The Gathering

[Gavner_Nahs]

The sun barely shone over the horizon as XP34748 stepped out into the clearing; the soft rays of morning sun gently sneaked into the atmosphere, stinging the creature's pale exposed skin. He quickly withdrew into his cloak, pulling his hood up to shield from the contact enemy.

XP34748 would have camped in the woods that day, but the message entreated urgency. The pale skinned vampire, now completely unprotected from the sun, made his way down the red clay-ridden dirt path with a new found vigor. Now, only his thick leather pads and thin shawl differentiated him from a searing pain. The deadly rays cared not, however, as they penetrated anything weaker than canvas. Looking up, XP34748 squinted at the horizon as the star burned his eyes, but he found what he was looking for not too far off in the distance.

Up ahead, Dead Man's Drink lurked off to the side of the path; it eluded most who hadn't previously visited, or learned of its location. XP34748 gasped for a breath, already laden with copious amounts of perspiration as the tavern grew larger on the horizon. The suffocating atmosphere enveloped the creature, smothering him in a blanket of heat. His heart raced as he grew faint, and dizzy. XP34748 knew this sequence of events all too well, but each time it occurred, he never found it easier to handle.

Reaching the door of the pub XP34748 burst through and slammed the door behind him, trying to catch his breath. Looking over his shoulder, he found several unsavory looking characters staring at him. The vampire bared his sharp, inky teeth in a suave, handsome smile, which turned the onlookers away with grins of their own. Wooden tables and chairs littered the tavern at which customers could enjoy their drink. Several travelers and those who kept to themselves inhabited several tables and the occasional barstool, but the tavern remained vacant for the most part. Several men lie dead on the bar and in booths- glasses still in their hands, completely full except for one or two sips. The Dead Man's Drink claimed all the faint of heart.

Hanging up his shawl, XP34748 ordered an uncooked venison steak, and a tankard of Dead Man's Drink. He chose a spot in the corner of the tavern, and his cape swished behind him as he walked swiftly to the table. After a full belly, and a foggy mind from a half tankard of Dead Man's Drink, XP34748 drifted off peacefully in his chair for the day.

The creature woke to the sound of fighting. Two sellswords had a deadly disagreement, and XP34748 found them in the midst of a deadly duel. Gavner lifted his head and uncrossed his arms, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He angrily stood up, taking care to cut a path of pure, clean precision. Gracefully he wove his body through the chairs, and between the tables, so silently that only one among the tavern's guest had keen enough senses to detect his motives. In an instant, XP34748 towered overtop of the executing man. The creature grabbed the back of the man's collar and yanked him off the ground like a ragdoll. He held the man's face level with his, and bared his sharp teeth.

"That's enough." XP34748 uttered into the man's face, the creature's foul breath causing his eyes to water.

With the man still suspended in midair, XP34748 reached down and lifted the other dueler in the same effortless fashion.

"Now you two," he said slowly with a deathly meter, "Figure it out."

He gently placed the men on their feet, as they struggled to quickly regain their balance.

"PEACEFULLY!"

The force of XP34748's anger split the hearing of the few who inhabbited the tavern, causing all except the bartender, and a shadowy figure in the corner to double over, covering their ears. The tables rattled in acknowledgement as the windowpanes squeaked in protest. A solitary whisky glass could not handle the concept of such an environment, and shattered under the pressure XP34748 introduced. Several of its fragments scattered over the boots of the Sellswords- never again would they duel for the rest of their days.

One of the men looked from the shards on his boots, up to XP34748 and utter panic began to show. He snapped his head towards the door, tensing his muscles in preparation to flee.

XP34748 seethed pure anger from his nose as he widened his eyes in a toothless sneer at the man, as if to say Don't even think about it.

The creature looked at both of the men, and pointed angrily to two seats at the bar under direct supervision of the tender. Immobilized by fear, XP34748 raised his eyebrows, and they began to obey. He watched as their fear melted away into realization of what they had done, and he began to sense their pain.

"It's going to hurt," XP34748 whispered to himself, "But it's much better this way, than the path you would have taken."

The tavern had gained its regulars, as well as a few travelers for the afternoon, but the most important guest sat directly across the room from XP34748 watching the whole scene play out. Garbed entirely in dark clothing, the figure wore a black mask of silk and sported a magnificent bow slung across his back.

"I see you've found me," XP34748 chuckled. "Thanks for watching my back while I slept. The journey was a long one."

The man in black gave a cool nod. The creature stared into the cold, dark eyes of the archer with his own blazing irises. The two sat, frozen in silence for several moments as the ambient noise from the tavern died down.

Suddenly a bowl crashed to the floor; the vampire and archer engaged each other in a blur. XP34748 leapt across the table, and the dark archer grabbed the vampire and threw him over-shoulder with catlike reflexes. The archer sprang to his feet before XP34748 even made contact with the ground, but the vampire swiftly rolled once and poised low to the ground. The creature swept the archer's legs from under him, backwards through the adjacent table and onto the ground. XP34748 instantly leapt atop the archer, XP34748's razor sharp nails pressed against his throat. He froze, looking down to see a dagger drawn, the tip pressed firmly to XP34748's vitals.

"Black Shadow!" XP34748 exclaimed jubilantly. He grinned from ear to ear and helped his friend to his feet. The two friends embraced fondly, and Black Shadow gave the creature a heavy slap on the back. The two approached the tavernmaster with the same order as XP34748 had that morning, Shadow ordering a cup of the finest sparkling juice and a medium rare venson of course. After an earful from the owner, an extra sum of gold and a promise not to break anything else, the two friends were sharing dinner together.

"It is nice to see you again." XP34748 said. "What was so urgent?"