A huntings end

[dantieduurden]

It was deep into the night, when Artemis finally saw the mighty city of Teirm. She was only a few miles away and could have easily made it the rest of the way to the city gate within minutes, but instead she waited. A thunderstorm had started up, earlier that afternoon, and between the poring rain, the flashing lighting, and the booming thunder some of the city guards would still be on edge. So while she waited she began to cast spells, casting both illusions around her self making her look like a human with raggedy clothes, and with wards to stop any of the guards who could see through the illusion. Then she waited. Hour after hour passed by, and Artemis did nothing but stand there just out of site of any on the city wall looking for would be attackers. Just when it seemed she would stay there the whole night, waiting for whatever it was she was waiting for she saw it, new lanterns beginning to join the old.

Quickly Artemis Dashed towards the city gate and when she knew she was in site of even human eyes came to a more human like speed, as the rain pored down around her. She could see the humans from the third shift leaving there post and the first shift going inside just as she came to the gate. " Please let me in,I am cold and have traveled far. My village has been ram shacked by urgals and I was sent to retrieve help." Artemis cried out, playing the role perfectly, for she knew that would get all the soldiers moving for she had heard much about the city and knew all its strengths and weakness's, its pride was one of them. All at once six veteran looking soldiers came out of the guard post and opened the gates for the woman. " I shall escort you my lady to the barracks where you may rest and tell your story to the general." The solider said to her as he looked her up and down. " O thank you." Artemis said taking hold of his arm as if in a way of worship. " Please we must hurry though mine village will not be able to hold out much longer, we are simple farmers and craftsmen and women and have many sick and elderly their." Artemis said, and without further delay they set out.

Once far enough away from the gate she had come through and all other gates in the city she looked at her guard. " Excuse me," She said gently and alluringly. " But is there a tavern nearby I am afraid I must use the privy, all this rain has made me..." Artemis cut off not wanting to say to much, but yet just enough for the guard to agree to do as she asked. The guard looked stopped in his place and then looked around nervously as if he was doing something he shouldn't, then said right this way as he led her down a dark ally.

Artemis watched as the man did the exact opposite of what she wished to do and watched as his attitude changed. " A slave trader." She thought to herself while she put on a grin, " This will work even better then I had hopped for." And without further delay she followed the man deep into the ally. Once at the end of the ally the guard turned around to Artemis, and said " I'm sorry but you my dear shall fetch a high price on the market." his voice was dripping with sadness as he said this but what he did not know is this had been what she had been hoping for. Before the man even knew what hit him she changed forms, her body growing larger, and a tail sprouting from her rear end. " Boy you should have stayed home." Artemis said before the transformation was complete and she was on all fours as a beautiful panther. Swift as any animal she lunged at the man, clawing at his chest with her front paws, and ripping his throat out with her mighty maw. Within seconds the fight was over and the man lay dead at her feet. Swiftly changing back into her human disguise and making a few alternations to her appearance so that if she were to bump into the same guards she would not be recognized she made her way to the bazaar district where she would find the shade she had been looking for for over two years now, Clarus Maleficarum.

[Kite]

*Clarus waltzes through the Bazaar district of Teirm, moving through on his way to his Teirm branch of Leona Lake Trading Company. He occasionally strolled through the bazaar to see what bizarre things he could find, and see if he could by. His company is a trading company, he would buy and sell something within a day if he is lucky. Usually gets the profit on it as well, but thats just boasting. Sadly, most of them were not that intriguing, just in demand. That always made Clarus sad, never finding anything truly intriguing to buy anymore. He or the various factions of the land had bought it all up as soon as it got on the market, and now pickings were slim. Still, he did find things occasionally that were truly inspiring, inspiring enough that he keeps on doing it even when he hasn't found anything in months. Maybe today would be the day.

However, it wasn't shaping up to be. He had scoured the bazaar district for hours and only picked up a few trinkets and knick knacks for resale. He was lingering over the last few shops and stalls, looking for something but quickly losing hope on that matter. Because of the loss of hope and interest, his mind begins to wander and he casts his mind out for something with a magical feel, and doesn't find anything too promising. He then casts it slightly wider and finds the trace of a strong magical presence, although it isn't an item obviously. He throws shields up as hard as he can and retreats behind them, knowing that they probably felt the touch and the taint of his magic, and waits where he is, just outside of one of the shops, leaning against the wall and waiting for the inevitable confrontation that was to occur.*

[dantieduurden]

As Artemis was walking down the road back towards the bazaar she felt a strong magical presence. Without a second thought she plunged herself at the unknown spellcaster, and knew right away that it was her target. She could feel the power that oozed off of his presence and a smile came to her lips as she kept her mind trying to get into his so that she could tell him that she was a friend looking only for a mentor. But instead of hiding her true nature, instead she ran at her full speed towards the presence.

Wooden buildings, some of mahogany, while others were made of pine, toward all around her. " Finally after all this time, I have finally found him." Then Artemis laughed at her own joke, " No, he has found me." She said as she came up to the street he was on. A few feet down the lane she saw the shade, he was about 6'5" from what she could tell from the distance,and a site for sore eyes. As she looked him up and down her indigo eyes locked with his beautiful green ones and she knew she had found the right master, both beauty and cruelty hid in his features and without a second thought she lifted her first two fingers to her lips and began the elf's greetings, bowing slightly as she did so. Finally after a few moments of just marveling at him she said in a sure voice, " I am Artemis Night, and you are the great shade Clarus Maleficarum." She did not ask him, she merely stated. " I have come a long way, and have done many things to find you." A small silence formed as she took a breath. " I have come asking to be your apprentice, and here would be my payment." Artemis said as she took out a book with a brand new binding, the binding was blood red, with a golden clasp locking it shut. " It holds many of the treasures of our land, and many that I'm sure you would love. " Artemis said, not saying where she got the information from, nor how she had acquired it.

[Kite]

*Clarus couldn't believe his eyes. This woman sprints up to him and then begins the sign of greeting. The elven sign of greeting. What the fuck was this girl thinking? This is the middle of the gods damned market, and she was taking her time and doing a very obviously foreign sign of greeting. To him, meaning that they would imply that he was in on this stupidity. Someone watching right now would probably report the two of us as spies, and guardsman would rush us, and that would ruin his day more than this woman's idiocy. Had this woman even been schooled? Has she ever seen the insides of Ilirea and learned from the Riders? Obviously, but it didn't show. Not at all.

However, as she introduced herself and stated whom he was, he realized that her stupidity knew no bounds. Shes just happily spouting off information that is supposed to be secret, following an obviously elven custom. This is just great. She continues on with her stupidity, thrusting a book full of treasures towards his hands that he suspects is very stolen, and saying happily that she wants him to apprentice her. She obviously needed schooling, as she was being very stupid in a very public place, but Clarus was not convinced that he was the one to have the patience to deal with such an uncouth and unlearned little girl. He looks at her a moment, smirking at her and shaking his head.*

Well, girl, show me your book of treasures and I might even forget your extreme stupidity and consider it.

*He holds out his hand for it and waits for her to deposit it in his hand.*

[dantieduurden]

Artemis ignored Clarus as he called her stupid and carefully placed the blood red leather bound book into Clarus hands. As she did so her eyes followed the delicate pattern she herself had engraved on the leather hide. In the center of the book was a dragons head, and from it there were blood like veins stretching all the way over the book. The letters were inlaid with gold just like the clasp that kept it locked and closed. " And here is the key." Artemis said as she took a fine chain out from around her neck, and from the chain there was a key that became exposed that came from underneath her shirt.

" May we finish our chat somewhere else? I am getting sick of this...skin." Artemis said with no fear of the humans in the town which she could easily kill with merely a thought.

[Kite]

*He smirks at her as she hands him the bound book and its key and glosses over his insults to her. The idiot still had done nothing to change his opinion of her. She hands him a book filled of dark secrets, without receiving any word of a deal and knowing something of his power? He was going to enjoy this. The teaching of this woman who had done so much while uneducated would be fun, but it was bound to take a long time if this was he normal mode of thoughtlessness. He takes the book and key in both hands and lashes out at it with his power, speaking in the ancient language softly.*

Eitha.

*The book and key disappear and are moved to his office in the Teirm branch of LLTC. He then rolls his shoulders and nods to her*

Thank you for the book. If you have something else to show me or convince me better to train you, please by all means take me somewhere more private. If not, I have some business to attend to.

[dantieduurden]

With a smirk Artemis inclined her head. " I have many tricks up my sleeve, after all it is not easy to get so much information and yet not be found." And then she began to walk backwards, " Outside the town there is a small wooded area... I will show you much more when you arrive there. For I do not think it the wisest idea to convince you in the center of town. My forms of...proving myself is quite violent, and all of it deals with the art." Artemis said as she sank back into the shadows from which she had came. " I do hope you come Clarus, as much as I do love the hunt, I am growing quite bored of it." And with that Artemis took off into the blackness that was just beginning to fade away as the morning began.

As she passed out the gate to the city she thought to herself, " Well that could have gone worse. Now I can only wait." As she said this she walked a few more miles until she was out of sight of the guards of Teirm and then shifted into her panther form and ran into the small wooded area and began her preparations for later that day.

When Artemis finally arrived at the wooded area she shifted back into her elf form, fixing her clothes as she once again became an elf. "Now to be ready for Clarus." Artemis said as she walked into the center of the woods and began to think. Then she cast a spell that would silence all her movement, and yet keep all other forms of sound active. Then she made a fog rise up to envelop the ground level of the small wooded area, keeping it not to far away from the center of the woods, that way it would appear that she was there, even though she was not. Lastly she blocked the area from being teleported into so that Clarus could not just pop in on her, or even right besides her. " Now my dear the hunt ends." And with a toothy grin she once again became a magnificent black panther and climbed up into the tree line and waited for her prey to approach.