A flash of light poured into a shallow cave. It touched everything within, including a hooded man sitting atop a crate wrapped in strange glyphs. 

A voice followed… [color=lightblue]“The Sun is gone, as should you be…gone that is!”[/color] …It was a watchman.
 
The hooded man spoke with a baritone that could rattle the earth,[color=orange] “I move when I have reason...”[/color] The watchmen twitched a bit at the tone of this hooded man’s voice and readied his hand above his baton. [color=orange]“…. And my reason has not yet appeared.”[/color] The hooded man planted his feet firmly and began to lean forward off the crate as if about to pounce. 

The watchmen began, [color=lightblue]“I know your kind…,”[/color] he draws his baton slowly,[color=lightblue] “One false step and…”[/color] he shifts to the side slightly to give himself a better angle,[color=lightblue] “I will deal with you accordingly.”[/color] He was prepared for anything. Or, so he thought.

The hooded man scoffed. [color=orange]“To think the likes of a lowly watchmen would draw a weapon without knowing his enemy.”[/color] No sooner upon finishing that sentence, he exploded from his seated position with amazing speed. 

The watchmen stepped back in shock, eyes widened, jaw dropped. The hooded figure was less than 2 inches from his face. A flicker of what looked like hair set in flames, a stiff smirk on his face, eyes swamped in death.  He couldn’t think, his voice was gone, all he could hear was…

[color=orange]“Smolder”[/color]

A cloud of black engulfed the watchmen from the mouth of the hooded figure causing him to flail in a panicked frenzy. Coughing, wheezing, and cursing as much as he could in-between.

The hooded figured moved almost knowingly through the watchmen’s clumsy swings and stepped out of the cave as if nothing had occurred. The watchmen, still trying to hit a ghost in the dark. He had no time to kill watchmen, he was here to find a lead.Without a second thought, the hooded figure dove from the ledge of the ash filled cave and landed lighter than expected upon the cobblestone road below.

As he stood his gaze fell upon the door before him. [i][b]“The Squished Fish”[/b][/i] it read decaying and damp across the door.

[color=orange]‘He’s right inside I am sure of it. That tall man in black. I’ve followed him all day, watching him doing something to every person he passes. I have him cornered now.’[/color] The hooded figure thought hard to himself as he reached for the handle on the door. 

Just then the door opened, something came out, but it was so fast the human eye couldn’t track it. The hooded figured side stepped and stumbled into the door. [color=orange]‘Did I just stumble’[/color] puzzled he regained his balance.

Still puzzled he stepped into the winery, the floor boards squishing beneath him yet holding their ground. The phosphorous light bathing his hooded figure as he headed towards the bar. [color=orange]'What made me stumble?'[/color] 

A flick of a tail caught his eye, A lizard, Obviously hung over sitting with what looks like a small child and a taller man with white hair. He knew the lizard was Dali. He had heard a few of his stories while training under his ophidian master. The other two were unimportant and he still didn't know what almost knocked him off his feet. He continued to the bar.

[color=lightblue]“Chamailéontas!”[/color] The barkeep bellowed.

Chama lowered his head and growled as he sat at the bar[color=orange] “call me Chama, I keep telling you that.”[/color]

[color=lightblue]“I’ll do no such thing! Your father would have had my head.”[/color] The barkeep smirked at the memory of Chama’s father.

[color=orange]“Except someone took his first...”[/color] Chama spoke with nonchalance cutting short any sort of humor. 

[color=lightblue]“Indeed”[/color] the barkeep chose to lose this battle on words. [color=lightblue]“How about a pint?”[/color]

[color=orange]“Sure, Lizard Lager...”[/color] Chama began shooting a death glare as he reached into his pocket for a few coppers to cover the price. This will be the perfect distraction from that slip up at the entrance.

Chama rummaged and came forward with five pieces of… wait… four pieces of copper… and… A fifth coin with an image the likes of what he has seen in only the darkest of places in Teluval. The cyclops stared him down, as if showing him the stumble at the door was his destiny. His lead, THE VAULT.

Chama paid for the pint and placed the coin back in his pocket. He would sit here and figure out his next move. Pulling back his hood he released his red hair from its encasing. It lit up like a flame beneath the phosphorous fish. This, he knew would draw a lot of attention, but this was a damp back-of-the city winery. There was no way anyone who mattered would be there. [color=orange]‘and yet here I am’[/color] he thought as he sipped from his cup.