Tore stifled a yawn. It was a cloudy day, but the sun peeked through persistently enough it was difficult to forget he should have been holed up somewhere nice and dark, sleeping like a corpse. The vampire sat in the shade of an archway at the edge of a busy market square. A travel cloak rested on his shoulders with its hood drawn up over his head; an old rucksack leaned against his side as if it had dozed off. The sight wasn’t too uncommon in the streets of Nisshoki with only a few hours to go until the departure of the next airship to Canelux.

After his… experience in Karith, Tore had sworn to himself to steer clear of anything that even resembled a city. But as it often is the case when people make cast-iron decisions, fate intervened. Odd lights had illuminated the night skies, unnamed symbols had started appearing wherever magic was being used. When Tore had learned these weird phenomenon were coming from Jasumin Plains, he’d immediately headed to the nearest city with an airship connection to the neighbouring island. This whole thing had gods written all over it, and gods inevitably meant trouble. He didn’t want to find out what their deal was this time around.

And so, he had ended up here. Tore glanced up to the people walking past. He was always uncomfortable around crowds and today was no exception. Luckily, though, he could always take comfort in the fact he wouldn’t have to tolerate this city for long – and that the journey he was about to embark on would be ten times more unpleasant than his current situation. The vampire winced at the thought, leaned back, closed his eyes and tried to distract himself from the constant stream of people by toying around with potential plans for the future. After all, he had no idea where he should go after landing in Canelux. Maybe enough time had passed for him to go back to one of his old hunting grounds? Yes… he liked the sound of that.

Hopelessness. The very word it's self resonated with Valendra's being. Again she had done the immature and foolish prospect of having hope, Now it was all swept away again like many times before. Being a urchin on the streets had taught her to grab at any opportunity, Unfortunately that very philosophy was the very reason she was on the run. Having passed by a shady alleyway on her way to her usual stomping grounds Valendra spied a foot sticking out from piles of trash. Usually she would have avoided such a unpleasent scene however the fine make of the shoe and similar size to her own caught her eye. Valendra approached cautiously softly kicking the pertruding foot, There was no response clearing piles of trash it became clear to her that the foot belonged to a Gnome. The smell trash and Stale blood was now pungent in the alleyway, Ripping some of her rags she proceeded to tie them over her mouth and nose dried sweat by far more agreeable to the rest of the pungent smells surrounding her. Valendra looked down at her now ripped and dirty cloths maybe her luck was changing she hoped with the clothes from this gnome maybe she wont be turned away at the stalls. The thought of fresh apples and food urged her forward as she proceeded to strip the gnome of everything he had.  This gnome had a lot and now it was hers, Valendra changed into the pungent clothing of the gnome thankful for his small frame

Fully dressed from head to toe and with a new bloodstained cloak Valendra went to her Alley. However on her way home Valendra gained a bad feeling not just from the stench of her clothes either  a feeling one gets by having spent there short life fending for themselves, She ran. She ran until she got to her ally way and scooped up her toy her only friend surely it was just paranoia right she thought i'm safe here, The arrow barely missing her head and in-bedding into the wall next to her said otherwise. Now fleeing for her life Valendra cursed her belief that she had any form of hope or luck there were only two constants in her life hopelessness and her toy,Running thru the crowds Valendra knew she had to get out of Canelux to where she didn't know but as long as She was safe that would be enough for now.

Tore had managed to forget himself quite pleasantly into thoughts of dark forests and isolated little farms when his senses suddenly picked up a rapid, desperate heartbeat in the sea of others. The vampire opened his eyes slightly and took an absent-minded glance at the market’s general direction. It happened to land on something small – a child – that scurried through an opening in the crowd. It disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Tore blinked. He wondered, like a passer-by wonders something curious they have witnessed on the street: knowing perfectly well it’s none of their business, and that there would never be an explanation for what was going on. After a couple more seconds he was already halfway through forgetting the incident.

But then he saw the figures. He couldn’t make out much more than movement in the crowd, very determined hurried movement. There were several of them, all heading in the same direction as the child. Didn’t seem like they were with the city guard. Tore didn’t catch even a flash of blue armour.

The vampire frowned slowly. He felt bothered – bothered and annoyed at himself for glancing up at that exact moment. He could take a good guess what would happen if the pursuers would catch up with the child, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

His home city Egjora had been a strict place, even dangerous for the people who didn’t abide by its rules. Every now and then, they would get these… “heroes” (outlanders most of them), who marched in full of ideas about what is wrong and what is right, and making an absolute mess of things. Tore had patched up enough injured bypassers and city guards caught up in their antics to harbour no sympathy towards these so called heroes and the discord they left in their wake. He was a stranger in this city. Better let it have its own way with things.

Tore might have stuck with this decision had the child not plunged into view again, this time so close to him it would more than likely run straight past him. He froze for a second, and then, with his expression growing colder, leaned forward.

“Hey-!” he called out and gestured at the child, his voice barely audible over the bustle. “Over here. Quickly, now!”