[b][center]Veyati - Chapter 2: Meatshield[/b][/center] Within a but an hour of trudging through the underbrush, the sun had extinguished itself, casting the forest into an even deeper dark. For Iroas, direction was held with his lantern, and it seemed for the moment that his suspicions of the other two were wrong. They seemingly needed the light of his lantern, appearing vaguely to follow its guidance, rather than their own. The trees began to grow slightly thicker, and with it the crunching of dead leaves underneath became louder. Few noises escaped the prison bars of trunks and branches beyond, leaving the traveling trio to their own noisy creations. They had since stopped within the forest and set up a small camp, as Iroas had noted the lengthy distance between them and the Belial residence they sought. If they continued to move and make noise, he worried, they'd increase their chances of being intercepted by something unpleasant. Fortunately, with two others, he worried little of Dusk Horrors becoming an issue. If the rumors were in fact true, then three bodies meant they would stay away. Of course, it certainly didn't mean they were completely safe within the woods. There were other things that didn't care about numbers. Iroas set down his lantern and gave it a tad bit more fuel before laying against the trunk of a tree. Suggesting they take turns resting for the night, he made a motion to sleep first. Nobody objected. In the darkness, Caslin and Veyati remained quiet and alert to the forest, situated on opposite each other around the stone-still flame; zero wind allowed the light to remain as taught as the trees around it. Neither it's light nor it's uncomfortable heat were needed, so both of them gave the fire a wide berth. An hour passed, and it felt like a good time to check on Iroas. Caslin gave Veyati an expectant look through his mask, tilting his head down and giving her a subtle nod. She made a double take at him and Iroas and then, after a whisper of a couple strange words, she crawled through the fallen leaves and dirt. Not a leaf nor branch crunched under her hands and feet. Veyati planted her hands on the ground near Iroas and leaned over him, mere inches away as she looked over him. He didn't stir. In fact, somehow he carried himself like an officer even in his [i]sleep[/i], completely still, appearing as if he were deep in concentration. A soldier even in rest. Veyati smirked. It spoke volumes of Iroas' sense of duty, but she couldn't help but find it amusing. Veyati turned back to see Caslin raising his hands up questioningly. She nodded, and then he gestured for her to come over. "He's fast asleep," she whispered as she crawled up by Caslin's side, sitting beside him. The two remained quiet for several minutes, listening to the sounds of the forest. The lack of wind rustling the leaves left only the sound of nocturnal creatures scampering about. Despite the rumors on Garude, it seemed quite peaceful at night. At least, as far as they both knew. The relative silence of the night was broken when Caslin decided to speak up. "I... trust your judgement. You've never done wrong by me before," he said, "But I'm not entirely sure about him." Caslin made a subtle nod in the direction of the sleeping soldier. Veyati looked down at the ground, away from the irritating glow of the fire, and gave her words some thought. They'd barely had a moment to discuss this quest they'd taken up. She stayed silent for a while longer. "What do these vampires have to do with us, or our people?" he added. There was no accusatory tone, just genuinely curiosity as to why she chose this path. Caslin shifted to face her directly as he sat, then continued on. "We could leave now, and this incident would be unable to follow us." Veyati stayed facing away from him, and the two stayed silent for maybe another minute before she responded. "From what I've gathered, this sphere is riddled with phantoms and beasts that lurk in the dark, puppeteering the people of Garude-- even in the few days we've been here I've learned that much. No one had the courage or strength to confront them. No one wants to take responsibility for it in their own [i]country[/i]." She almost sounded frustrated, but hid her outrage beneath a voice of neutrality. Caslin nodded in understanding but, just in case he still wasn't convinced, Veyati turned back to him and added one last thing. "Do you know what would've become of Okufen if Magh still lived? If his perversions of magic and mana were allowed to continue?" Caslin didn't say anything in response, but they both knew the images of death and corruption that name evoked. The stories it told on its own. It took a moment, but he nodded again, this time while Veyati could see. "So then... what do we plan to do?" He asked. Veyati turned away from the fire and put a hand over the bottom of her mask briefly in thought. "I want to learn their intentions," she explained, "Why the vampires are the puppet masters. What they gain from it, and who else benefits. More importantly... why they attacked us." Their conversation was interrupted by a distinct crunch of leaves nearby, which, following such a calm silence, seemed all the more disruptive. Shortly, it was followed by a second crunch, then a third. At four, it had stopped. Iroas hadn't budged from his position, still laying with his upper back against the tree, hands clasped over his belly. Maybe it was the passing of some slightly larger creature, but the two that had remained awake failed to identify its source amidst the trees. Nothing but their gnarled forms twisting around one another and the patchy appearance of detritus could be made out. Then it became apparent, something entirely unsuitable for the remoteness of their position. A burlap sack rested at the side of a tree, seemingly bulging with several objects within. It was patched in several places, and torn in many. From what they could tell, various knick-knacks protruded from the holes. Most were impossible to identify, however. It seemed less sinister than simply out of place for a moment, but when the sack itself rose and fell at one constricted end, the two realized why it was there. Tracing the narrowing edge of the sack upwards, they made out a twisted hand grasping it, up an arm, finally into the elongated maw of some beast. Two beasts. Standing at least ten feet in height, their shadowy and sinewy appearance made for the perfect camouflage within the forest. Their pitch-black skin seemed to be made of darkness itself, sprouting a fuzzy, chaotic coat upon it not unlike the ground they stood upon. It was if the darkest mud itself had taken form and stood upon two stooped legs. They bore no eyes, only a long toothy maw of shadow looking like a crocodile covered in underbrush. Besides the sack, they seemed like uncivilized wanderers of the dark, hunched and breathing heavily a couple dozen feet from their camp. With time, they made out the remains of a large trench coat, worn by the creature without the burlap sack in its hand. Seemingly not noticing that Caslin and Veyati were aware of their presence, they [i]whispered[/i] between one another, staring the camp down as if pausing to consider entering it, like a hungry man considers the offerings of a stall in the market. [i]They came in more than one.[/i] [i]Smart folks.[/i] [i]Those two. They do not smell right.[/i] [i]Like mages.[/i] [i]Even more stinky, I say.[/i] [i]Why are they here. There is no path.[/i] [i]Suspicious.[/i] The pair of shadows were silent for awhile, but stayed put, staring into their camp from afar. Veyati assumed they'd be taking action if they knew their cover was blown, or that they'd been heard, so she continued to act like nothing was wrong and turned to face Caslin. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, and the silent stare was all he needed to know what to do. The two stood up, one after the other, and casually walked to the other end of the fire where Iroas lay. Maybe he wasn't yet completely trusted, but they weren't about to throw him to the wolves either. Over the crunching leaves, Veyati and Caslin whispered a plan to each other, then sat back down around the fire. [i]They know something. Don't confront them unless they present themselves as a threat.[/i] Something seemed strange. Veyati made a connection back to the party where she spoke to Makul. [i]Maybe you're a mage?[/i] Veyati narrowed her eyes, letting her hands slide off her lap and to the ground. What made him guess that from her attire alone, and how did [i]these[/i] creatures know? She couldn't imagine why it took this long to see his behavior that day as more peculiar than even the first day they met... and compared to the rest of Garude, he was an obvious outlier. Veyati pushed the thought away and instead decided to focus on preparing for the worst. [i]I like their masks.[/i] [i]Yes. I have not seen them anywhere before.[/i] [i]The soldier there.[/i] [i]Makes it not easy.[/i] [i]And if they are mages.[/i] [i]Even worse.[/i] The shadows continued to converse with each other, the one in the trenchcoat doing so as he tapped his thin fingers upon each other, as if in anticipation. Still, they did not approach the camp, and after awhile, seemingly lost interest or thought it wiser to avoid confrontation. Within minutes, they turned back to the forest, and trudged away, dragging the burlap sack of stuff behind them. Crisis averted, and Iroas was none the wiser to what otherwise would likely have been a gruesome demise for him. If they hadn't been present, at least. Caslin waited for the two beasts to leave, then huffed out a breath and shook his head. "That was harrowing," he said with a sigh. "They complimented our masks," Veyati said with a shrug, trying to bring in a little humor with her facetiousness. Caslin just stared at her, and Veyati giggled, already knowing the look he was giving her. Veyati's facetiousness aside, Caslin got back on topic. "Iroas is going to need some help if this is a common occurrence, Veyati," he said, "Would you do the honors?" Veyati nodded and drew her knife out. "Gladly," she said. After it was noted that Garude was dangerous enough to need it, the use of a protection spell was warranted. She peeled her left glove off up to her knuckles to expose her palm and placed the knife firmly against her skin. A long scar stretched across her palm where the blade rested, easy to see even in the dim glow of fire light with how it contrasted to the rest of her pale skin. One quick drag of the knife, and the scar was reopened, letting her blood freely drip from the wound. No heavy breathing in anticipation, no prelude, no wincing-- just a focused stare. "Cemir. Quothest. Kulur." She chanted the arcane words, pointing her dripping palm to the forest floor. A warm blue glow emanated from her hand, then dug into the ground and spread out in a circle around them like a wild growth of vines and roots. The light eventually dissipated, but there was a subtle hum of energy that could be sensed from the circle. Veyati almost pulled her glove back over, but jerked to a stop before it wrapped over her palm. Iroas seemed far too inquisitive to let something like a cut on her hand go. Maybe far too inquisitive for his own good. She peeked over her shoulder at Iroas to make sure he was sleeping, then turned away and lifted up her mask just to lick the blood off her palm. Veyati furrowed her eyebrows. Oh right. Damn it. Wounds continue bleeding until they clot up. Time for another spell, then. "Kiros. Siser." She whispered, then stretched her fingers to test it. The wound stayed open, and it stung, but blood ceased to flow from it. Much better. "That should hold until morning," she said, pulling her glove back down. There were a few minutes of silence. Veyati shuffled about to search for her backpack, then glanced at Iroas, then to Caslin. "This is probably the only time we'll be able to eat and drink in peace..." she mumbled, hooking her fingers around one strap of her backpack to pull it in. Caslin stared at her for a couple seconds, then scrambled over to the other end of the fire to grab his own pack. No reason to waste even a single second. They'd been holding on long enough. ------------------------------------------ Eager to take rest where he could, Iroas underwent a second round of sleep after the other two themselves woke up for their next shift. Though he stressed to them that he could remain awake for the rest of the night, they themselves seemed even more inclined to stay awake. As the sun began to glow brighter, he awoke to find the pair seemingly inexhaustible. Perhaps they were simply well rested prior. Iroas packed up his belongings and extinguished the lantern, now able to follow the forest grounds on the sun's light. "From here, we'll find our way to the Belial Residence's outer grounds." he said. Veyati eyed him dubiously behind her mask. As interesting as playing it by ear would sound, she hadn't heard much of a plan since they began their trek. She loped up beside Iroas and caught his attention by calling his name. "You have a plan," she said, managing an expectant look behind the mask with the help of her gestures, "Right?" "A plan yes. One that involves lots of assumptions, though," he smirked. Iroas began the walk first. "Little will be known simply walking about the grounds, so I propose we break inside and see for ourselves what is going on. If there is nothing, we leave. The Belial residence will appear large, but it is of a smaller caliber compared to the other wealthy elites on Garude. We might expect one or two violent individuals within." Iroas turned to the other two, and offered them a look of doubt. "I hope you're fine with the potential for interrogation?" The two glanced at each other briefly and exchanged some inscrutable expressions. "As long as they're the one's being interrogated, yes," Veyati answered. "I didn't plan on being interrogated, but I suppose we should prepare for that too, just in case," he chuckled. "If we're going to get anything out of these vampires, I'll bet it'll come down to just who can throw the harder punch. Possibly spells," he turned to Veyati, "I hope you could manage that, if need be." The trio pushed on in the forest, eventually coming to a clearing split by a cold gravel road. Iroas looked down both ways, seeing a silvery object in the far distance to his left. The gates to their residence, no doubt. Iroas beckoned them to return back into the cover of the forest, so as not to be bold and knock on the front gates. "We'll observe from the sides for awhile, then see if we can't scout out a way in." The group followed the gravel road up to the outer gates of the manor, which had since become visible past a tall black fence. Quietly, they approached its dark bars and peered through, looking upon the front corner of the substantially-sized home. A wide porch stretched around its entirety, painted a pristine white and bearing the occasional rocking chair or potted plant. The home itself was three stories tall, with spired roofing and a brick wall lining. For the time being, only the front door and the windows on the first floor seemed like viable entrances, though Iroas suspected they possessed a back door, and possibly a basement entrance on the other side of the house. "Either one of you any good at sneaking into places? I wasn't exactly trained by the army to be an assassin," Iroas said. Caslin made a double take at Veyati, who was simply staring blankly and marveling at the colossal house these vampires owned, and then nudged her. She was half-way toward retrieving her sketchbook when she got an elbow to the side. "Oh," Veyati immediately perked up and spun to face Iroas, giving him a short apologetic bow, "I think I have a few tricks I can use." Iroas smiled and nodded, "Wonderful. What are they?" Veyati blinked at him, which actually just came off as a blank stare through the mask. Right, he has no idea who he is actually talking to still. Her mouth quirked up in a smile and she answered, "We'll just play it by ear and see what works. I'm sure you're more concerned about results than means, hmm?" "Definitely," Iroas grinned, turning back to the manor, "I'll follow your lead." Iroas paused for a moment, observing the area a bit more, looking back over his shoulder and down the road a few times before speaking again. "Ready when you are." Veyati stepped over to Iroas and sized him up, and held a hand over the bottom of her mask in thought. "That armored plating is going to make an awful racket, no matter how stealthy you try to be-- well, not without some help. But..." She sighed. Silencing his armor meant revealing more about herself, and she just wasn't confident enough in him yet to do so, but... she did need him. Wait a minute. Veyati raised her finger, "Maybe we can get away with walking through the front door." "Think so? What's on your mind?" Iroas asked. "I mean, they are prone to sleeping during the day, possibly going to sleep right about now. We can't be sure the front door is even unlocked." Veyati crouched down and looked back out to the grounds. Beautiful, covered on all sides by forest, and atmospheric, but... ultimately [i]empty[/i]. Maybe they wouldn't even have to be sneaky, but that would be ridiculous. Nobody this important would make infiltrating their home that easy. "...What guards their manor, I wonder?" she mused. "The Belial's?" Iroas looked pensive, "Maids, butlers, a cute dog." He laughed, "Seriously? I cannot be sure. The Cain's clearly employ the undead, but the Belial's methods I have heard nothing about. For now, I can only expect-" "Wait," Veyati interrupted, suddenly adopting a dead serious tone. "Undead? We'll be dealing with undead?" "N-no. I meant the Cain's employed them. The ghasts from days ago?" Iroas clarified. That explains the horrible feeling in the air. They weren't constructs. They were perversions of magic. Veyati suddenly seemed... more disgusted at the realization, almost visibly so. Something was tense about her almost complete stillness before she finally nodded to Iroas. "Undead... right... I'm sorry, go on. What do you think we can expect, Iroas?" "At most, the Belial's are a minor player in the vampiric world. They have money, as you can see, though do not swim in it. I wouldn't expect undead, but guard dogs might pose a problem. Their heads of family are the most likely to be capable of remotely-substantial magic. That'd be my best guess," Iroas explained. That was a bit relieving, if vague, but at least enough to work with. Veyati turned back to the grounds and thought it over a little longer. They had a little knowledge of their opponents. Their opponents had [i]no[/i] knowledge of them, or their presence, or their numbers. All odds were stacked as well as they could be. "We could head around back and find a less obvious entrance," Caslin suggested, "Or, if anyone is feeling particularly brave and bold this morning. It might be the last thing anyone would expect." "Someone coming through the front door on a cool morning, miles from town? If they anticipated that, they're more paranoid than the Emperor," Iroas scoffed. Caslin shrugged. "Case in point." Veyati nodded in agreement and stood up, making a vague gesture toward the manor. "I guess that's what we'll do, then."