The small column of riders made its way along the path that ran in a seemingly arbitrary direction amongst the trees of the Taurai Woods. At its head rode Horváth, son of Haváh, followed closely by his entourage of guards and lower-level aristocrats. The aristocrats, or nobles as they preferred to be addressed as, were all human and numbered half a dozen; they all came from Lomedor, the capital city-state of Men, and enjoyed living the high life there. Horváth was not very alike to the other aristocrats, however. He certainly enjoyed living a life of luxury, there was little argument there, but there was a key difference that made him worlds apart from his peers. A secret key difference. Horváth was not human at all, and nor were his guards; they were vampires. Blood-drinkers. Immortals who do not die of old age or fatigue. They were superior.

Or, at least, that was what Horváth held to be true. Vampires were faster, stronger and more agile than the average human, that was a matter of biology, but Horváth's personal views sunk deeper. Vampires were superior to humans because humans were all weak; not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually too. A human's bones could snap easily, their mind distorted simply, their heart broken carelessly and their spirit warped fiendishly. A vampire was stronger to all these threats, or so Horváth had become after he had first been bled so many centuries ago. Before his conversion into a vampire, he had been a dying man - a defeated warlord on borrowed time - yet afterwards, after he had felt the blood drained from his body and new life beginning, he had become invigorated with more energy than he ever had been, even in his mortal youth; his reflexes were faster, his senses more alert, his mind stronger against the poisonous words of others, and his emotions kept in check by a grim will and determination considered impossible for humans to attain. No, as far as Horváth could care, humankind was a thing of the past.

Yet that did not mean they were no threat. Vampire numbers were down, in comparison to the other races at least, and were far from united - this made them easy pickings for the large number of vampire hunters roaming Arda; most of them human. In the past, Horváth had tried the option of fighting the humans and their elven and dwarven allies head-on, but had resulted only in a bitter defeat and a forced retreat into the shadows; emerging only to disguise himself as a human noble and take his place in the upper echelons of their society, biding his time. That was what this was all about, the accompanying of aristocrats across the countryside, it was all to simply strengthen and secure the respect and influence Horváth had managed to gather over the years; he had to appear the ultimate human gentleman, and he thought he played the part magnificently; he was grim, yes, but in no way did he let on that he drank the blood of mankind during the darkest hours of the night. Suddenly a voice spoke up from further back along the column.

"I say, Lord Horváth, might I ask why you insisted we make the journey by moonlight? I daresay these trees frighten the horses."

The voice belonged to Sir Somers, a knight and one of the nobles; Horváth was sure he was one of the most ignorant people he had ever had the misfortune to meet. However, patience was required and so he pulled back on the reins of his horse to allow the knight to catch up with him. Looking at the man as he rode alongside him, the right side of Horváth's face twitched - a giveaway sign of his own impatience and the resilience he was secretly employing against it, though fortunately none of the other nobles had managed to discover this meaning yet.

"We travel by night, Sir Somers," Horváth's voice was calm, measured, yet betraying just enough patronisation to allow the ignorant fool to understand the real meaning; don't ask questions, "For security reasons. If we traveled by daylight, any potential threats could see and mark whatever location we stop to camp at each night; traveling by moonlight makes us harder to track."

"I see," Sir Somers replied, apparently getting the message and falling behind again, "Truly ingenious, Lord Horváth."

Horváth did not reply, and instead turned his attention once more to the road ahead. Of course it was far more likely that they would be attacked by night, but most of the nobles and upper classes in human society were so oblivious to the real facts of life int he wilderness that he had been able to successfully bluff his way through every explanation he had given them thus far to cover for his vampiric secret; an allergy to garlic was blamed as a hereditary family condition, refusal to go out in the daylight was put down to paranoia and safety, etc. All not too difficult to see through for any reasonably educated being, of which in the upper classes there were thankfully few to contend with; those that uncovered his secret in the past did not tend to live for much longer. This thought trail was cut off a second before Horváth's chief guard, Rigel, spoke up.

"I think I hear something." He said, pulling his horse to a stop and causing the column behind them to do the same; only Horváth rode on for a few more steps before halting.

"You did hear something, Captain," Horváth replied, his voice raised slightly to carry it back towards the column, "Though I doubt it is of any real threat."

Some would say Horváth's attitude bordered upon a possibly fatal arrogance, but the old vampire dismissed such views; years of surviving all sorts of grim threats gave him a very dim view on anything lurking in Taurai Woods. The other nobles did not seem to share this confidence, of course, and many were looking around fearfully as they all sat in their saddles, shaking.

Humans, thought Horváth, Typical.

Shinji had been following the band of Vampires for some time now, the saddistic thoughts of what they could be up to. Shinji watched as the group rode by saddled on the horses backs, dressed in velvet and other fancy garments. Shinji was pondering on why these men were wearing such clothing and armor, they looked to have the build of Nobleman but reaked of the horrible stench of human blood.

Shinji jumped down from his pearch of an oak tree, he began to quietly tip toe behind the vampires as they made there way towards there destination. The moon was full and shown through the thick bushels of leaves which covered the tree's limbs.

The sound of cracking rang through the forest, Shinji jumped up into the tree. He had stepped on a twig and possibly given his whereabouts away.

The sound had alerted Horváth, of course it had, but he was not willing to show as much in front of the lesser species that traveled with him; a vampire does not show any sign of emotion, even caution, when dealing with humans. That was just one of many precepts Horváth lived his life by, and he was not going to abandon it now for the likes of Sir Somers. With a short nod to Rigel, Horváth watched on as the simple gesture started off a chain reaction. Knowing instantly what to do, Rigel passed on a series of other, progressively more complicated, hand gestures to the other vampire guards, all of them disguised as humans of course, and the group immediately tightened, the guards on the outside of the small block that had been made from the column; the nobles were huddled together, man and horse, in the middle. When all was done and dusted, Rigel returned Horváth's nod.

"A precautionary measure, gentleman, to put you at ease." Horváth explained to the huddled humans, none of which seemed very happy with the arrangement, "I'm sure your friends would never forgive me if I did not take proper care of you all."

"This is hardly proper care, Lord Horváth!" A voice could be heard from behind the line of helms that made up the guards, "I can barely breathe!"

"Precautionary, Lord Crumbet, precautionary." Horváth repeated in a bland tone; he did not bother trying to make his voice sound reassuring at all. It would be wasted on them, surely.

Noting that Rigel's eyes had been fixed in the direction from which the sound had come, Horváth made a note of the captain's proficiency; even by vampire standards, Rigel's hearing was remarkable, and he was no doubt looking at the exact spot from which the sound had been made - it had sounded like a stick being snapped to Horváth's own ears, but he would trust to Rigel's judgement. Placing small kicks in the side of his horse, Horváth rode forward so that he was level with Rigel and demanded in a lowered, but no less grim as usual, voice,

"Can you see what it is?"

"I think it went into the trees," Rigel replied, his voice just as low, "But I can't make it out amongst the leaves. It's probably staring down at us right now and we don't even know it."

"I do not have time for these forest dwellers causing trouble," Horváth remarked impatiently, "If we do not keep to our schedule and arrive at the settlement by dawn, then ---"

"I know sir, I know." Rigel cut in, prompting Horváth to give him a short glare that prompted the Captain's immediate regret. It was well-known amongst their coven that one of Horváth's main annoyances in life came from people who interrupted. He deemed it a display of disrespect and a personal affront, and this was displayed further by the twitching that began again on the right side of his face, just under the eye and giving the impression that he was almost winking at his captain; a gross misinterpretation to make. The glare was soon put to ease when Rigel hastily bowed his head and added,

"Apologies, my Lord."

"Apology discarded, Captain." Horváth's tone of voice made a slight change to its usual grim sound; it now sounded impatient, and irritated, "Keep your eyes and ears fixed on those trees. We shall continue to proceed. If whatever is up there makes a move, I want you to shoot it down."

"Yes, sir." Rigel replied with a nod.

Horváth span his horse around and began to lead it up the path once again. The guards immediately followed suit and released their tight surrounding of the human nobles, and the column proceeded as it had done before, albeit with several of the aristocrats now looking at each with confused and inquisitive stares. Rigel fell to the back of the column, his ears alert as ordered. Horváth's thoughts wandered onto the Captain; he was a loyal follower, to be sure, but somehow Horváth could not help but find something about him annoying. He was proficient at his job, but little things, such as cutting across Horváth mid-sentence, were all noted and remembered by the elder vampire; many would consider such things trivial and unimportant, but to someone like Horváth, someone who had lived for as long as he had and had learned to notice every little detail, positive and negative, in others' personalities, it was a revealing factor in the Captain's mindset. The conclusion was; Rigel was a fool, and one that could not be relied upon beyond the calls of his station. Horváth often ranked others into two such categories; those who were useful beyond what they already did, and those who were useful for only thing. Rigel was the latter, and Horváth knew one day it would be important to know that little bit of information.

As for this, thing, following them, Horváth had little doubt that Captain Rigel was more than capable of handling it should it prove to be troublesome; secretly Horváth wished it would attack, whatever it was, and take a few of the nobles with it, but of course in the long-run that just wouldn't do; if Horváth lost the trust of the other aristocrats, the years he had spent gathering experience and influence amongst them would begin to disappear. It had happened before, and Horváth always made sure to learn from his mistakes. Making his way along at a steady pace, yet keeping upright and alert as he always did when riding - he had learned from his earliest days that a man upon horseback was easier to catch off-guard - the vampire lord waited for their stalker to make its move.

Shinji watched as the group of vampires moved on, he could hear their bitter voices chatting amongst each other. There was no doubt that Shinji had been spotted, for one man was eyeing the spot where Shinji had been standing before. Shinji climbed higher into the trees and began climbing his way until he could make view of the group below him. Shinji then climbed forward a few more meters and dropped from the tree.

Well, a group of vampires. Interesting... I am Shinji, tell me your names. If you think you could just shoot me down, then you would have been mistaken. On the other hand, I would like to offer my services.

The sudden movement from above startled Horváth before the being had hit the ground, at which point his horse reared back with a loud neigh. Pulling on the reins to keep control of his steed, Horváth's briefly startled expression returned almost immediately to its grim-faced ironlike frown as soon as his eyes fell on the creature that had fallen before him, apparently uninjured by the height it had leaped down from. Horváth's upper lip curled into a mild snarl and his right eye twitched again as Rigel and the other guards rode forwards to form up behind their leader. The being spoke.

"Well, a group of vampires. Interesting... I am Shinji, tell me your names. If you think you could just shoot me down, then you would have been mistaken. On the other hand, I would like to offer my services."

Shinji...mistaken...services...

All disregarded when Horváth was confronted with one, critical piece of information that the stranger had revealed; vampires. He had addressed them as vampires. How could he tell? Horváth had gone to great lengths to disguise himself and his guards as human for years - not that it had always been foolproof, but now even common scoundrels in the forest could see through the disguise? If anything, Horváth was irritated by the human aristocrats' own ignorance and stupidity in not seeing through it before; it had clearly made him complacent when it came to hiding his true race and culture. His eyes twitching a second time, Horváth urged his now calmed horse forward a few steps, so that the moon illuminated him dramatically as he looked down at the creature; Shinji, it had said its name was.

The name of a fool and a scoundrel if Horváth had ever heard one.

"You are mistaken, wretch, to address us as vampires, and I take great offence in that accusation." The human nobles had begun to urge their own horses nearer, to better hear the confrontation taking place, "We are the social elite of Lomedor. You do not need to know our names. I suggest you move along; your services are not welcome here and neither are your kind; whatever you may be, that is."

Horváth gave the man, he presumed it to be male by his stature and voice, a look of distaste; foot to head, and back down again, all with the same mild snarl on his lips. He was not human, that much Horváth could tell by his scent and the way he appeared to the vampire's eyes; he was no elf or vampire or drow either. What was he? No matter, of course. This scumbag threatened to blow his cover, and if he did not move sharpish, he would be facing a very unfortunate end; one which Horváth had no qualms about ordering. When it came to maintaining his cover, there was very little Horváth would not do.

Accusation, no no good sir. Tis' no accusation, tis a fact. I can see the thoughts beyond your eyes, you wonder what I am. I appear to be a simple human, but to tell you the truth am a full fledged demon. I have the ability to change between human form and my demon form at will. I have no intentions of giving off your identity, I just want to offer my services for... well no... that would be to pricey... how about free.

"Accusation, no no good sir. Tis' no accusation, tis a fact. I can see the thoughts beyond your eyes, you wonder what I am. I appear to be a simple human, but to tell you the truth am a full fledged demon. I have the ability to change between human form and my demon form at will. I have no intentions of giving off your identity, I just want to offer my services for... well no... that would be to pricey... how about free."

Horváth was finding it hard to keep his expression as stoic and grim as he usually did already; there was something about this creature that got to him, and the vampire was sure he knew what it was. Arrogance. This being was clearly full of himself, to speak to him like that, and then to have the nerve to declare that he had no intentions of revealing their vampire identities as if he was doing them a favour. Horváth knew he should order Rigel to cut the head from the demon's shoulder. Speaking of him as a demon, what sort? In Horváth's experience, there were dozens of different species that came under the heading of 'demon', at least; some more nastier and dangerous than others. Horváth's consideration of his reply was interrupted when Sir Somers, who had approached from behind, cleared this throat to speak. Horváth almost turned his head to look at the knight as he listened, but snapped it back after moving a few inches, deciding not to take his eyes off of the demon before him.

"I say, Lord Horváth, but did I hear correctly? This man claims to be a demon! And what does he mean by 'giving off your identity'?"

"Nothing, Sir Somers," Horváth replied without taking his gaze off of the demon; what was his name again? Shinji? "This common wretch wishes to offer his services, that is all. Somehow I find that likelihood of him proving useful low to the most extreme."

The vampire did not want to provoke this Shinji, of course, into revealing the true species of both himself and the guards surrounding the aristocrats, and so he decided to keep talking, grim as he was, in order to ensure that the demon did not get a chance to say anything other than answer questions; until he could be disposed of in an appropriate way. Horváth secretly hoped for the demon to say something incriminating or insulting to them so that he could justify a swift execution.

"What sort of services could a low-life, forest-dwelling demon offer noble men such as us?" Horváth's eye twitched as he finished the question, making his head tilt inquisitively.

Shinji knocked an arrow on his bowstring and raised his bow pointing it at the group of vampires. He realesed and the arrow went flying right throught the group, not touching a single one but flying towards a tree. He heard the connection as the arrow slammed into the tree. Shinji walked over towards the tree and revealed a human... Vampire hunter at best. Protection, detection. You name it, I can help and I mean to do my best.

"Did you just say demon, Lord Horváth?" Sir Somers spoke up, alarmed at the question his fellow aristocrat had put forward, "This man is a demon?! He must be killed immediately! Guards! Guards!"

"Hold your positions." Horváth cut in, his voice intolerant. Rigel and the other guards kept still, their weapons still facing this Shinji.

The vampire had been about to add a further comment regarding Sir Somers when suddenly the demon made a sudden movement, his hand rushing to his quiver. As soon as the demon pulled an arrow from it, Horváth reached for the sword that sat in its hilt, hanging from his belt and hidden under the fine robes he wore. The surrounding guards all raised their own respective weapons too, as did some of the nobles; most of them simply quivered in fear and backed away further behind their escorts. The bowstring was pulled back and released as the vampire began to pull his blade free, and he ducked his head to the side with impressive reflexes as the arrow flew through the group. By the time Horváth's sword was free of its hilt the arrow had become embedded in a tree some distance behind them, and the demon who had fired it, Shinji, had hurried over to reveal what looked like a human there. What was this? The surprise caused a slight twitch under Horváth's right eye, as was his habit, and he turned his horse around to face where the demon now stood, speaking to them in answer to the vampire lord's prior question.

"Protection, detection. You name it, I can help and I mean to do my best." He said, and Horváth raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"What one does, and what one means to do, can be very different concepts." He replied, urging his horse forward a few steps to see the human that had been revealed better, his sword still in hand.

Looking down at the human, Horváth barely held back his snarl, prompting another twitch instead. By his garb, the man that the demon had just revealed seemed to be a vampire hunter; there was little other use than slaying Horváth's kind for some of the equipment the man had on his person. However, the more pressing concern for Horváth was that, like with the demon Shinji only moments before, it seemed that his certainty in his identity being kept secret had been seriously flawed; if this human had been tracking them as well as the demon, how many more were out there lying in wait to ambush them? It was becoming dangerously imperative for Horváth to keep the other nobles in the dark on the fact that they had a vampire in their company. And, to add insult further, this demon wanted to grant Horváth his services? And for free? There had to be some sort of ulterior motive here, but the vampire knew that he was unlikely to discover it unless he allowed it to proceed further. If this Shinji was a spy, or an assassin, having him around could help eventually reveal what higher power or being he was being employed by.

Yes, that would work out nicely. But how did Horváth now justify siding with a demon over a human to the other nobles?

"You just shot a fellow human being of ours," He said, glaring down at the demon, "As a Lord, I am duty-bound to arrest you."

"Execute him!" Called out Sir Somers, who was duly ignored as Horváth snapped his fingers and Rigel passed into his hands a small leaf of parchment and a quill. The Captain held on to an ink bottle, removing the lid and allowing his master to dip the end of the feather into it before scrawling down on the parchment.

"This," Horváth explained as the quill continued scratching, "Is your arrest warrant. Do not attempt to flee, or you will be killed. Do not disobey any commands I or Captain Rigel give you, or you will be killed. Do not fall out of place during the journey, or you will be killed. Sign here to show you understand quite clearly."

The vampire passed the parchment, which he had finished writing on, to Rigel, who in turn passed it down to Shinji. Despite what Horváth had said, he had not drawn up an arrest warrant for the demon; far from it. Instead, it simply read;

It is necessary for my traveling companions to remain ignorant for the time being. If you truly wish to grant me your services, you will follow the pretense of being my prisoner dutifully and convincingly.

Horváth sheathed his sword as he waited for the demon to read and understand the note.

Shinji read the note that was handed down to him by the human companions. Shinji took the pen and paper and signed his name, but also wrote a quick not.

I grant only one person my weapons and that will be you. I on the other hand have a lock pick hidden in my sleeve, when the time comes tell me when to start picking. Then once the shackles are loose I will transform into my demon form until you throw me my bow and sword. Dont let your men take my sword, it has a soul and must be treated with respect.

Shinji gave the note back to the guard then waited for an order. Shinji used his magic to hide the note until it would be passed back.

Ok, I surrender.

((OOC ~ Sorry that this took so damn long. Horvath, would you mind if I take control of a few nobles later? For character development purposes? I know exactly what I want to do, but I just need to get the right time to do it. Thanks to you, I've got his history down. ^_^ ))

Beautiful moon out tonight. Can't wait until I have it in my pocket.

Such mused Marus, mask pulled back on top of his head. The dewy grass felt smooth on his back - frigid, but refreshing, none the less. The cold kept him alert and heightened his senses. So far, only nature had been heard. The trees whistled, the crickets chirped, and thunder roars proclaimed the coming a storm from the south. His body and mind were in a heightened state of perception, and both were enjoying every moment of it.

However, a horse's neigh off a short distance interrupted the zen of it all. The loud and frightened cry seemed to echo throughout the Marus' field, and he sighed. Ah, dammit. Now I gotta get up - I might get something outta whatever happened over there. Grunting, he heaved himself onto his feet. Pushing his arms out wide, he stretched his broad chest out and collapsed with a contented exhale. Finally, he reached up with a slender hand, pulling his nearly white "red seven" mask back down over his face, threw his cloak over his shoulders, and began to comfortably stroll toward the neigh.

Upon breaking the tree line, he slowed to a crawling, quiet walk, taking each step carefully and deliberately. Whatever it was that he would find, he wanted to surprise it - if anything, just because he loved to scare people. The looks on their faces were as priceless as a baby's giggle. Getting close to the road - makes sense, he thought as his crouched form moved. When the bushes became familiar, he lowered himself prone and crawled. Peering through a small hole in the bush, he saw a large convoy of heads and horses a foot below him.

Intriguing. . .

He turned his head to his right to find an end. Several were plump and soft like their colorful clothes and sense of courage; obviously the nobles whom Marus loathed so much. His teeth gritted behind his mask as his head moved up the column, noting the experienced and somehow-off look of the guards, all with weapons drawn. Eventually, he found himself gazing upon the obvious head of the group. Though Marus could only see his back, he learned much. His posture was strong and prideful, almost arrogant, and rightly so - very unlike the boastful backs of most soft aristocrats.

The man that the leader chatted with, however, was just as interesting. His dress and all, every-day out-of-the-ordinary - outlandish clothes no longer interested him, nor did oddly-colored hair or did men pined to trees within hand's reach. But his eyes fascinated Marus. The silvery glow around the iris was unlike any he had seen before, and it was truly amazing.

Shaking himself out of his dazed stare at the man's eyes, he refocused on the other members of the group. Let's see that is. . . Somers, I think. A few others ring bells too, but no names with the tones. Moving slowly, he reached up and removed his mask from his face, sliding it into a small holster on his back. He knew that, in this rare case, recognition could be more useful than anonymity.

And then, pulling his hand back, he hunkered down on his shoulders and watched as to how the events would unfold while he debated his decision.

((OOC: That's fine! Help yourself! :p))

Rigel handed the note back to Horváth without glancing at it, and the noble quickly unfolded it and skimmed over the reply. The demon would play along, but only if Horváth adhered to certain terms. A quaint curiosity, that this Shinji would presume to declare conditions to one such as himself, but nevertheless Horváth saw little progress to be made by drawing attention to the matter. However, he did note something of interest; the way the demon had worded his terms suggested that he thought the vampire intended to turn on the other aristocrats at some point on the journey; no, no, that certainly would not do. The deaths of these men, at least at this time, would be most inconvenient for the vampire lord. Better to keep them alive and still ignorant of his true race. That would be far more useful.

"Ok, I surrender."

Horváth's right eye twitched again, "Good. Captain Rigel, take this man's weapons."

Yes, Horváth knew that the demon had demanded that none of his own men handled the sword in particular, but the vampire scoffed at the concept that the weapon had a 'soul'. True, many blades in the world were imbued with magic and the elements, but no thing of steel or iron could contain a real soul. It was ridiculous, and not something Horváth would risk suspicion on his character for. As Rigel reached to take the weapons, Horváth suddenly inhaled something; a scent, but not on he recognised. He began to scout out the area, his gaze only moving through his eyes as his head did not turn; all the better to keep his sudden alertness subtle. He could see nothing nearby, and made to turn his horse around as if he had been planning to anyway.

"We have wasted much time here, already, prepare to keep moving." He said, though his eyes continued to scan his new field of view. He frowned as he could see nothing; if there was something out there, it knew how to disguise itself well, and that simply made Horváth all the more cautious.

((OOC: Sorry, Shinji, but Horváth can be a bit of a mean-ass sometimes >_< ))

(OOC - sorry guys if this is a bit late - may i join in? OOC)

Embezelar wandered along the pathways only he knew in this forest, ones not even the wood-elves knew about. He picked his way across the brambles and roots silently - his gigantic form leaving no trace of its presence.

All of a sudden he heard a voice in the distance - and the sound of horses shuffling about. Could this be people? In his forest? No it could not be.

He crept closer hearing the noise of quite a few people, yet they did not have the scent of humans which he was familiar with, those that rode the trading wagons though the murk of the forest. No, these were different, some stank of death, another was a completley new smell to him.

His loss of sight failed him this time, he decided that he would follow the group as long as he could, to learn more about them and their reasons for visiting the forest.

As he consigned himself to the course of action he heard one of the men speak up;
"Ok, I surrender."

The voice was unearthly, odd, and terrifying, yet was coming from one who would give up? This doubled the old Minotaurs ambition to find out who was in the forest and why. He felt his way to the pathway again and waited for the procession to resume its journey.

(OOC: My voice is not unearthly, its just like a normal humans. Unless I am in demon form I am no different than a normal human.)

Shinji gave Horvath a glare through the corner of his eyes as he ordered one of the men to take Shinji's weapons. Shinji understood that it would be complex for the beings of Arda to understand the way weapons existed in Daedria, they all had souls in Daedria. Its just like they were born from a demons being. Well, we must be on our way. Dont want to keep me waiting for my jail cell do you. Shinji gave a contempt chuckle. I sense that a few others are spying on us, but who. Best not to alert the others, I am sure Horvath already knows just like I do. One smells of normal human, the other of Earth and Bull. A minotaur I presume.

((You have no idea how POed I am. I spent the whole damn day studying for my Learner's Permit test, and I can't even go until Monday. And work and a paper and and and! Argh! OK, I've held you guys up too much already, so I'm gonna bow out for now. I'll join up in another thread or something. And this week-end was supposed to be relazing-ish. <_< Also, apologizing for shortness preemptively ~ it's two here, and I need to get up at six for work tomorrow.))

Oh, so they noticed me. That's good to know.

Marus almost sighed. He was bored and still fairly confused. What should he do? Sitting in a bush is definitely not the most entertaining thing there could be. And he truly did long for a his old bed - that was the one thing that he missed from home. And the food. Steak, eggs, bacon, just so much goodness. He could feel drool building in his mouth from the reminiscing.

Damn Myrtle was a good cook. I wonder if she's still there...

He had left abruptly - the middle of the night because of a dream, without telling a soul, was not really a well-planned endeavour. Perhaps the Beo treasury had emptied, and the house-. No, what was he thinking? The Beos run out of money? That wouldn't happen if Marus was gone for another six years. But then again, he had become the lord, and the lord disappeared. Who knew what those forsaken vultures of the aristocracy would do to earn just one gold piece.

He shook his head. No, no, this was not the place. Not the time. He would need to go back to the house, check on how everything was. Make sure that everything was where it was and nothing had been found. Very important. Besides, popping up in front of these walking, talking pigs, shirtless and unannounced no less, would shake them. No, he needed to enter gracefully, quietly. Word of mouth would spread the news soon enough. Maybe a party would announce his return. Yes, that would do nicely.

And so Marus slowly crawled out from the bush, retreated a back past the tree line, and returned to his glen. He liked the rain, and it was nearing quickly. Marus sighed happily. He put his mask back onto his head, pushed onto the top, and reclined in the imprint left from before. He closed his eyes and sighed again.

((OOC; Don't worry about it Marus, it's totally understandable. See you in that future party thread ;) ))

The demon's glare was not lost on Horváth as his weapons were confiscated and cuffs applied. Though he chuckled and spoke sarcastically, the vampire was sure that he was more than slightly peeved by the way his terms had been discarded; to his credit, Horváth found it was not his business to care. That was when the scent of two new creatures, arriving on the scene at almost the same time, filled the vampire lord's nostrils, which flared at the sudden inhalation. Spinning his head around so fast that there was a soft crack from his neck, the vampire's eyes immediately locked on to the stronger of the two; a bull, and one used to roaming the forests, by the scent. A Minotaur, most likely. Horváth's eye twitched; Minotaurs were not creatures he wished to encounter if he could help it. They were fierce when provoked, and stronger than they cared to restrain themselves to. The other being was a trifling matter to the vampire in the face of this new potential threat; in fact, it seemed the first had been sent away anyway, presumably by the presence of this Minotaur. There was only one thing for it.

"Captain," Horváth said, and Rigel straightened in his saddle, as he pointed briefly in the direction of the smell, "We have a new visitor; take him."

Rigel nodded and started his horse forward, two of the guards following suit. They approached where the disguised vampires could smell the Minotaur's scent; earthly and strong. As Horváth watched on, they came closer and closer, homing in on a set of brambles from which the smell was the most intense. The vampire lord was suddenly struck with a thought; if the Minotaur attacked them, then Rigel and the other two would end up having to use their vampire skills and abilities to fend it off. They would reveal themselves to the nobles! It was imperative that that didn't happen. Thinking fast and almost frantically, Horváth looked for a way in which he could call Rigel back without alerting suspicion. Spying all of the nobles' eyes on the three 'men' approaching the Minotaur, the vampire lord pulled a dagger from a small pouch in the side of his saddle and swung it into the chains on Shinji's hands; his supernatural strength made this feat simple. Horváth then adopted a look of shock as he yelled out,

"Prisoner escape!"

The nobles immediately span around to look at Shinji, chains undone, as did Rigel and the other two guards with him; leaving their backs exposed to the Minotaur behind them. Horváth, however, was not concerned with this; the priority was to maintain their cover.

Shinji face showed much confusion as Horvath uncuffed Shinji with his knife; then yelling prisoner break. He watched as the other three vampires turned and stared at him. Damn you... now see what you have done. Shinji yelled quietly so only Horvath could hear him.

Shinji stood still as his human form slowly melted into a demon humanoid form. His eyes were painted still on one thing; his weapons that sat behind Rigel tied to his saddle. Shinji ran towards Rigel with blinding speed and before he knew it he was standing on Rigels saddle. He quickly recovered his equipment and nealed down and spoke into Rigels ear. Dont make this difficult vampire.

Shinji quickly jumped down and ran towards the nobles that sat on their plump horses. He drew his blade and in a second... with a swing of his sword slashed right through one of the few nobles standing. One by one he killed them in a way that showed no mercy. These men deserved to die, all the trouble they had caused with the public; the grief they had delivered to innocent families.

Shinji stood in direct line of site to make sure that the vampires could see Shinji... and the blood stained ground around them. You best forget these men, they have done no good to the realm. All the pain they caused innocent families will not be undone nor forgiven. They chose not to repent and so they paid with blood. Now if you want to live I suggest you drop your weapons. Shinji sheathed his katana and pulled his bow from his back and knocked an arrow and pointed it towards Rigel.

Fool!

Horváth almost screamed the word in his head as Shinji leaped into the air and attacked the nobles, dodging a strike made by Rigel in the process. Before he could even draw his own sword, Horváth watched half of the other nobles be cut down, with the others soon following suit. He had Rigel and the other vampires form around him as the last, Sir Somers, died at the demon's feet; the sight of all the blood tempted Horváth so very much. It was only the thought of the foul taste he had come to expect from those in the upper classes that stopped him from losing control then and there. No, instead it was the consequences of this demon's actions, and the effect they would have on Horváth's future, that concerned, and angered, him the most. Glaring at Shinji, he decided there was no point hiding anything now; those that needed to remain ignorant were dead.

"Wretched demon!" he spat, his eye twitching horribly, "Have you no sense of judgement? Those men were not to be killed! You have defied me, and in doing so have so sealed your fate!"

Knowing the fight was going to be tough - having seen how easily, and quickly, Shinji had dispatched of the nobles - yet not fearing it, Horváth snapped his fingers and prompted roars of battle from Rigel and the other vampires, who immediately all pushed their horses forward and began to charge at Shinji. Horváth caught one last whiff of the nearby, hidden, Minotaur, and turned his head to check behind him briefly, before returning his gaze to the backs of his guards as they galloped towards their newfound demon adversary. Horváth had no doubt who the victor would be; surely this demon, even in his truly intimidating form, could not handle an attack from a dozen armoured superhumans? Nevertheless, the vampire lord was not in the habit of taking risks and kept a firm grip on his sword nevertheless as he sat there in his saddle, watching the fight play out.

He caught a quick glance of Sir Somers, still barely alive, crawling towards him, hand outstretched and calling for assistance. The man had, in the interim, crawled a fair distance and Horváth watched as the knight pulled himself up on the side of his saddle; begging for help. With a look of disgust, Horváth struck Somers with the back of his hand, sending the noble flailing back to the ground, a choked yelp leaving his throat as he hit it hard. Some of the blood from his wounds ended up on Horváth's hands, and the temptation became too strong; the vampire licked it clean. Just as he had imagined, Somers tasted foul, but nevertheless blood was blood, and could only be so bad. Perhaps there would be time to feed after the demon had been taken care of, after all.

Embezelar was disturbed; a vampire was approaching his hiding spot with terrifying certainty, by the smell of him he was old, VERY old. Disguising his fear Embezelar backed down, into a small gulley before transforming himself into a fruit bat, he rose from the ground and circled the group in the sky.

After some time he realised there was a massacre being committed below him, he gracefully landed on the nearest bough and once again transformed, this time into a tabby cat. He rested and waited, choosing to observe and follow rather than harm. From the sounds of the conflict below he could stay relatively safe for quite some time, the fighting more important than a common tabby cat.#

All of a sudden he hard moaning, a plea for help, a cry of frustration, then a thump. Embezelar located the source of this newfound distraction. He cursed his own compassion for life as he uttered a small prayer for the dying man. Somers did the vampire say? As he felt the magic course through his veins he knew he would not be seen, hidden high above the melle in the trees. After healing the Noble he resumed his disguise of the tabby, feeling exhausted from the spell casting and shape changing he had used so far. He waited to see if his actions had any impact on the events that were unfolding below him.

"You traitor!"

Horváth's gaze was immediately brought back to the body of Somers, still lying on the ground; shouldn't he have been dead by now? It appeared the knight had more resilience than he had been given credit for during life. Horváth noticed, as he stared longer at the dying man with a small ounce of curiosity on his expression, that in fact, Somers wasn't only resilient; he was improving. His condition was improving. Improving! How was this possible? Horváth did not care to find out, but quickly scanned his eyes across the bodies of the other nobles; all dead, none showing signs of life and Shinji the demon was still being approached by the guards. What was happening to the knight? Horváth was confused, it had to be said, and he raised an eyebrow as he searched around for some kind of plausible answer. What in the name of Arda was going on?!

"Traitor!" Somers repeated, pulling himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he did so; apparently he was not completely healed. Not yet. And he never would be.

Not wasting a second, Horváth flipped the knife he had used to free Shinji over in his hand so that he was holding the blade itself, before hurling it towards the knight. It slammed into his neck, and as a small jet of crimson flared out from his throat, the man fell down dead before he hit the ground. The vampire immediately turned his attention back to the Minotaur's hiding place, certain that it was that thing that was responsible; only the bull creature was not there anymore. Alarm hit Horváth as he began to look around frantically for where it might have gone; he had not lived this long to fall into an ambush by an angry cow then. Gripping his sword in his hand, he kicked his horse forward, circling a small sphere and waiting for his nose to pick up the scent. But there was nothing. What had happened to the bull? It could not have got out of smelling range so fast, surely? Was it some sort of shapeshifter? Could Minotaurs even become shapeshifters?

Horváth remained cautious.

Shinji could feel the erge for battle as three of the vampires galloped towards him, this would be a fight he would enjoy. The fact that he was outnumbered would not matter, shinji was of course as strong as any three of these vampires if not stronger than all of them put together.

Shinji watched as Horvath, with a flick of his wrist sent the knife he had been freed by flying towards the knight which should have been dead; now had a knife lodged in the side of his throat.

His arrow held tight, he aimed towards Rigel preparing to release with a simple movement. Blood would splatter from these vampires if they did not disarm themselves. I give you one more chance to throw down your weapons, or else I will have to kill you all.

The ancient druid could sense the vampire rushing about, madly. He realised, the man he had saved was an accomplice of the vampire, but it seems the vampire was some sort of double agent. Embezelar was ashamed, he had caused this "Somers" fellow un-neccicary harm and pain. He put this thought out of his head and tried to scan the battle once more, to learn of more developments.

Embezelar heard the voice again, sending shivers down his now feline spine. The demon had called out the vampires taunting them with his etheral voice. The Druid smiled, his claws protruded from his paws as he gripped onto the branch hoping the bark could support him.

He waited a little longer, locating the exact source for all of the commotion, within a few minutes he was dangling above the demon himself. He waited, straining his ears for any changes in the combatants positions. He held on, waiting for the opening he desired. The clamour was too loud however and as he let go, he lost all sense of his position. He paniced, he did not live his life through all his hardship for a moment like this to end it all.

Summoning the his reserves of energy he transformed himself into a hawk once more before opening his wings, the forest air that was once tranquil roared in his ears, his wings billowed, he caught the updraft and tore to the canopy of the forest once more. Embezelar was scared now, as he burst through the leaves into the open sunshine he could once more feel the warm sun on his feathers, the wind whistling in his ears. He intended to fly on, until he arrived at his haunt, an old cave fronted by a waterfall, which had become his impromteu home in times of great need. But the commotion that he knew full well would end in death in the forest below still held his curiosity.

Nothing much happened in these woods, and yet now there was a battle to the death of demons and vampires was taking place below him, troubling times, troubling times indeed. He kept going regardless, he flapped his way to his "home". Yet as soon as he arrived he had a deep sense of forboding, as if his own fate was involved in this battle, why? What could one demon or a single vampire host do to him?

He tried sleeping, yet his mossy pillow seemed hard and uncaring, his blanket, normally soft and warm was cold and rougher than stone. He clicked, it was not his own fate that was at stake, it was the forests. He got up immediately, he made his way back to the battle site as best he could find it, the sounds of combat grew louder and he swept in like an owl bearing down on a mouse. He hurtled toward the demon as fast as he could, and at the last minute he changed into a boar.

Impact was imminent...

Keeping alert still, Horváth pushed his horse forward enough so that they were by the body of Sir Somers, now firmly dead. Reaching down, the vampire lord pulled out the knife that was embedded in the knight's throat, and sat up straight-backed in the saddle in time to hear the words of the demon Shinji ring out as Rigel and the others closed in on him. Horváth span around to hear them, frowning and with a glare in his eyes as he did so,

"I give you one more chance to throw down your weapons, or else I will have to kill you all."

Rigel gave a quick look back towards Horváth, waiting for the inevitable confirmation; a wait which Horváth did not disappoint. His eyes narrowing, yet seeming to flare up at the same time like his nostrils, the vampire lord's eye twitched briefly before he spoke up.

"Enough," he said, apparently at a normal volume though the words carried out to the sensitive ears of the vampires, and no doubt the demon too, "Remove this arrogant stain from my sight."

The vampires smirked at the response - one typical of their master - before belting full-charge at Shinji, weapons raised. Rigel was the first to reach him, swinging down from horseback with his large longsword, the superhuman strength behind it ensuring that it would be a fatal blow to whomever it came into contact with. At the same moment Horváth caught sight of an incoming blur from the night sky above, silhouetted perfectly against the moon behind it; some sort of bird. But then, it was no longer a bird! Suddenly it became a boar; a fierce creature, it must have been at least 25 of the heaviest stonne Horváth had ever seen. The board came pelting down towards Shinji at the same time as did Rigel's strike, the other vampires not close behind. Horváth smirked.

Checkmate.

Shinji jumped back just before the boar had landed on the ground with a terrible impact, spraying dust into the air. Shinji just watched as the vampires still rode toward him. Silly vampires, they cannot win. he said as he melted away into the shadows. You leave me no choice, you decide to pin the blame on me when surely you wanted to kill these nobles. Now you stand in the way of my belief; killing nobles for how evil they truely are. Shinji said, his voice echoing throughout the woods.

An arrow still knocked on Shinji's bow was ready to taste blood. Shinji released sending the arrow flying down towards Rigel; a wooshing sound arrupting as it tore threw the overgrowth of the trees.

Embezelar realised a little too late that he was off target, he assumed his hawk form a moment too late however and his avian body lay crumpled in the dust behind the demon.

How did he know i was coming?

The druid spat, reared his tiny head and took off, preparing for another assault. This time, only the gods themselves would stop him meeting his target. However from this height the smells and sounds of the forest were warped, he lost his sense of direction and decided to land on a branch not far above the combat.

He heard an arrow being nocked into a bow. A sense of dread dawned on Embezelar, he was sure that if the arrow met its mark the "mark" would surely persish. He dove toward the forest floor, Avoiding the ancient boughs of oak and redwood before crashing through the lower canopy of leaves. His outstretched talons grasped the arrow and he flared his wings, taking off into the sky as fast as he had descended.

I may be no good in open combat, too slow and clumsy for this demon, no, god, no, thing..... But i can still be useful

He snapped the shaft of the arrow and let its splintered remains fall to the floor in a woeful shower. Assuming his natural form, Embezelar once again started to try and heal the wounded below him, the nobles, the vampires. He thought twice however about healing the head vampire, as he was not sure if the favour would be returned in kind.

Quickly shifting into the form of a screech owl he readied himself for the next arrow, and whomever it targeted.

Horváth watched the demon evade the falling boar, which transformed into a bird at the last minute and hit the ground full-pelt. How had he been able to dodge that? Even he, Horváth, would not have been able to evade an attack like that from out of nowhere. Urging his horse forward to catch up with the other vampires, Horváth watched as Shinji knocked an arrow into his bow and fired it in a bee-line for Rigel, who reflexively raised his arm to protect his face, unable to move in time to dodge the shot. The vampire captain was saved, however, by the bird suddenly leaping into flight, intercepting the arrow and bearing it away, snapping it in half as it did so. It then briefly transformed into a minotaur, a sight which prompted Horváth's eyes to widen in surprise and sudden understanding, before becoming an owl of sorts. So, that was where the Minotaur had gone; that explained a lot. But why was it siding with the vampires, or humans as it may have fallen for their disguises, against Shinji? Horváth considered them to be nothing but savages more likely to attack anyone than a specific target.

It was no immediate concern, however. The Minotaur, able to morph its form, was helping them, and that was what mattered.

"You leave me no choice, you decide to pin the blame on me when surely you wanted to kill these nobles. Now you stand in the way of my belief; killing nobles for how evil they truely are."Shinji called out to them.

Enough of this, was Horváth's thoughtline as he looked at the demon with disgust, This demon is far too arrogant.

Kicking his horse in the sides, Horváth broke into a gallop and charged straight at Shinji, sword gripped and ready to curve into a strike as he did so. Overtaking the other vampires, who had halted their own horses in order to spin around and face where the demon had landed after leaping aside from their own charge, Horváth was first to their enemy's new position, swinging his sword down and aiming for his neck. Rigel and the other vampires were not far behind their lord, their own swords ready to strike at whatever Horváth missed. Their lord, though, had no intention of missing; he had almost two thousand years of battle experience behind him, and he would be damned before he let a wretched demon like the one before him, the one who had ruined his plans for the nobles, change that.

Shinji yelled as his arrow was snatched out of the air by the little bird that was supposedly the minotaur. Shinji turned as Horvath took a swing for Shinji's neck, he only hardened his muscles and accepted the blow. Shinji still stood, he only laughed as he took the sword and ripped it away and threw it into the surrounding brush.

Hmmmm... Interesting, it appears you were able to leave a scratch, but no matter. Shinji only continued laughing then vaulted himself towards the druid who was now a screech owl. Shinji stopped in mid air then unsheathed his sword and aimed for the wing before he would fall back to the ground.

Embezelar was very pleased with himself. Ever since he was a young calfling he had prided himself in his dealings with others. Taking the moral highground and helping others was what he did best. Today was no exception, he had saved a being from certain death from an atrocity of a creature.

Yet something was not quite right, down in his gut the druid was uncertain, was he doing the right thing? Another feeling welled up inside of him, dread. This feeling was relatively foreign to him; the first time he had felt it was when his family was snatched from him, the second when his supposed friend had turned on him. Whatever it meant it only ever surrounded ill happenings.

Unconcerned at this moment however Embezelar pushed on, flapping his wings, while his body was light and quite fit, his mind was weary and the stress of the past few hours was slowing him down. His reactions were as slow as the summer days where as a child he would laze about for what seemed an eternity in the sun, sprinting around the glades and wrestling with the other calflings in his tribe. However this laze was not one to be enjoyed.

He smelt it before anything else, the demon's blade, hurtling toward him at blinding speed, it reeked, it reeked of foul play and hate. Then the infernal whistling came, piercing his ears like the cry of the fel banshee's. The druid was normally quite decisive about such happenings, normally being able to dodge most of the projectiles flying toward him, but his mind, the quagmire that it was, did not let his avian body react in time. The blade clipped his left wing, piercing the flesh and crushing the cartilage.

He stopped flapping, falling instead, gathering momentum. His mind had caught up now, swiftly he transformed into a money spider, as small as a pin head. He frantically started spinning a web in mid air, it caught the updraft and slowed his descent, yet something was wrong; His injuries sustained in his animalistic forms normally stayed with the animal he imitated, leaving him uninjured in his other guises, yet two of his legs were immobile.

"That blade" he thought "It's energies are designed to kill nature and its wardens itself"

As he thought this, a nearby tree started rotting at an accelerated rate, he only knew this because of his close ties to the natural world, but still, this was unnatural. He decided that this was where the blade was lodged now and that the cursed creature must not come into posession of it again, its power was too great.

Hiding behind a tree Embezelar healed his arm, making sure he had full use of it in all of his animal forms. Then, after taking a deep breath, scouring the fear from within his mind he stepped out from behind the tree. Positioned himself in an obvious spot and yelled:

"Oi, yeh scrawny little runt, we used to hunt baby deer more muscly and ressilient than you, come prove to me you are worth my time"

Muttering a little prayer to his deity of the earth he transformed into a mighty bear, his frame was smaller than that of a younger druid, but he was old, hardened, and experienced, most of all, he was fast. very fast. He bared his fangs in a twisted smile and prepared for the inevitable combat.

(OOC) Shinji is ready to retire so this will be my last post as Shinji, but I will be a character known as Mia.

Shinji sighed when he landed on the ground before him, barely listening to what the creature had said to him. Shinji turned to Horvath and spoke words in a firm tone. My quarrels with you are over, I am young in stature but old in mind. I am ready to return to my homeland, and dont try and stop me. Shinji turned away from them and began walking into the sunset ever so slowly, waiting for the men to persue him.

This is beyond the ridiculous.

That is what was running through Horváth's mind as he felt the demon knock the sword from his hand; a lucky shot for the beginner, no doubt. Moving quickly to replace the lost weapon by drawing a dagger, ready to throw, Horváth's counter-attack was cut short by the Minotaur, now a screech owl, took a second attack from Shinji, who threw his sword towards it. The blade pierced the owl's wing, and sent it crumpling to the ground, only to emerge a few minutes later in bear form, and ready to fight the demon one-on-one, taunting him to try and goad him to enter combat.

"Oi, yeh scrawny little runt, we used to hunt baby deer more muscly and resilient than you, come prove to me you are worth my time" The strange shapeshifting Minotaur yelled. Horváth raised an eyebrow at the brave words.

Shinji seemed to be intimidated by this challenge, however, as well as the overpowering presence of several vampires, as he suddenly changed tact completely; no longer was he an over-confident demon, too arrogant to admit a flaw in his skills when facing off against several opponents. No, he was now humbled; he knew he had little chance for success and so seemed to wish to retreat. Looking at Horváth, the demon spoke in a firm tone that the vampire found as threatening as he found it annoying.

"My quarrels with you are over, I am young in stature but old in mind. I am ready to return to my homeland, and don't try and stop me."

"I do not stop foxes returning to their dens," the vampire replied with coldly, his right eye twitching as he held the throwing dagger's blade between two fingers, "I burn the den. Begone!"

The demon turned and left. A retreat was one way to see it; Horváth preferred to see it simply as a flight away from danger; this Shinji had bitten off more than he could chew. With a short snarl, the vampire hurled his arm forward, releasing the throwing dagger and sending it soaring through the air, spinning and heading straight for the back of Shinji's neck. Horváth did not look to see if it made contact as he turned to address the Minotaur in its bear form.

"You showed bravery in the face of the demon," he said, his eye twitching, "Yet I see little reason not to consider you a threat also. Identify yourself!"