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[color=cadetblue]Time:[/color] Morning
[color=cadetblue]Location:[/color] Forests north of Roshmi City
[color=cadetblue]Interactions:[/color]  Malachi[@princess], Belle[@Potter], Myra[@13org][/center]

The brighter the day got the less acute Valok's vision became. At least the forest helped obscure the sun and the shadows cast by the trees remained the only thing truly familiar. He had encountered none of the predatory creatures that so freely roamed the far northern forests, the creatures and even the planets here were dreadfully benign. When a large arachnid scuttled towards him, its dark chitin accented by a brilliant blue that signified venom, he smiled. The unfamiliar but clearly dangerous creature was a welcomed sight, something that reminded him of home and the constant threat of danger that always loomed in Daka. Its small claws chattered threateningly at him, its jaws chittered with pure hunger. His hand moved slowly following the creature's movements as his will shaped and reformed the small shadow the creature cast into a spike that lay flat against the ground, following the spider's movement as it scurried towards him. Once it was near him his wrist flicked and as his fingers pointed upwards the spike rose up from the ground impaling the creature on it’s shadow making a wet crunching sound as it did so. A fluid leaked from the creature and Valok held the shadow until he saw the frothing jaws had stopped chattering and the light left the spider's many eyes. 

[color=cadetblue]“Not today little one.”[/color] He said softly before releasing his grasp on the spider's shadow. Curiosity beckoned him and Valok bent down to lightly touch the froth that leaked from the spider's mouth, finding a tingling numbing sensation in his finger and thumb as he inspected the substance. Large demonic spiders with a powerfully paralytic venom seemed acutely out of place for this forest. He encountered a handful more of the spiders in the forest, varying in size and most larger than that first one, but all equal in aggression and a seeming goal for killing whatever crossed them. They were minions of something, something far more dangerous. The threat, the reminder to keep his sense sharp was welcomed. It was a familiar sensation, far better than the relaxing ambiance the forest had held, something which threatened to dull and weaken him. He dispatched the spiders he came across with shadows as his weapons, finding creatures without a sense of ingenuity to be a weaker opponent than anything with true sentience. 

Erebokenisis, manipulating the shadows, was as natural to Valok as drawing breath. Perhaps even more so than an average Dark Elf, for growing up he and those like him had so little. His childhood was not filled with toys or trinkets; they were given nothing that wasn’t deemed a necessity, but shadows could be found anywhere. Shadows became his toys, his entertainment, when he had time for such a thing, and forming them into shapes to tell himself stories was the only reprieve from the brutality of his upbringing. Shadows and darkness were his constants, the one thing always there when he needed them; for protection, entertainment, and comfort. Valok was content to walk with only the shadows as his company but eventually he came upon a small group. There were three of them, the most notable was a white furred and red eyed demon with a prominent tail, along with two others who appeared elfish in build. 

There were things that just came naturally to a Dark Elf; to prefer darkness, to find more comfort in the moon than the sun, to play with the shadows, and a deep hatred for the Light Elves. Valok didn’t know if it was entirely taught, but rather genetically inherited, to remember the pain of being outcasted, to recognize on sight the enemy of his people. He felt the fire of hatred, the instinct to kill the moment his eyes landed on the male Light Elf and as a few seconds passed he willed the cold waved of apathy to overtake those flames. He smothered what he felt igniting in him with the consistent sensation that never quite left him and so easily hatred and rage were replaced with coldness and neutrality. When he studied the other elfish shape, the female, he felt nothing but whether it was because he had already chosen to ignore his ingrained hatred or if she simply was not a Light Elf remained uncertain. The fact that they travelled with a demon piqued his curiosity; while it could be that they were loyalists to the King, many demons were, it was also more likely that if they were not loyalists and they had accepted a demon, they may also be more hospitable to Dark Elf. 

Valok knew there were more of the large spiders scattering through the forest and that travelling alone meant increased risk of being overtaken by one. The fact the numbness was still felt in his fingers told him a single bite from these creatures would mean certain death. The risk of approaching the group was less than taking his chances with the spiders, and death in combat with sentient creatures was far preferable to being eaten alive by mindless minions. He attempted to approach in a non threatening manner, but to anyone with a trained eye would recognize his stiff posture and movements as one with training, one taught to never be relaxed in the company of others. He did not try to hide his movements, or to silent his footsteps, nor any other means of stealth in which he was accustomed to. Once within earshot of the group he spoke in his even and hollow tone, choosing actions he thought showed his lack of sinister intentions. [color=cadetblue]”Are you, by chance, traveling towards the coast? Something dangerous lurks in this forest and I’d prefer not to take my chances with the odd spiders alone.”[/color] Valok said, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone but his gaze fleeting between the three, studying their movements waiting to see who of them would indicate themselves as their leader.