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Barely an acorn among oak trees stretching far into the sky, a mere child in the presence of the ageless, elven-kind surely viewed the young creature timidly pushing a wooden door open, with curious eyes. This would, of course, have been true, had a hood not obfuscated that of which lingered beneath, ghostly pale skin with pointed ears making themselves known through strands of thick, black, and unkempt hair. It was a common choice of attire for the youngster, black eyes vigilantly maintaining a guarded disposition in response to slight paranoia. Dark Elves, they were creatures trusted as far as the edge of a knife, and for good reason, indeed. Yes, despite the ageless beauty of elven kind, the nature of their darker cousins warranted distrust and hatred. One would not blame Shade for keeping his hood secured over the boy’s features, in response to this truth. 

His father’s instructions were clear, and the days where Shade had been traveling left little else to consider. ‘Learn of the world’, he said, ‘know what it is we seek to protect, from the shadows where we hide’. Indeed, The Moonshadow Cult was a group of outcasts, a gathering of criminals seeking a new path through the devastated remains of what they called their existence. Murderers, thieves, and assassins gathering to put aside what had previously painted them unsavory and rather repenting from beyond the veil of darkness. It was a controversial development, for who would forgive those with blood on their hands? Ironic was it, then, that the boy whose eyes dark like an abyss was draped in a blanket of innocence, still. There was no past which he sought to escape, no misdeeds he had put behind. Of course, the virtue of his birth could perhaps be debated in terms of criminal acts. ‘The only good Dark Elf is a dead Dark Elf,’ was a saying Shade had come across on his travels, albeit short-lived as of yet. 

[i]”Rats, cleaning, and goblins..?”[/i] A thought trickled through Shade’s mind, small, dainty fingers tracing themselves across the Adventurers Guild bulletin board which towered over him. Entering the building had been a daunting prospect in itself, and now it appeared all the more real. [i]”Should I start small?”[/i] The boy continued, slender, pale lips remaining shut as consideration circled his focus. [i]”Don’t think I can fight a bunch of goblins on my own..,”[/i] a small sigh slipped past the boy’s parted lips, before he took a step back. Reaching a hand into his shoulder bag, Shade produced an apple before biting into the succulent, green surface. [i]”Dad would have had me cleaning the ditches in a heartbeat,”[/i] Shade rolled his eyes, and took another bite of his meal. Fruit was an elf’s first choice of nourishment, and meat did not go well with the ageless entities. It was a common statement that the ecosystem would suffer in response to creatures of such longevity to live through the death of beasts. 

The slender dagger gently resting above Shade’s tailbone would proceed to paint the boy somewhat exotic, in his approach. He wore no armor, for the weight would slow him down, and the sound of metallic grinding severely hindered motions of stealth. He was clearly a dextrous individual, judging from a lithe, slim frame, with little more than a curved blade at his disposal. Indeed, Shade’s dainty nature had warranted misjudgment several times already, where he was mistaken for the fairer sex. Androgeny in his voice did little in rectifying the issue. Inhaling a sharp breath, the elf leaned back on the balls of his feet, looking from right to left, and considered his next action. This was the start of a long, arduous trial.