone pillars making the boundaries. It was a place filled with all manner of beasts, and surrounded by rumors and tales. This was as far east as the demon hordes had managed to come, brought to heel by the dragons and their riders. But the land had paid the price, the Empty Forest within the Shadowlands proof of that. So here we are. Odilon said, standing with hands on hips as they stood at the border with the pillars. Once we enter, there's no going back. Aldric sighed, looking up at the sky, the clouds covering that accursed sun. We do what we must. he intoned, and stepped past the borders. Whether there was anything special about the act was hard to say. Some said that the pillars would record every man, woman and child that would pass their boundaries, keeping track of them within the Shadowlands and if they perished within they might be damned. That was what some said anyway. Why have the boundaries if they meant nothing? Ah piss. Odilon said and walked across the boundary as well. ---------- The Empty Forest was just as one might expect. Devoid of light, and devoid of life. It was unnerving really, and it set Odilon's nerves on edge. The pneumafera was a child of nature, more than most, and this seemed wholly unnatural. To Aldric though, he felt right at home. The undead simply didn't see things the way the pneumafera did, and though he could see that the place was not quite right, he strolled along happily whistling his merry tune. The leopard could see, now and then, subtle movements that hinted at something just beyond the edge of his vision. Every time he focused though he saw nothing. Limbs swayed slightly, and the pneumafera was rather sure that the forest spirits still resided here. The trees themselves were alive after all. Even if barely. Odilon's halberd was gripped tightly, the magical weapon now compact and no larger than a dagger but upon command would extend and become the legendary blade. It gave him comfort at least. It was said that the Circus was not simply found. That it found you, and usually when you least expected it. That was how it happened with the duo. The passage of day into evening was hard to discern, but after a time the inky blackness overhead told the true story, and Odilon had grown a bit tired. So the sight of the black Amphitheater caught Odilon off guard, though Aldric seemed nonplussed. The spaces available in the seats were plenty, though the place was filling up fast, and the duo sat through a few other performances before the Belladonna began to perform. The small young thing was a sight for sore eyes, and as she danced and writhed on the stage there was no denying the sexiness of her movements, the sensuality of her particular brand of entertainment. Her body was nubile and flexible, attributes she showed off in her dancing, and though she drew the eye, Odilon became aware of the vines slipping down and with a hiss he warned Aldric. Both were on guard now, and though some vines came close, they backed off at the taste of steel. By now the Belladonna was bowing, and the vines had done their work, leaving Odilon and Aldric to seek her out. It was a simple thing really, the performers having their own tents or places of rest, and the Belladonna was no exception. The two were soon knocking at the door to the wagon, which was tethered to a great ash tree.