Darkness: A veil of which evil and malice thrived on night after night. Vampire, werewolves, demons, and dozens of other creatures called the darkness home, all of them holding the common goal to decimate human society. All that stood between humans and utter chaos were a select few with the training and equipment to handle any situation that may come their way.

However, all thought of darkness and monsters escaped the woman as she made her way thought the streets of the small village. Despite being apart of that thin line between order and chaos, she needed to have some fun as well. The wind played with her loose clothing, causing it to flow and dance along with it. Overall, with the exception of a couple of clouds in the sky, the cheerful day carried something amiss in the gentle breeze.

Merchants peddled their wares as she passed, hoping to squeeze what little money she had left from her purse. Secretly, she longed to shop around and have a look at the wares, but alas, food and shelter came first. Even since she came to this region of England, she found work harder and harder to find since a fair number of her kin operated here.

“Hey, did you hear what happened to Mr. Smith yesterday?” Spoke a villager while the woman checked in at the local Inn.

“Yeah,” said the second, almost in a whisper. “I say a Vampire did him in. They found him with bite marks on his neck after all.”

“I know, he’s the second victim this week!” Continued the first villager, lowering his voice. “If it gets any worse, I’m going to move. I swear!”

Hmm, thought the maiden. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to get some cash. Clearing her throat, the woman turned to the two villagers. “I couldn’t help but overhear you guys talking about a Vampire.” In hindsight, saying that allowed probably wasn’t a good idea. Every eye in the bar instantly turned toward her, gazing at her as though she were barging in on private business. Felling the hostility begin to rise, she quickly continued her pitch. “You see, My name is Kristina Ellis, and I am a Demon Hunter.”

Instantly, loud bursts of laughter filled the hall, many people pointing at her as though she just uttered the funniest joke they ever heard in their lives. Partially enraged, and partially embarrassed by the all too predictable response, Kristina reached into her rucksack and bulled out her bow and an arrow. “Allow me to demonstrate then,” she spoke, pulling out a cork then throwing it in the air. Although many people still chuckled or giggled at her initial claim, she pushed their criticism out of her mind as she pulled back on the bowstring, aiming just above the head of a man sitting by the door.

Letting go, the arrow whizzed through the air, hit the small cork, and embedded itself in the wall, through the fat drunken man’s hat. All chuckles, and ever twitters ceased immediately after her rather impressive display. “Under the circumstances, I’d be happy to hunt down and destroy this vampire. For a small fee, of course.” Her ever prevalent smile spread across her face as the innkeeper, who coincidentally also acted as the villages mayor, negotiated her contract and fee.

“Before you leave,” the mayor spoke as Kris began to walk out of his room. “The local tavern, which is also my inn, is hosting a rather famous performer named ‘Lady Eyes’ tonight. Please, I invite you to go down and watch, as part of good faith on behalf of the town.”

Nodding her head, the demon hunter looked him in the eye. “Sure, I could use a little rest before I hunt down the Vampire anyway.”

*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*

Filing into her seat later that night, she began to wonder what exactly this ‘Lady Eyes’ was all about. Apparently, from asking around town she found that the person had some sort of magical powers she used to entertain. Surely, she figured this person must be new to the entertainment scene since she’d never heard of her while traveling with the troupe. A sudden wave of nostalgia passed her by as memories of her performing days came back to her as the employees made the stage.

However, before long all the seats filled up, leaving only standing room for the rest of the spectators. Gazing to each of her sides, she wished she had picked a better spot, for on her right hand side sat the drunkard from earlier that day. “Hey there, baby,” he said sluggishly. Glaring at him fiercely, he soon understood the message that she would not tolerate any explicit acts.

On her left hand, however, sat a rather distinguished and regal woman, appearing in her early forties at latest. Catching her eye, Kris quickly nodded her head as a way of saying ‘hello’ silently. Nodding back, the two women refocused back on the stage, the employees dousing the lamps to start the show. All eyes turned to the owner as he walked onto the makeshift stage, obviously nervous from the big turn out.

“We-we’ve never done an-anything like th-this before,” he stuttered, “So, um…I p-present the source of this…um…fuss, Lady Eyes.” Stepping to the side, he allowed the performer to take the stage. Sitting at the back of the audience, Kristina really couldn’t get a good look at her. However, she could tell she looked fairly beautiful, he attire consisting of almost complete black, save for a white shirt she wore underneath.

Quite contrary to the customs of the day, Lady Eyes wore black, shiny pants that reflected the candlelight playfully. Furthermore, part of her hair looked bloodstained, a crimson red bang that was nearly invisible against her black hair. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” She spoke. “You already know my name, so let’s get right into it, shall we?”

Diving right into her show, the female demon hunter could not comprehend some of the tricks she performed. Multiplying cards out of thin air, sitting on levitating chair, which in itself was a mystery, as well as turning into a flock of butterflies at the end of the show. All throughout, Kristina felt her mouth open in amusement and awe, unable to fathom how she accomplished these feats.

She could not help but stand to her feet at the end, giving a standing ovation as a tiny, “Good evening, my dears,” sounded from the last butterfly as it fluttered over the crowd. Satisfied with her performance, the demon hunter turned to head to her room. However, the woman she sat next to grabbed her arm quite suddenly, startling her a little.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Didn’t she seem a little strange. I mean… no human could really pull off those stunts.”

“What do you mean?” Kristina asked.

“I mean, well, I’ve head some Vampires can create illusions to confuse their enemies,” she responded. “What do you think?” The demon hunter pondered hard over the fact presented before her. Sure, she knew some vampires could create illusions, and yes ‘Lady Eyes’ did have a suspicious style of clothing, but could that really mean she was the vampire haunting the tiny village? Still, I guess it wouldn’t cause too much harm to find out. If she isn’t, then I can congratulate her on a brilliant performance.

Reaching her decision, the demon hunter picked up her rucksack and exited the inn, intent on following ‘Lady Eyes’ to confirm if she really was the vampire haunting the peaceful little village.

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Wonderful avy by sugarpoultry, just as wonderful sig by TAB. ^_^
Battle Arena Characters: Arin Bryant, Aleena Moteiran, Vaskalen, Kazuya Hayashi, Kristina Ellis

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honour/Silver Cody is like Michael Jackson on anti-steroids.