Finding A New Home

Well, how about that?

There she stood at the edge of what could only be considered a dilapidated town. The buildings were as old and worn as some trees that still stood tall in the Spooky Forest. It looked abandoned; every structure left in such a state that none dared call it home or possess it for even a safe house. But despite how it looked, it certainly felt like it was more. There were scents left in the chilly air, remnants of beings of magic that still dwelled in this place. To call this town haunted...well, it wasn't quite far-fetched but the answer seemed a bit more convoluted than that.

How utterly delicious.

Vajra's golden orbs ran over the shape and curve of every building in front of her, taking in every sight and administering it to memory. It was everything her guide had said it would be but it was also so much more. The poor fellow probably regretted spilling his guts out to her, knowing full well what her intention of coming here was. But then again, he probably regretted the literal action of his guts spilling out as well. Too bad that was beyond his comprehension and choice.

"Well, I suppose since I came this far..." She said in a low voice, a small smile pulling across her lips. With that small statement, she continued forward in her seemingly slow gait, like a tourist taking in the attractions around her. Despite no one else being around, she still moved like she was trying to attract attention; her hips swinging from side to side and her body moving fluidly in answer to that.

As if she was trying to get the attention of any of those that may be around...

While Vajra explored the forgotten streets a bit, a breach would appear on the outskirts of town. A portal that looked like a tear in reality itself. As it split the towns image apart, you could briefly see a different scenery inside the breach. The image flickered, but it was unmistakably some sort of grand hall.
From that very breach, two silhouettes appeared. At first blackened making only their shapes distinguishable, one tall and robust obviously a man and the other small and slender definitely belonging to a girl. As the figures stepped out of the breach and into the light of day their entire features became visible. The tall one was man that looked to be in his mid forties maybe, either way he was quite a figure. Donned in a battle suit and a large cloak that dragged behind him, obviously a style of attire that the youngsters these days didn't wear anymore. The girl on the other hand looked rather... plain when compared to him. It was not an impressive battle suit or anything like that, but just a simple blue skirt with a frilly blouse.

'The sentry said she was somewhere around here' Dahau, the man with the ruff exterior spoke with a strong voice. Definitely suite to a man of his appearance 'He better be right, last time they saw something 'suspiscious' around these parts it was just another thug'

Last time he was here to check out something odd, it was nothing more then a runaway thug who tried to hide out in the Spooky Forest after he got chased by the Rune Knights. Unfortunately for him his choice to hide here was a fate far worse then being caught by the Knights. As he not only ran into the mages of the guild, but some of their pets as well. Naturally he didn't survive the ordeal, in fact there was nothing left of him at all.
But this time around it was different, this time Dahau and Madison were sent to investigate instead of the usual murdering bunch who tend to live by the credo; 'Kill first, then eat! Wait we were supposed to ask questions?'

'Well then Maddi' continued Dahau 'do you pick up anything?'

The feeling in using these portals had been a rather strange sensation going through them. More so that these were magically created than they were natural occurrences, but something about the idea of the latter only made her more ideal to avoid that and just go through the ones she trusted. Madison had entertained the idea of both her mother and her teacher in accompanying him in some random little issue from which they would need to venture out into the town. While others in the guild felt a comfort and allure of the town outside of the guild, the teen had quite the opposite reaction to it. It was a creepy looking place with a haunting vibe. Had it not of been her going with Duhau, there would be a definite chance she wouldn't have gone out at all. Thankfully, she was much more equipped than she could have hoped to have been before hand, and with her prayers and mind in order, she was ready to set out to deal with this intrusion.

Her attention settled upward at Duhau as the male had spoken to what she thought was demi-dragon herself and looked around silently in the moment to see if her eyes had caught sight of anything. "Even bandits should know better though, sir. I don't think mother or anyone else in the guild appreciates people being intrusive on their territory." She had replied, not sure if what he'd said required an answer at all, but just giving one anyway because she didn't see a reason why she shouldn't have. At the least, whomever was in here had a better chance with the pair of mages than they would with the normal squad of people they dispatched. Granted, if they had come to the conclusion of killing them... Well that would just end up needing to fall into Duhau's hands. It wasn't that Madison wouldn't fight, but she chose not to kill if it could be helped.

The next question to usher from the males lips made her look up to him. She seemed rather confused, but also slightly annoyed he had come to ask her like she were some kind of blood hound. Instead of answering, she had turned to the direction of the town and took a couple little sniffs around. The blood slayer shrugged and looked around, coming up blank at first. Taking in a breathe to reply, she paused at the whiff of a scent catching her nose, making her repeat her sniffing once again. "I do now. It's.. kinda pretty." Her notation was a little odd, but a little feminine smell wasn't too bad. Suddenly something else caught her nose in combination, but this scent... This one made her lick her lips. "I smell blood. This way!" The red head began to run off into the direction, tracking the scents until she would skid to a stop right in front of a woman just a few feet away eyeing her up as she seemed rather comfortable in this town. Totally. Creepy.

Before long Madison had caught the scent of the trespasser, and much to Dahau's surprise she described that scent as... pretty. That is definitely not how you would described the putrid smell of some random unwashed, unshaved thug. But there was more, following up the first scent was another, one that predicted a far more grim scenario. Namely blood. And since she could smell it so strongly, then it meant it was probably still fresh. This might become interesting after all.

Madison dashed off, heading towards the source of the scent she had picked up. She jumped over debris and ventured into small alleys along the streets. All while Dahau followed her with firm steps. Until Madison stopped in her tracks and stood in front of a... woman?!
Now that certainly was a surprise, even Dahau thought so as he as well came around the corner and laid his upon the stranger. She surely was an oddity considering to where they were. 'That is a rather odd question to ask, let alone dangerous' replied Dahau before Madison could answer herself.

No rational person would come to this desolate forgotten place, only to ask the very question that could have you killed. No this person came here for a reason, and that reason seemed to be Savage Skull. Which made her threat. Now Dahau could easily get rid of such an threat, strike at her before she could have the chance to strike at the guild. If it weren't for the fact that Madison had picked up the scent of blood, and be that as it may, the woman in front of them didn't seem to have a scratch on her. Meaning that someone else was bleeding out, and that this stranger was probably the cause.

She was quite something to look at though, with her dark skin glistening in the vague sunlight that managed to break through the clouds. And the golden globes that were her eyes, that felt as if they could see through anything. Not to mention the attire, which outlined her body quite well. Honestly even if she was a threat to Savage Skull, it would be shame to get rid of such a woman as her.

As Dahau spoke mist began to flow through the areav mixing with the natural mist and thickening it slightly. it looked entirely natural, but it was far from it. A figure had arrived silently walking down from the sky and sat silently about 25ft behind this new comer. He wore quite an elaborate white suit with red lining, complete with black pants and a black bowler hat complete with a red feather in its band. However, his face was completely hidden behind the mask of a common Savage Skull soldier. This man was a relative newcomer to the guild and came with his own purposes, his own use for the guild. However, for now he did not want to be associated, or more accurately, he did not want his face to be associated with the guild. The guild could know he was, but those outside could not know his association. It would cause problems in his business.

He sat silently a cane pointing at approximately where the heart of the woman would be unless she was one of those strange ones with their organs reversed. He tilted his head slightly wondering exactly what would bring this woman here. Did she seek to join the guild?

"Speak quietly and I will hear. Give the order and I can cripple or end this woman if you wish not to dirty your hands." he said using the mist and his strange power over it to whisper into the ear of both Dahau and Madison. Felix had his uses and communication was one of them. He knew they didn't need his help and he knew perhaps he was being presumptuous. However, his tone of speech showed that he was genuinely offering assitance and made it clear he knew they didn't need him.

"Watch what you say pretty lady...the Savage Skull bite is far worse than their bark." he said this time whispering it into the ear of the woman. In both cases of speech his actual speaking was almost inaudible. This was all part of his power. "Though of course...sometimes a bite can be welcome" The difference this time though was that his voice had a far more charming silver-tongued quality to it. He was very gifted with his tongue...in speech of course.

It seemed as though Madison had been tailed rather well by Duhau to a point that she never really noticed he had taken such a close distance from her until they had stopped by the stranger they were after. The smell of blood reeked all over this woman, but none of it was truly fresh. Fresh like it was still bleeding from the infliction of a blade of sharp object that would cause a cut of any number of degrees and types. No, something about the blood on her smelled different, for sure from some one else without a doubt. She had taken a quick notice to Madison, which was to be expected when hearing someone approach from a ghost town. Well, only so if you aren't suffering from extreme paranoia and delusions of course, but that in it of itself was another issue.

When she had come to not really consider thinking the appearance of Madison was very deciding among first thoughts of how a guild was to appear on the inside, she only saw the cutesy appearance of the teen. She had yet to really see what made her such a savage and brutal she could actually be. That was a bridge he hoped wouldn't come though, and whether or not it would happen would very well depend on how this woman approached the pair of mages. Duhau cut her off before she could even get a word out, which was both rude, but appropriate. She didn't know how to approach this situation, but having someone like him around was more comforting and not to mention safe. He made a point and she simply let him speak, not wanting to say something that would make tension tougher.

''It seems ending her isn't really necessary Felix'' responded Dahau to the enigmatic industrialist after hearing the girls magic words every Savage loved to hear ,I'd like to join. ''After all'' he continued ''joining us is by far a worse fate then death itself''

It wasn't that often a soul would freely wish to join the Savages, in fact most people that actually joined up with the guild were recruited. And when Dahau says recruited he probably meant the captured unfortunate souls that got twisted and corrupted by the darkness that dwelled inside the bowels of Savage Skull. Sure bandits and other thugs would often join the dark guild on the larger raids, but join up with them, oh no they'd rather gave them self over to the authorities then become a plaything, experiment or downright dog food.
Then again, we were talking about the run of the mill thugs right now. But when Dahau gazed upon Vajra he didn't get the impression she was anything common. No on the contrary as he scanned her Dahau could see she was slightly muscular, but more importantly her eyes spoke for themselves. They were radiantly gold with a strong sense of determination.

''So tell us, why would even consider taking you in. What is it that you can offer us... and more importantly what is it that you seek? What is your desire?''

So it seemed the fear of the guild had grown even greater than he realised. The very name of the guild was a taboo subject in some areas? They were now a nameless terror. The guild that caused things to go bump in the night. Though of course the bumps they caused were normally the sound of bodies hitting the floor. He dropped down off his floating platform in silence and walked up, still entirely silent, towards her. As he walked the mist began to swirl and flow around her and him not obscuring her vision of Dahau or Madison, but instead hiding everything to the side's and behind her. Her only viewpoint was forwards. Her only visible escape point blocked by two mages of the guild she hoped to join.

"You speak your words freely and reveal much from a simple question. More than you probably think. More than most would think." he said calmly his voice seeming to come from multiple directions at once. A word in one place, then from another, then another from multiple places. It was not easy to predict exactly where he was. His movements were near silent. The mist was weak and could be easily dispersed. It was not designed to hide or obscure in truth though it often did that. Instead it was designed to invoke fear in those caught within it. Felix was a musician and whilst skilled with conventional instruments and the weather his true instruments were people. "The sound of your breath, the sound of your body moving, your very heart beat. All of them give me two possibilities. You're either telling the truth or you're an even more skilled liar than most women." An intentional provocation to see her reaction. Most would react violently or show some form of anger. He was interested in her response. "You seek vengeance, you seek to gain pleasure from other's pain, but despite your actions to find us...you have not really shown what the guild would gain from letting you join." A brief touch of his finger running down her spine and then once more he was hidden in the mist.

"So...other than your fervor what can you offer us? Are you so shallow a vessel that if your vengeance is complete will you fizzle out and become useless? Or is there more to you?" In truth he actually liked the girl's resolve and her openess. She seemed to have a quiet power, a hidden fire ready to ignite. However, it was not his choice of whether she was allowed to join. Power he had, but authority within the guild he did not. What he instead was doing here was not just gauging her responses but trying to provoke responses that would help her. If she was smart enough to realise that it would make her owe him. She seemed the type to repay debts, both the good and the bad. If it did not then it gave him a not-so-intelligent pawn he could manipulate without her knowing. Both sides worked for him. Of course, her reactions might not go as expected and Dahau might be angered with her or something which would likely result in her death. However, even in that situation if he was the one who revealed the weakness or truth behind this woman then it would surely garner some favour. Everything worked out and in the infinite number of possibilities he could see there were few that would lead to him being harmed from this meeting. Those of course he was trying to steer the ship of causality away from. Manipulation was his thing and with future vision it was both easier and harder. Things seemed to be going his way and that pleased him.

Besides...he loved a performance for a new audience. They never knew what to expect.