[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjYwLjU3NTc1Ny5SMlZzYkdWeWRDQkdiM0p0YjI1a1pRLCwuMAAA/sell-your-soul.regular.png[/img][/center][hr][i]A few hours ago...[/i]

The unimaginably vast forests of Terra was home to all manner of wildlife, most of them benign and passive creatures. Despite the ever looming presence of war, Terra never ceased to feel...safe. Perhaps that was a sort of magic in itself; a land of everlasting sanctuary staring war right in the eye. Unfortunately, no small amount of nefarious individuals have taken advantage of the forest's sheer size. Criminals of every breed have been known to create encampments, temporary or permanent, deep in the secluded corners of Terra's woods. There, they hid from the strong arm of the law- Nephilim, guardsmen and bounty hunters-and planned their next moves carefully.

One such criminal was Glover 'Strong-Arm' Jackdaw. A petty thief turned murderous brigand, he was wanted for numerous counts of theft, murder, graverobbing, assault and battery, fraud and (most recently) attempted rape. The lowlife had narrowly evaded the guards after trying to get his hands on a poor farmer girl and was now laying low, awaiting a chance to strike again. His bounty had probably risen to ludicrous heights by now, what with his last crazy stunt. Sure, it meant more incompetent guards and idiotic bounty hunters would be on his tail, but Glover the Strong-Arm could take anyone on! His hands could kill men with but a grasp! His aim was truer than any man! Let the best come for him, for no one could ever best-

The sound of a twig snapping came into earshot.

Glover immediately grasped for his crossbow and looked for whatever piece of shit animal made that sound, hoping to kill it for breakfast. [i]"Who's there?!"[/i] the man cried out. [i]"Don't come any closer or I'll skin ye alive! You hear me!"[/i] Nothing replied, only the sound of distant flapping wings. He must have scared it away, the mongrel. [i]"Yea, that's right, run along! Filthy critters..."[/i] He turned round to his slow-burning campfire...

...and was met with the leaping maw of a dire grey wolf that pushed him down and tore his chest open with its fangs. The immediate clearing was filled with the gruesome sounds of justice dealt, the desperate shrieking of a dead man as the wolf disemboweled the lowlife named Glover Jackdaw.[hr]Gellert Formonde, feared bounty hunter and sellsword, slowly walked the streets of his hometown Wellborough, the mangled carcass of Glover Strong-Arm in tow, dragging it along like it weighed nothing. Citizens parted a way for the fearsome Grey Wolf and looked down and then away in disgust at the horribly gutted body he brought and the literal trail of blood he left. It felt like a disservice to his neighbors to do such a macabre thing within the city, but the proof of bounty had to be delivered, and if there ever was a way to send the message that crime never pays, this was it.

The Grey Wolf reached the Guard Barracks, the men of the law staring at him with equal parts respect, fear and admiration. At the risk of sounding overconfident, he has gotten used to such gazes. He called for the nearest Guard Captain and set the body at her feet.

[color=888866]"Glover Jackdaw, thirty one year old Humani male. Wanted 650 gold pieces alive, 500 dead,"[/color] Gellert stated simply, his voice low and...ominous. [color=888866]"I want my payment, Alfie."[/color] The Guard Captain sighed at the pigheaded old man's antics and handed him the promised gold, placed in a convenient pouch that fit into his existing pouch for gold.

[i]"There, I hope you choke on it, you old oaf,"[/i] she said in an evidently exasperated tone. [i]"You know, you could've brought us his head like a fuckin' normal person. Instead you do this. What are we supposed to do with a criminal's corpse?"[/i] She never failed to make an old man smile. Captain Alfie Tersk was not like most guards. For one, she saw Gellert as not an admirable and intimidating figure, but a nuisance. And that made pissing her off all the more satisfying.

[color=888866]Maybe...bury it like a normal person?"[/color]With nothing more than that, Gellert left the Guard Barracks, leaving them to deal with that bastard's corpse as they saw fit.

The Grey Wolf was next seen in the Markets, eyeing the many stalls and their offered wares. Most sold food, some peddled tools and trinkets, others still offered weapons. He has little need for more weapons; Dire and Kelen served him well enough and he was yet to find arms that could compare. Gellert notes the presence of a commotion, the remains of one anyway. A man at a fruit stall stood slumped, dishearted and probably angry to boot. The Grey Wolf approached this man, trying not to look intimidating....and failing at it.

[color=888866]"Blessings to your day, friend,"[/color] he greeted with a smile that looked more like a grim sneer. [color=888866]Something seems to have happened recently. Do you know anything about it?"[/color]

The man slammed his fist into the stall in anger. [i]"It was that damn Lark kid! He stole my money, right out of my pocket!"[/i] Ah, the Lark fellow. Gellert knew Wellborough had a thievery problem, mostly concerning one thief. How the Guards let him get away with it was beyond him. Maybe it was time he put a stop to it.

[color=888866]"I'll see what I can do."[/color] Gellert left the stall just like that, leaving the merchant confused, but he knew that he had encountered the Grey Wolf, and he was on the hunt. For there was a new bounty at hand, one long overdue. Lark Sylvsson, wanted alive. Reward irrelevant.

Always wondered what magpie tasted like.