The Curious Inciedents Along The Roadside And In The Woods.. When Night Time Strikes

A fork of white electricity lit up the pitch black sky, about the road towards Dessel. Heavy droplets of fast falling water, pattered off the cloak of a boy, eleven years of the earth. But he wasn't a boy... His eyes were that of soemthing more beast than human; his face was gruff yet boyish; his hair shaggy like fur yet tame. But maybe it was the occasional time when about every five miles or so, a wolf would appear where the boy had stood.

The beefy (well you could hardly explain him else what). The beefy looking thug shifted slighty under the tree. He tapped his, less formed associate on the shoudler.

"Let's take him"

"Yeah he'll be in Dessel in a bit so let's get him good, the little shit"

The thugs knew this boy. They'd had trouble with him in the past; him attacking them when they tryed to rob a place; again when they tryed to kidnap a little gurl; nearly everything they did, the little shit was there. But now it would change....

The boy twurled around swinging his clenched fist at the less formed of the pair, as he tryed to sneak up behind him. It caught the man in the chest, winding him..... Two secodns later, he was on the floor, out cold, blood pooring from a crack in his skull.

"Got tha bastard. Give us a hand will ya? Bloody heavy little shit he is"

The brutish thug had threw down his log, which he had used to smash the boy around the head with, while he was dealing with his friend. He had never seen it coming.

Not half an hour later, the pair slumped the boy down against a log, by a roaring fire, and a rough campsight.

"Got 'im boss, still out fresh and cold"
"Good work lads, string him up and make sure you keep an eye on him, the boys have gone out for some food...."


The next morn, when the boy should've been in Dessel. Two delayed letters were delivered. One to the manse of a one Aeonna D'Aubinge, but was addressed to a Yalon Lively; the other, to the local dojo, for a Sasha. Both read the same, except with differrence at the end.

[i]Dear......
I have been gone this past month, with no reason but as to come to terms with myself. You may have cause to care, you may not, but i shall return this day next week. The 11th I hold it to be....

Yalon's letter now continued: but when I return I have a gift I wish to present you with and one fro Kazine, of course. One I hope you will fin d acceptable and elequint.
Your Good Friend
Gwyn

Sasha's letter, altough continued: I am sorry for my rash leave mother, as well as my long absence. I miss you dearly
Your Loving Son
Gwyn

These letters were written on rough parchment and in cleary legible, but rough ink. They were also well worn, as though they had seen many hands. It was a werid occurance how, they had arrived the morn after he had been "kidnaped". Maybe soem higher being saw it as a way too help.... Maybe it just happened.... But the boy needed help....

Aeonna herself prowled the woods, looking for victims of fortune to snatch and take back to her dark abode. She appeared a lady on innocent stroll, though dressed and rank as death itself. She wore a fine black lace dress with long sleeves and black gloves. Her small black hat held the top of the black veil that covered half her dead face. For sixty feet in every direction her aura spread like rank fear, frightening away the animals as she passed. She stepped quietly as she traveled and ere long she saw the glint of a breakfast fire in the distance. Time was no object for a creature who needed no sleep, no food. Could this be the source of her next target, she wondered as she snuck closer to inspect the scene. She pushed past some brambles, and the sight of the camp lay before her.

A few rough pitched tent's were spread around the site, most encircling the roaring fire in the middle, while two sat a ways back, a light shining in one of them. About 8 burly men sat round the fire, drinking, eating, swearing and laughing. They had pilliaged a caravan, ransakcing it of beer, wine, and any food going.
While in the other two, sat 3 more. One, the thugish brute who had captured the lad, sat looking at him, while he sat there, bound by the feet and hands. The other two sat in the other one, playing cards, waiting for their shift to watch the kid.
Gwyn was in a bad state, worse than he been ver before. He was still bleeding from the gash, on the back of his head, but not as badly. He also had a few cuts on his hands and legs, either signs of punishment or torture it would seem. But were infact form his attempt to escape, resulting in being cut and slashed while fighting. His pistol's were goen, the leader f this rag tag bunch of theives had took them, knowing what would happen if he got free with them. His dagger had also gone, for the same reason, but the one in his shoe, still remained.
If something didn't happen soon enough, he would probaly die, if not from the loss of blood, then from infection, if not infection then surely the thugs would have their way with him......

Aeonna smiled at the sight of the thugish brutes and burst into the clearing with a charming laugh that rang out into the air like silver bells. Her face shrouded by her veil and her hands gloved in black, she was a sight both awe inspiring in her finery, and daunting in her gloom.

"Boys, boys what a pleasure to have stumbled upon yu. I'll just take what I need and be on my way. I am yr duchess and lawful ruler and I insist that yu line up so that I may take a look at yu. All of yu now, I'll tolerate no straglers." She said circling the campsite and peeking into the shadow of the tents. She spied Gwyn, under guard and broken. Her white petal lips frowned. "What's this?" She asked in a sing song voice. Her hand flourished and suddenly a longish dagger formed in her right hand, milky white and semi transparent. She swung her head round, waiting for an answer.

Beers were flung, food dropped to the grounnd like flaming wood, as the woman storde into the campsite. Swords were hastely drawn, and steps were made towards her.

"M'lady... What a pleasure it is" Said the most brutish looking man there. This was a man wanted for many crimes, in many places, in many countries. His brute force had got him out of a very many sticky situations.
"This is my humble bunch of lad's M'lady, and that runt there" He motioned towards Gwyn "Is our pr... guest.. We er... Found him, on the roadside like this" A smrik spread across his face, as he layed a hand on Aeonna's shoudler.
"But, more importantly... What about you?"
A few lads sneered, she seemed a very fair lady, adn that bread knife of a dagger, (or at least what they thought) couldn't do any harm.

Gwyn's eyes looked up at the lady before him. There was no msitkaing thatposture, nor the figure hidden as it was behind the many cloth aderments. He then looked at the man guarding him, and out at the many surroudnig the camp. He hoped, hoped with dear life, for it and with it. Hoped she could handle these brutes, IF she wanted
to save him, IF she was on his side, IF the caring, kind Aeonna he had once knew, was still there. Somewhere, deep down.... Or just working behind the lines.....

Aeonna laughed as though the man had made a fine joke. Then, suddenly, she turned harsh, and commanding in tone.

"Release the boy and select three of yr men to be punished for this crime by death." She demanded. She rather liked Gwyn after a fashion, and something about the boy tickled her memory, but she was here for dinner, and a bunch of thieving thugs would do as well as others. "Here I'll get yu started," She offered, reaching out to brush her unarmed fingers along the hairy forearm of the man closest to her, the man most ready and eager to strike her down at but a word from his boss. The man seemed to shiver, then turn to fleshy stone, and within seconds he toppled over, unable to even blink and permanently paralyzed. Aeonna had hoped that this ring leader would have heard of her, but he didn't seem to quake in fear. It was no matter. She would kill them all if they resisted, and with much pleasure.

The ring leader stood back slighlty. He then came to and pointed at Aeonna.
"Kill her, but don't damage her too much" He sneered and walekd inot the tent with Gwyn, while the other men slowly edged forwards. If she can't touch us, then we're alright, they thought. The thin man who ahd helpd to capture Gwyn ran at Aeonna, bearing his short sword at her, grinning evilly.

Gwyn blinked and suddnely the gruff leader was in front of him. The man then drived his foot niot the boys groin.

"Who'd you tell boy? How's she know you were here , huh? Tell me!!"
He lashed out, driving his fist into Gwyn's temple. His vision wavered for a moment, but he still remained concious. He stared at the man with a feral glare.
"I didn't have a chance you thug. And it's no use. Even if you stop the duchess, people will know i'm gone. I've not got back ye.." He was interrupted by blackness as the man smashed his head into the ground. Gwyn's skull naerly cracked under the force, but the bone held fast... hell he was a tough nut to crack.....

Aeonna laughed again, this time letting the man advance, his short sword slicing into her dead flesh as it pleased, up to it's hilt, and with no visible effect. She laid her hand on him briefly, and he too fell to the floor. Her wound did not bleed, and neither did she seem to be in any amount of pain. Surely she thought, I must seem spooky now. Oh but they have only begun to taste my wrath. She called upon her necromantic skills to unleash deafness and blindness upon them, all at once. Her aura of fear had been unshackled, and now for sixty feet in either direction all things stood in awe and fear. Many were likely to run rather than stand and try to face her, alone and in this new infernal darkness. She laughed, though there was no one, no even Gwyn, to hear it. Her milky white blade sought to rend open one man's chest while her spell held fast, tearing open his heart so that arterial blood sprayed in every direction while she seemed to dance in it's shower, like a child running through sprinklers. She licked her lips and chuckled and headed for man number four just as a hazy sort of sight was returned to him. Her laughter rang in his ears.

The man saw the blood covered woman, with the sword protruding form her chest. He froze still with fear. She was..... whatever she was she wasn't human. All the other men where cluthing there eyes adn ears unable to do anythign wihtout thier sight or sound to their ears. The only one not scared was Gwyn.....

He couldn't hear or see. His head was killngi him, and he was bleeding from a fair few places. But he could smell. A wolf's smell was just as vaulable as he hearing or sight. He snifffed imformatin flooding to his brain: blood, men were bleeding; fear, Aeonna no doubt, her aura was fear itself; and something else.... soemthing, different... The fire!! But something was burning... The tent.... THe big leader was burnnig the tent, trying to roast the boy that was bound within. Gwyn wresteld with the rope, but he had little to no energy, and gave up after a few seconds..... He lay back, waiting for the flames to consume him... To feel his flesh wither up and burn into ash....

Aeonna pulled the the bastard sword from her chest only to crack the fourth man over the head with it, so that he crumpled to the ground. She didn't stop in her advancement in the tent now, even as three men turned and fled. She dragged Gwyn from the pathetic construct, oblivious to the smell of her own singed and now melting flesh, until they were both away from the fire for the time being. it spread to her front and left, but now she concentrated on her left flank, where four men yet stood. Thier sight and sound was slowly being returned to them, but she wasted not time, dropping Gwyn like a sack of rocks. She rushed up man number nine, her newly aquired and very real weapon slashing across his mid section, spilling his bowls onto the earth below. She turned onto the remaining men, a cruel smile eagerly painted on her blood stained face, still half shrouded by torn gauze.

The men, having had thier sight returned stared at the woman. This rich aristocat, had come in here and messed up everything. Killing mos tof the gang wasa scray thought, but when the leader of the group, came up behind Aeonna, a vicious looking mace in his hand, they charged at her, knowing she could not resist them all.

The wolf hit the ground with yet another loud thud. With his skull cracked a and head bleeding, he coudln't think straight. But with all hte blood he had lsot, adn was still losing, the energy was never there to do anything except sit there and watch the events that were taking place..... He wanted to be back ni dojo with his mtoher adn Haraiko... And Shosko.... They were like a little non-related family. And Kazine... She mean't the worls to him, he only wish he coudl meet her.... Just at elast ocne more....

Unconciousness came and took him down to the deep recess of his mind, which is where he woudl stay for a while...

Aeonna let the three men charge her, having hoped the leader had fled. A loud, sickening thud announced that the mace, with it's sharp spikes, had hit her as she crumpled to the ground. The three fell upon her then, trying to put her down for good. But it was no uses, even as her skull was cracked and her flesh sliced. She rose again, and this time she was angry.

"Nosferal lichum deus, Terrum ferus Naway!" She incanted, as she parried their blows, a swirl of dark black. Suddenly the earther around them began to rumble, and thin, bony hands from her past victims began to claw through the soil. Ten coorpses from nearby woodland soil sprang from the earth, like an undead army at thier duchesses behest. The zombies moaned and groaned and stumbled forward, ready to tear the men limb from limb.

"Fetuum area discord, greswear deway" And she flew from their path, high up into the boughs of the trees above. The Zombies had no sense of pain, and would fight until they were comepletely distroyed. She meanwhile, would watch.

The three fled not soon after she had summoned the zombies, having seen her beaten to death, yet rise once more. But the leader carried on, smashing his mace into the zombies, trying not to be over run by the ten that surrounded him.
After a few minites of this, his mace was tore from his grip, as a zombie had bitten his hand. He turned and smahed it to the ground, just in time to see death coming at him....

A beautiful silver wolf flew at the man, it's coat covered in blood from various wounds on him. But as well as this, a raging inferno burned in his fur. When the wolf's paw made contact with the man's face, his sharp claws ripped his capturer's skin instantly, the magik black fire that raged in his fur, burned the man's face, causing him to yell out in pain and clutch his face. Gwyn then began biting, clawing, sctahing, and burning the man. With the zombies, it didn't take long for the brute of a man to die, but the wolf kept going, the black rage having taken him over. The man's blood joined his on his fur coat momenterally, before being burned by the fire.

Soon the body was unrecongiable, but still he clawed at the man, letting out his rage, and fury. The wolf seemed feral, unable t ocntroll itself which was true. When the black rage takes over a wolf, he loses controll of his body for a certian time, his atiosn determined by the mood, mainly angry. The wolf then suddenly keeled over, the rage gone, and all his energy. There was but one thing keeping him from joining the man in death.

Kazine.........

Aeonna drifted down to the ground below, and sighing, dropped two blue vial of liquid down by where the wolf was still busy destroying his friend's body. She returned the corpses to thier graves by way of a command, and then hefted the breathing men atop one another. Without a backward glance she and her captives fell into shadow.