[color=silver][h3][center][b]Ahanu The Ravenous One[/b][/center][/h3][/color] [hr] The lights of Boston sparkled like an ocean of gemstones against the crude black of the concrete they were cast in. Countless millions of lives, stories which mirrored one another but scarcely intertwined. Untold thousands living in clouds of anger and resentment, with no idea how to reach those closest to them. Tragedy on display before ones eyes, like some cruel, bitter play on an endless stage. How many would die today? How many were lost? How many of those could be saved? [color=aquamarine]~[i]The stench of this place. It reeks distinctly of all the things humans most despise. Rot & urine, refuse & vermin, stale sweat & excrement ground into the oil stained asphalt. These people, skittering about and over each other like insects.[/i]~ [/color] [color=gray][right]Give in.[/right][/color] [color=aquamarine]~[i]Why do you persist in a world that is not your own?[/i] ~[/color] [color=gray][right]Feed.[/right] [/color] The fog encroached menacingly, like a vast, wide pillow settling in to smother a peaceful sleeper. Soft crashes of the Atlantic could be heard over the gentle din of the slumbering city, though its waves remained nestled, hidden behind the fog bank. Ahanu cut a solitary silhouette amongst the machine workings of the rooftops, gazing blindly across the horizon. [color=aquamarine]~[i]They march in as much ignorance to your efforts as they believe domestic cattle do to their own lives. The same disease afflicting the different beast. [/i]~[/color] [color=gray][right]Relax.[/right][/color] Perhaps that much was true. His dealings with the world at large left his mouth sour, his spirit dampened. Humans of this age were peculiar, and the denizens of the Veiled World did not fare much better. Impulsive, reckless, vague and covetous. They largely reminded him of his unwelcome companion. [color=aquamarine]~[i]A paradigm seen echoed in every manifestable direction within our reality, wouldn’t you say? Mighty generous offer Bain & Hoyle floated your way, eh?[/i]~[/color] [color=gray][right]Rest.[/right] [/color] His eyes clamped shut against the stinging barb which rattled down his spine, his hand flexing closed, teeth grinding. The hunger knew he was growing impatient. It had been three busy years. Perhaps he could have been more ‘available’ when they first sent word to his cabin. But how long had it been that they left him up there? It felt like a lifetime. The supplies had stopped at some point.... … How long? ... The days up north were not like the ones here. Certainly plenty of months spent in unending darkness. Many rounds of the sun holding fast in the sky. Perhaps it had been even longer than a single lifetime.... [color=aquamarine]~[i]This is who you protect. Look around, Ahanu.[/i]~[/color] [color=gray][right]Sleep.[/right] [/color] Perhaps it was selfish of him to wait until they promised him a cure. They had already managed to provide the enchantments which bound the hunger within him. Would they truly have lied? [color=aquamarine]~[i]They are shackles. For this place? You shame us both.[/i]~[/color] [color=gray][right]FEED.[/right][/color] For a moment, Ahanu felt himself fall inward, his consciousness slipping. The words had found their mark, he felt another piece of his resilience erode away like a castle of sand beneath a wave. Three years of near constant work. And no clearer picture than when he had begun. He was weary. Not of the situation but of life. What purpose did any of this serve? Near as he could tell Bain & Hoyle had him chasing shadows of ghosts. Despite Ahanu’s successes, answers were strictly need to know and his inquires into the status of his own condition had been utterly stonewalled. Virtually every member of the company he had met seemed on permanent edge, a soft shove away from plummeting into the abyss of their own minds, or worse. Fear made people, and their veiled counterparts, into piss-poor decision makers. Was B&H immune from such things simply because of their illustrious history? Ahanu’s handsome features twisted into a grimace as the glowing wisp fluttered into view. The man’s powerful grip snatching the orb from the air nearly as quickly as it had appeared. His mouth turned further as he read across the pretentiously adorned parchment. Another job. Heedlessly, he allowed the paper to drift from his grasp, the magics within the message reducing it to ash, which scattered in the breeze as Ahanu turned to ready himself. [hr] A long, restless night had bled directly into the grim gray afternoons typical for Boston this time of year. Ahanu arrived shortly after the clock struck 2PM. His towering form cramped in a twist of irony within the confines of an old Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle’s army green paint was splashed with rust and approached with all the stealth of a locomotive, crackling across the gravel of the drive which led down long parallels of ancient trees. [color=aquamarine]~[i]Ahh. That smell is far more pleasant, wouldn’t you say?[/i]~[/color] Like oak, blood, smoke and magic. It permeated and pulsed the air about the dilapidated home, like a foul aura which oozed beyond the sight of mortal perception. The group which awaited him only added to the bouquet as he wheeled the vehicle along side the building. He waited only a brief moment, eyeing the assembling crew critically before hefting himself from the Jeep. There was a distinct lack of sound as the massive man strode across the loose stone, the gravel seeming to hold his weight as if he were not there at all. The murmurs of introduction between the others were drowned by the howling winter wind. Ahanu said nothing as he approached, simply giving the others, none of whom he recognized, a curt nod. His rich ebony eyes darted briefly to lock with those of the diminutive female who hung slightly away from the rest of the group, the hints of an amused smirk playing across her lips. [color=aquamarine]~[i]Ahhh, She is intoxicating. Death lingers about her, she sees you for who you truly are, Ahanu.[/i]~[/color] His features remained expressionless, but he turned to the group, finally speaking. “The foul magic of this place is waning. We should not linger, the trail already grows cold.”