Kiss of the Beast [::Haru|barb::]

[Haruchai]

The world of Harrow is vast, but there are still those that excel in finding those that do not wish to be found. The best hunters of them all, the pneumafera, do not come cheap. Many work in teams, with other races, to best utilize their talents.

One such duo is Odilon and Aldric. Pneumafera and vampire they make a formidable team and their rate of recovery is without peer. So when they were approached to find someone, they asked the normal questions. Unsure of who exactly they were working for, they were approached by their usual middleman, a man named Krav. The meeting place had been set in the city of Delaram, at the delta of the Halian Sea.

The rendezvous had been brief, though their usual fee was double their normal asking price because of the location to which they had to travel. The Shadowlands. Deep in the Shadowlands was a forest called the Empty Forest. Devoid of life except for the ancient trees that rose from the ground and cast the floor into darkness with their thick canopy, the Empty Forest was rumored to hold a macabre Circus. Tales of this strange band of traveling performers had slowly started to spread, and most centered around a particular performer. A young woman, thus nameless, but supposedly in command of some great magic. Perhaps even the Old Magic.

Whomever had hired them had done so with the desire for Odilon and Aldric to find her and bring her back. Alive. Half payment up front, the rest upon delivery.

 

[Rhubarb]

Standing in the forest where nothing breathes
Beyond the lands of the living, hidden deep in the black trees
made from silks of black and blue
The Belladonna's Circus waits for you
You may think you have a clue, but when you attend her show
the magic will flow, and she will show you a world
entirely new.


This was the poem printed on thousands of tiny pieces of blue parchment that circulated through the world of Harrow, attracting many to the circus, as well as making many too scared to even approach the shadowlands. Not that, the latter was anything new. Many gathered in the large amphitheater, the main show was about to begin. The Amphitheater was built of black wood and stone, unlike a stereotypical circus, the main show didn't take place in one of the many tents, the Belladonna needed a lot of space, and the trees needed access to the audience. Everyone gathered around and sat on the benches which stood in the grass. A deep, slow, macabre tune played from somewhere that nobody could see, and skulls hung from the trees with blue lights glowing from inside. The moon was high above the stage and illuminated it perfectly, which is why the main star's entrance scared everyone half to death.

Suddenly a spout of pure darkness shot up from the stage roiling and writhing like it was alive. The moving and pulsating shadow suddenly burst like a bubble and where it had been there stood a short figure of a girl in an exaggerated bow. Clinging to her body was a tunic made of a smoky see through material, the color of midnight blue. Easily seen under this tunic was a skimpy uniform similar to a bikini, a golden color with silver jeweled chains running up from either side of the bottom piece to meet in the middle of her breasts on the top piece. She had a belly button piercing and two anklets, her feet bare. A simple mask of midnight blue with black feathers covered her eyes.

Quickly moving up with her arms spread she released a volley of white orbs from each hand, she waited for a moment letting the audience gasp as the ghostly spheres floated out and above them, then the mysterious woman with the pastel pink hair snapped her fingers and the orbs exploded into ribbons of white fire slithering around in the air like eels. As the belladonna moved her arms the fire snaked around and then to everyone's amazement she dropped to the floor and rolled into a ball, ending the roll with her back arched and her torso pointing up into the air, her head resting between her feet. She remained in the contortion as the fire suddenly conjoined into two separate tendrils and snaked down to The Belladonna who opened her mouth and swallowed each of them. Then she rolled out of the pose and blew out a stream of white sparks from her mouth.

The audience clapped and then the music changed and the girl started to slowly and gracefully dance on the stage for a small moment before suddenly all around her shadows began to rise, shadows shaped just like her that began to dance with their commander in unison. The tension in the theater changed, people were becoming unnerved. The Belladonna went for the grand finale of her dance going into a spin and gently bending herself until one of her legs rose up and she grabbed her foot arching it over her head, executing a perfect needle pointe spin, the shadow figures did this too. The audience was mystified, and disturbed. She smiled and with her so did the shadows, revealing perfect white teeth on their dark forms and receiving a horrified gasp from the patrons. In their distraction they didn't notice the small vines, weaving down from the trees. The moment they touched a person's skin, said being fell into a trance and remained silent and calm as more vines came down and wrapped around their necks and shoulders, slowly beginning to lift their victim into the tree. The girl's smile grew wider, she wasn't a psycho, or a serial killer, but this was how her forest remained the way it was, how it stayed alive. Nymphs were genetically built to do whatever they had to do to protect and maintain their territories. While not all were lifted the Belladonna made sure to distract those who weren't being taken. Besides, most of the people who dared to come here were crooks or people who had something to run away from. The girl smiled and as her spin began to wind down she started to bring her leg down and lower her back spinning like a flat top for a moment, the shadow clones suddenly burst and began to flow around the performer, into her, before finally one they were all gone she raised herself straight and gently stopped herself and bowed.

 

[Haruchai]

Once terms had been met, Odilon and Aldric booked passage west along the Halian River. The airship they took was an older model but nonetheless reliable. The girl they were to seek out went by a single name. The Belladonna. It was an odd name, to be sure, and some women had been described with that moniker over the years. It would either make her easier or more difficult to find, depending. Aldric, for his part, could not wait to reach the forest and bypass the deadly rays of the daystar. He was old enough that to be destroyed by sunlight would take a long time, but that was not to say it was comfortable. It was quite irritating to be out in the sun, and in full bright sunlight he would be rendered comatose in a matter of an hour or so. Much easier to then be dispatched that way. But as a vampire, and an old one, Aldric knew how best to avoid such situations.

Odilon was another matter. The pneumafera was looked on with a little bit of suspicion, but he had become well known due to his travels, and had earned reputation as a trustworthy sort. Which was good since it helped him and Aldric get jobs such as this one. By now the leopard had taken up a spot high in the riggings, quite at home in the heights and looking down at the land passing below them. Aldric would come and get him as the sun began to set, and it was then that they would discuss business. It was a few days until they reached Beh Ayan, and from there they would have to go by land and head south into the Shadowlands. The border of the Shadowlands was easily marked, the stone pillars making the boundaries. It was a place filled with all manner of beasts, and surrounded by rumors and tales. This was as far east as the demon hordes had managed to come, brought to heel by the dragons and their riders. But the land had paid the price, the Empty Forest within the Shadowlands proof of that.

"So here we are." Odilon said, standing with hands on hips as they stood at the border with the pillars. "Once we enter, there's no going back."

Aldric sighed, looking up at the sky, the clouds covering that accursed sun. "We do what we must." he intoned, and stepped past the borders.

Whether there was anything special about the act was hard to say. Some said that the pillars would record every man, woman and child that would pass their boundaries, keeping track of them within the Shadowlands and if they perished within they might be damned. That was what some said anyway. Why have the boundaries if they meant nothing?

"Ah piss." Odilon said and walked across the boundary as well.

----------​

The Empty Forest was just as one might expect. Devoid of light, and devoid of life. It was unnerving really, and it set Odilon's nerves on edge. The pneumafera was a child of nature, more than most, and this seemed wholly unnatural. To Aldric though, he felt right at home. The undead simply didn't see things the way the pneumafera did, and though he could see that the place was not quite right, he strolled along happily whistling his merry tune.

The leopard could see, now and then, subtle movements that hinted at something just beyond the edge of his vision. Every time he focused though he saw nothing. Limbs swayed slightly, and the pneumafera was rather sure that the forest spirits still resided here. The trees themselves were alive after all. Even if barely.

Odilon's halberd was gripped tightly, the magical weapon now compact and no larger than a dagger but upon command would extend and become the legendary blade. It gave him comfort at least.

It was said that the Circus was not simply found. That it found you, and usually when you least expected it. That was how it happened with the duo. The passage of day into evening was hard to discern, but after a time the inky blackness overhead told the true story, and Odilon had grown a bit tired. So the sight of the black Amphitheater caught Odilon off guard, though Aldric seemed nonplussed.

The spaces available in the seats were plenty, though the place was filling up fast, and the duo sat through a few other performances before the Belladonna began to perform. The small young thing was a sight for sore eyes, and as she danced and writhed on the stage there was no denying the sexiness of her movements, the sensuality of her particular brand of entertainment. Her body was nubile and flexible, attributes she showed off in her dancing, and though she drew the eye, Odilon became aware of the vines slipping down and with a hiss he warned Aldric. Both were on guard now, and though some vines came close, they backed off at the taste of steel.

By now the Belladonna was bowing, and the vines had done their work, leaving Odilon and Aldric to seek her out. It was a simple thing really, the performers having their own tents or places of rest, and the Belladonna was no exception. The two were soon knocking at the door to the wagon, which was tethered to a great ash tree.

 

[Rhubarb]

As she walked back to her wagon Belle stretched and yawned, then smiled to herself. The show had been a success, the forest would have enough energy to maintain for decades more than it already did. Belle had been doing these shows for a while now and had already ensured that the forest would live for ages to come. She walked through a section allowed only to performers and passed a few other performers. The people that came to live here in the circus were people who had nothing left for them outside of The Empty Forest, they'd sold their souls to the forest for it's sanctuary and her mercy. It took a special kind of person to become a performer here, a freak of society, a hopeless outcast who had lost everything. Their lives had become almost robotic, if Belle were to disappear at anytime the circus would just go on as normal, until she returned.

She walked up to her wagon and quietly entered it, the very first thing she did was go up to the back window facing the great ash tree and kneel before it. As she stayed knelt there tiny vines found their way into the window and gently wove around her neck. A blue light surrounded her like an aura and then flowed up the branches as well. She remained there now connected to the great tree and began to converse with it. "Yes... I saw them. They are not the kind who should be at this circus...Correct... I will try my best, but I suspect I won't be able to escape from a pneumafera and whoever that other man was, but I promise to return long before you are in need again Mother. " Then suddenly a white light shot down the branches and into Belle causing her to convulse on the ground. The vines withdrew themselves from her and left through the window. Belle sat up and looked at the large ash through the window. "Thank you mother, I will use this enhanced power wisely, and I will see you again soon." Just then she heard the knocking and stood facing the door with narrowed eyes, eyes the color of amber.

Instead of an answer the men would recieve a surprise as the entire back end of the wagon erupted in a forceful but non deadly plumage of black smoke. Then Belle was by them in a split second running through the trees and into the night. She knew she'd never outrun the leopard, and probably not the undead either but she could play mind-games better than anyone else. Around her appeared a crowd of shadow doubles that ran in different directions. She managed to evade them for a bit until a branch from a large pine tree suddenly lashed out, slamming into her and sending her rolling and tumbling down a hill through brush and into a small ravine where she landed with a cry and a thud. She felt betrayed, but then she heard the trees whispering, telling her that the forest had a reason and she needed to trust it. With adrenaline still in her veins she managed to sit up and look at her leg, there was a long ugly gash where she had hit a rock, but it was nothing to the shadow nymph and she slowly began trying to stand.

 

[Haruchai]

The very fact that the back of the wagon seemed to explode outward in a huge gout of jet black smoke. There was no concussive force behind it, but instinct alone made them seek cover and the inky blackness of the explosion covered the initial movements of the girl. She was fast, and clever. A dozen or more duplicates of herself appeared, taking off in all directions. She was good, very good. Each looked like her, moved like her, and yet there was one thing they lacked. Even though she even managed to fulfill auditory cues, their feet crunching along the ground - none of them carried her scent, and Odilon slipped after her with speed, claws digging furrows in the earth as they provided traction. Aldric saw them speed off into the night, and he hung back, just in case anyone became a little nosy over just what was going on.

Odilon was not far behind her when he saw her run into the pine branch, the limb seeming to almost lash her across the face, causing her to cry out and lose her footing, and send her tumbling downhill into a ravine. Avoiding the offending branch the leopard jumped, angling off the pine and down into the ravine, halberd tucked away and sword drawn since the polearm would prove to be cumbersome in the closer confines. He could see she was already trying to stand and quiet as a whisper he landed some feet away. Even crouched his form was nearly as tall as she was, and his eyes glowed softly in the scant light.

"I do not mean to harm you girl. You look hurt. Let's get you back to your wagon and see to that cut. What say you?" he asked, trying to assure her he meant no harm.

Back at the now empty wagon Aldric's nostrils flared at the scent of blood on the air. It was faint, but it wasn't Odilon's and was unlike anything Aldric had ever sensed. It was... delectable.

 

[Rhubarb]

She felt the soft impact of the leopard landing close by, instinctively she rolled away and with a quick movement she conjured a nasty looking scythe made from Ash and a black metal, crouching she braced the scythe which was two times larger than her over her back with the blade between her and the hunter. Just then whispers came through the trees, whispers audible to all, but only understandable to the Belladonna herself. She listened to the leopard's words and thought for a moment, then the scythe dissipated and the girl stood. She looked at him for a moment before giving a graceful bow and standing back up. "Brave pneumafera, I apologize for the trouble. The trees advise me you are true to your word." Then the girl seemed to listen to the sounds again before looking back at him. "However, we must return quickly, lest your friend run into any trouble. My fellow performers can get, anxious, this time of night. This forest, it does things to people, strange things." Without waiting for conformation she began running back towards her wagon.

As she reached the clearing where her quarters rested, she walked by the vampire without paying him any attention and quickly stepped into the wagon, leaving the door open. She quickly threw herself onto her bed, not caring that her tunic rose up and exposed the bottom of her skimpy uniform. She lay there relaxed and just glad she hadn't had to fight these two. She then sat up and gave each male a curious look and a small smile, the cut on her leg forgotten. "Well, would you enlighten me as to why men such as yourselves have come to my circus?"

 

[Haruchai]

As she conjured the scythe, Odilon's sword was moved to a defensive posture. He had no desire to fight her and as she paused and the scythe disappeared so too did his sword. Her next words were surprising, but Odilon followed her back, keeping pace with her easily, his long strong legs propelling him along the forest floor. He gave a nod to Aldric, who smiled as they returned and eyed the girl as she walked by.

Odilon rolled his eyes. He'd seen that look before. Entering the wagon after her the pneumafera found the place a little cramped, but it wasn't all bad and Aldric felt it was downright cozy.

"Your circus...?" Aldric said with a bit of surprise.

"We're sorry, we should introduce ourselves." Odilon said and gestured first to Aldric and then to himself. "That is Aldric and I am Odilon. I was not of the understanding that this was your circus, and we apologize if we have disrupted your evening. As to our business here..."

He got no further before Aldric spoke up. "We've been hired to bring you back with us. Our employer wishes to meet with you, speak with you, and determine where your particular... talents... manifest from." the vampire said, smiling softly, just enough to show a little fang.

Odilon knew there was no way to break such news easily. How did you tel someone that you were there to take them prisoner? To kidnap them? Hopefully the young woman wouldn't put up too much of a struggle. Better for them all if she was willing.

 

[Rhubarb]

"No interruption, the show was over. The forest will guide those who survive out into safety and erase all but a hazy recollection of the circus, enough for them to entice others to visit." She blushed a tad as the vampire smiled at her, obviously looking her over, whether for a snack or something else, she wasn't sure. "However I regret to inform you that I will not be able to accompany you. I've heard the rumors, you can tell your employer there is no secret stash of some undiscovered magicite in this forest, only me, a Unique Nymph of the Empty Circus, which brings be to the other reason I cannot accompany you, my purpose is to remain here in the forest, to run the circus and to provide the forest with enough energy to live for ages to come. However let not your efforts to reach me be for nothing, take in the circus, I'm sure Kaina would be delighted to, entertain you. If you're hun- " suddenly there was a gunshot and a scream, and the Belladonna was out of the wagon heading for the circus before they even saw her go. As she came into the Amphitheater there stood a group of men in leather armor, one with an axe, one with some sort of gun like weapon that he'd obviously paid a city blacksmith a pretty penny for. She was about to engage them when one of the small tents went up in flames and yet another group with similar armor came up behind the first.

The man with the gun spoke in a gravelly voice. "Belladonna, you're coming with us, we've been hired to bring you back to a man named Avalon." Just then one of the men ran at her holding some chains meant to tie her up, but just in time the fire breather jumped in and met the man with a knee to the gut, then there was a loud crack and the fire breather fell to the ground. The belladonna gasped, and stepped back just as two more of the gang ran at her, every moment there seemed to be more of them, it must've been a raider gang or something similar. Something seemed to come over Belle and then her scythe was in her hands and she dodged both of the men charging at her and was quickly heading for the man with the gun. She spoke with a danger in her voice, a danger people never had the chance to hear.
"You're a quick shot..." Then suddenly she was in front of him smiling. "But I'm faster" Belle did a spin and the man was cut clean in half diagonally and Belle was sparring with the next man, but it was no use, with their leader gone the gang just fought harder and the performers of the circus were not trained combatants, they held their own for a while but were soon either incapacitated or slaughtered. Belle was fighting hard, and managed to take down a good number of them, she quickly ran for another but the small girl suddenly cried out as an arrow went through her lower leg causing her to fall on the ground. A bunch of the raiders noticed this and began to approach her with malice in their faces.

 

[Haruchai]

Odilon seemed to be in charge between the two of them, but the expressions of the pneumafera were hard to read unless you knew him well... and even so, the disappointment that she'd not simply come along was easy to see. It seemed he was about to say something when Belladonna disappeared. It seemed a sure sign of magic, but Aldric and Odilon both already had her scent and realized she was simply that fast. Faster than Odilon, though Aldric could keep up with her - especially in the dark.

The scene outside was chaos, and the two males could see that evidently they were not the only ones interested in the Belladonna. Odilon's spear sprang from his hand, the leopard leaping into the fray and Aldric also moving to action. The Belladonna seemed the only one with true fighting prowess, though the strongman of the Circus held his own for a time, ripping one assailants arm off and literally beating him with it. The blood flowed and as it did, Aldric was able to drink, absorbing the blood through his very skin, becoming stronger and faster and more durable as the skirmish went on.

Both men saw Belladonna go down, the arrow in her leg and it was in the blink of an eye that they were both there with her, one on each side, defending her from the others. One man even recognized the duo and held up his hand for them to pause.

"We've no quarrel with you Odilon, nor you Aldric. Step aside."

Odilon shook his head. "We were here first and were in discussions with the Belladonna. You interrupted those discussions. Mercenary law dictates we get first chance at this."

Though not all mercenaries followed the loose set of guidelines set forth for them, to blatantly ignore them often meant that jobs were withheld and that work would be hard to find. If it became known that mercenaries ignored such things then the few Guilds that they did have would shun them. It did seem to give the men pause.

Some of them anyway.

One duo shared a glance and went for weapons, though Aldric was faster still, his strike unable to be seen. The throats of the men were opened, blood spilling and the vampire looked at the others with bright red eyes, his thirst almost slaked. Almost.

"Don't make me drink the lot of you." Aldric growled.

Odilon turned back to the man he'd been talking to. "You might be able to take us, but after this fresh feeding I'm sure we'd kill all of you as well. This is a no-win situation for you."

The man breathed out through his nose, assessing the situation. "I think you're right. Fine. But don't think for a minute this is over."

The men backed off, and within a few minutes it was just Aldric, Odilon and Beladonna. "Let me take a look at that." Odilon said as he knelt, examining the arrow. "I can get that out and get you to start healing. We need to see who of your people are alive."

 

[Rhubarb]

Belle squirmed on the ground in pain, her head full of red flashes as she barely caught on to what was happening around her. She felt the presence of both men though and relaxed a bit. She was wondering if they could truly hold up against he onslaught when all of the sudden the fighting ceased, she didn't hear much of the conversation through her pain, but she listened enough to gather that these men were of similar origin to the duo protecting her. Her eyes widened a bit at the brutal killing of the two men, though she knew there was no other choice. The girl watched as the blood slowly seeped into the ground and before their very eyes spider lily sprouts began to rise out of the ground. Belle let out a bittersweet sigh. She watched the mercenaries leave, and if she hadn't been incapacitated she might've killed them all while their backs were turned, but they would get what was coming to them, she'd make sure of it.

As the leopard kneel by her she was a bit touched by his concern. "Thank you, lets go to my wagon. Those who are performers here have a connection with the forest, they become similar to drone bees, but not quite. The point being, they'll automatically search for survivors and gather the dead... We can talk a while." As they passed through the grass she noticed more patches of spider lily sprouts. "With this much blood spilled, theres sure to be a meadow of spider lilies this year. Those who are left of the circus will enjoy that."

Once they reached her wagon she smiled a bit. "I want to say thank you for helping me back there. Before we discuss any further I feel I should tell you my proper name. My birth name is Nightshade, which is why my performer name is The Belladonna, however I find it easier to have conversations if I simply go by Belle, and I like that name so it is what you may call me."

 

[Haruchai]

The men backed off, but Odilon knew this wasn't over. Aldric walked with The Belladonna and soon the trio was back to her wagon. Once inside, they found they could speak in at least a bit of privacy. Odilon seemed surprised by her admission.

"Nightshade? That's a unique name, but I do like Belle better." he admitted. Odilon then sat back and grabbed a small vial with a blue liquid inside. "This is a healing draught, and should close that wound once we get the arrow out." he said.

Aldric then moved, vampiric speed making him seem like a blur as the arrow in her leg was removed, and a clean cloth pressed to it.

"Drink." Odilon said simply, and handed her the vial. Whether she drank or not, Odilon repeated his sentiment from earlier. "These men are after you Belle. We need to see which of your people still live, and then we need to get you away from here. So long as you're here they will be in danger." he said. "Will you be willing to come with us?" he asked. "You can obviously hold your own in a fight, but with our protection we can make sure that nothing happens to you."

 

[Rhubarb]

Belle smiled at the pneumafera's comment on her name. As he presented the blue vial she eyed it skeptically, growing up in the empty forest she'd only ever been subjected to natural remedies. She wasn't sure about how she felt pertaining to the strange substance.

There wasn't much time to think, and the shadow nymph let out a small squeak of pain as the arrow was quickly removed from her ankle. The stinging erased any hesitation as she grabbed the vial and quickly downed the medicine.

Belle listened to his statement closely and nodded her head, she stood while he kept talking, testing her ankle, happy to find it was healing nicely. Without a word or bothering to ask for privacy she pulled her tunic over her head and flung it on the bed, leaving her only in the gold bikini like under garments. She reached back and unsnapped the bra dropping it the the floor but quickly reached in the drawer and replaced it with a silver brasier just like the first, giving the men only a moments glimpse of her breasts. Nymphs didn't have much modesty in the way of nudity, in fact most of them remained nude their entire lives, there were few reasons Belle actually wore clothes, and the main one was because of the circus. She shimmied out of the gold panties and into the matching silver ones. She then proceeded to adorn herself in a black long sleeve shirt with a hood, and brown leather mid-thigh shorts. She snapped on a leather mid-driff vest and boots then turned around to face them again. "I will go with you. As long as my people remain here they can help maintain the forest in my absence... However, I have to ask, why are you so eager to help me?"

 

[Haruchai]

Odilon and Aldric share a glance as Belladonna bares her breasts, even if it was not for them specifically, and when she drank the potion and healed her wounds, there was a sigh of relief.

"It's not so much eager to help you..." Odilon started.

"But it is..." Aldric said.

"True, it is, but we've been hired to do a job and we have a certain reputation to uphold. So your safety is paramount." Odilon finished, and by then her shapely ass was wriggling from her panties. Aldric got just a glimpse of her small pink pussy peeking from beneath the curves of her ass and the vampire cleared his throat.

"Just why our employer wants you has to do with your magic, and we've seen a bit of that today. You're quite talented." Aldric said. "We're to get you back, and safely. So even though you can fight, if it comes right down to it, we're prepared to split up and have one of us take you, to run."

Odilon nodded. "Not the ideal situaton, but we already now know that others are after you as well. We'll need to work together. Our intention is not to hurt anyone else, but obviously these others don't care. So, let's get that little ass of yours moving." the pneumafera said and would move from the wagon.

"It is a nice ass." Aldric said with a grin, and followed his partner.

Both were waiting outside the wagon. "Feel free to say your goodbyes but make it quick." Odilon says.