Thin silvery hair fluttered in the cold air of the night, reflecting against the moonlight as the hood of her dirty brown cloak fell off. Startling bright azure blue eyes were intensely focused forward down the alleyway of the town, scanning urgently for a means of escape.
She felt a slight chill as she sprinted away from the elf and knight that she had stolen from. She could see it happening all in her head. The elf was emitting a menacing killing intent, directing an arrow straight down her chest for a lethal strike and Rionara instinctively moved a hand up to where she could feel an imaginary arrowhead protruding. Taking a deep breath and remaining strangely calm, she threw herself towards the building to her side. Before her head could smash into the solid brick wall however, the shadows seemed to envelope her in a thin dark veil, carrying her in its dark embrace into the world of darkness.
Her eyes no longer saw the dim gleam of the moon but are now instead shrouded in black. Desperately her arms reached out and flailed, trying to grasp at something within the eternal shadows. She floated about while she thrashed around, as if stuck in an underwater cage. Her lungs were screaming for relief but there was no air here. She felt her consciousness slipping away as her body rapidly stopped responding to her mind’s frantic commands. Slowly, as if falling asleep, her hand fell limply to her side but then it quickly twitched and sprung back to life as her finger had finally hit something solid. With what remained of her diminishing strength, she pushed herself against this wall. She felt herself being chucked out unceremoniously by the shadowy realm as if it were annoyed that she had once more escaped its clutches.
Shakingly, she got to her feet as her weakened limbs regained control of themselves. Taking a deep breath, she reorientates herself and surveys her surroundings. The city was almost pitch black as it was well past midnight and most reasonable folk have retired to bed. But there was still one bright beacon of light that she could make out in the distance. Nodding to reaffirm herself, she began making her way towards the shining clocktower using the narrow passageways of the city to avoid as much contact with any late night walkers.
Opening the little pouch she had stolen, she examined its contents and exhaled a sigh of disappointment. She had chosen a well-off looking man as her target his armor and weapon had made her assume he was a knight of decent stature but his purse clearly told a different tale as all that remains was maeger small change. The risks had not been worth such a tiny reward for she had not expected such an extreme reaction from his companion. For when Rionara had briefly turned her head to glance back to make sure her victims weren’t giving chase, she instead saw an elf with a look that could kill and an arrow nocked on her bow which could definitely kill.
Sighing again but this time tiredly, she stands in front of the door and looks up at the massive clocktower looming above. A giant structure that towered up to the skies, tickling the clouds above while lording over the city it watches. Giant hands moved to indicate the time but they move silently by the work of magic to not disturb the residents with its noise but this odd silence made this clocktower ever more eerie. Having finished admiring her temporary base of operations, she pushed open the door to enter the dark clocktower. Her dimly glowing azure eyes gleaned into the darkness above, trying to find a little light which marked her small abode. Spotting it far away on top of one of the huge ceiling beams, she burned the image into her mind as she walked forwards into the shadows but unlike when she was trying to escape, she had a clear location in mind, within sight and in close range that she could see within the dark realm and her exit was immediately before her. She steps out of the other world as quickly as she had entered it, appearing before her secret hideout situated on the wooden supports of the clocktower.
It was a humble haven for a thief like her to call home and store her hard earned dishonest work. A platform the size of a small room which gave her enough space to move and set up her tiny headquarters. A sizable bundle of clothes laid out on the ground to act as a bed and one bunch rolled into a ball to act as a pillow. It was not the most comfortable but it allowed her to rest between her hunts. A clean little beige satchel and large brown haversack was carefully placed near the centre, away from the edges so they do not accidentally fall over and break the precious rations stored within. The bags were bought with stolen money while the food was slowly collected from different stalls so as not to attract too much attention to herself. Counting out her remaining coins and the ones she took from the elf, she nodded to herself, content.
Suddenly the adrenaline of the night’s events left her body and tiredness washed over her like an overbearing tide as she collapsed backwards into her rough cloth bed. Her hand slowly reached up to her heart, trying to recall the emotion she felt when the arrow was trained on it. Staring aimlessly above, she raised her hand and examined it closely. Small and graceful fingers, pale skin, almost snow white in the dim light of the illuminated clock above. By her command, shadows wrapped around her arm, crawling all over and darkening the flesh it covered. And where her hand once was, it had been replaced by a slender black claw with long, thin talons. At the same time, she felt a slight headache as a small set of obsidian colored horns sprouted from her silvery hair, looking as if she was wearing a small crown.
Her human hand reached out first to feel her monstrous claw. There was no warm pulse, only an icy cold touch, just like the rest of her body. Prodding the crown horns confirmed for the umpteenth time that they were solid and a part of her. She was in no way a human with such features and instead, is known as a demon. She was a half demon though as Rionara was once human. Or at least she believed she was with what she can piece together with the fragments of her memories. Her past to her was foggy and inconsistent which made her unsure if even that was really true. Was she really Rionara or a demon who had possessed her and was imitating her. Was she either? Covering her eyes with her hand, she also recognised that this was the same tiny hand of a 14 year old even after 4 years had passed since she became what she was. Her body also shared the same ailment, being that of a young body that never aged. She shook her head lightly to erase such thoughts for she had no need to over-complicate the meaning of her own existence. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep as best she could for it was important for her to get as much rest for the next day where she would enter the dungeon for the first time.
The dungeon was located in the centre of town, in the middle of a huge plaza built to accommodate many adventurers that wished to enter its depths for fame, treasure or glory. There were a few entrances to enter and these were staircases downwards, guarded by gates and their gatekeepers to ensure only those with approval may enter. Papers, or more specifically, certificates endorsed by either the guilds or nobles that allowed them to work and even stay in the dungeon city were the tickets in. Without these certificates, finding a job or even a place to stay was difficult as these people are treated as if they were encroaching foreigners. Those still wishing to enter without would have to give up and try to find other unorthodox ways in. A hidden entrance elsewhere that no one knows or a few coins in the pockets of the right greedy guard. Worst however was those with the marks on their neck, the Crest of Exile where people with such a stain are shunned and avoided like a filthy plague. Remembering this, Rionara shifted her brown cloak a little more to her right to cover that portion of her defiled neck.
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Watching from the shadows faraway in a deserted corner of the plaza, she waited for the gates to open and a group of fresh-faced adventurers to enter after being given a pass by the gatekeepers. As they stepped through, the doors began to close and Rio took here opportunity, focusing on the darkness that was the stairway to the dungeon as she let herself fall backwards into the shadows, letting it take her away to the shadowy realm. Reaching out quickly, she grasped the exit and stepped out as the gates closed. Quietly, she stood at the top of the stairwell, looking down the steps that led into the deep dungeon. In front of her, the adventurers went on, not noticing that she had stepped out from the shadows behind them, following the trail of torches as they descended and Rio silently far behind them.
In what seemed like an eternity in serene emptiness, the air suddenly changed. No longer was there the musty smell of oil and torch fumes but instead, there was the fresh smell of grass and a light breeze of wind that tickled at her face softly. Finally below, Rio blinked multiple times as she took in her surroundings. The scenery had changed abruptly to that of a seemingly open ruined temple overgrown with greenery. Looking up, instead of a dungeon ceiling, there was instead a bright blue sky with puffy clouds floating by and the rays of the sun peeking through the fluff. It was quite surreal as she looks behind and sees the same dark stairwell illuminated by flickering torches. Reaching to her belt, she felt for the new dagger that she had bought with the money she collected the night before, ensuring it was there and secure if she ever needed it. She didn’t want to reveal her true nature unnecessarily as such, the weapon would help, however little it may if trouble arose.
And it didn’t take her long to find trouble. Two hours after she started exploring, she hadn’t found much except a few monsters. A few medium sized translucent blobs with a solid spherical core in the centre, slimes and a hungry looking wolf monster that prowled about with drool dripping from its two heads. But the real problem was a larger group of about six ratman, kobolds. They were armed with ill-fitting and random pieces of iron and leather armor and wielding spears and swords with some holding shields. She had avoided the earlier monsters by hiding in her favorite place which is the cover of shadows but she had turned a corner and ran headfirst into the kobolds who screeched loudly in an indiscernable langauge but clearly of murder and death as they gave chase with weapons waving wildly. Without hesitation, she drove sideways into the wall and into her dark world.
Inside, she was prepared for a grueling battle to find an exit in the twilight but surprisingly for her, she immediately felt an exit and took it. She fell out, barely keeping her balance at her sudden transition. She quickly froze as she heard the terrible screams of the kobolds just behind the wall she had travelled through. Those sounds slowly faded as the clanking sound of their armor and weapons told Rio that they had moved off. She breathed in hard as she had been holding her breath in fear for awhile. The looming presence of death was one of the few things that could still elicit an emotion from her inhumane body.
Then she quickly realised where she was. A strangely peculiar hallway lined with suits of dirty iron armor and at the end, a large silvery chest was placed on a pedestal with bright braziers illuminating it on either side, making it seem extremely shiny and enticing from faraway. Before it however, unlike the other suits, was a rugged and battleworn black armor that stood upright barring the path to the box, both its greaves clutching onto a large ornate sword decorated with delicate golden symbols. A beautiful weapon it was that her treasure senses tingled. Rio stood up and took a few excited steps forward, breaking into a light jog before halting and turning around, sprinting full speed for the wall that let her in. The black armor had moved, blazing red eyes gleaming out from the helmet as it raised the sword into the air where it reflected the light of the braziers throughout the entire hall.
At the same time, the other suits clanked to life, picking up rusty weapons and began running after Rio as she was trying to escape from her second chase of the day. But she had gone too far forward and now her exit was blocked as she was surrounded on all sides by moving suits of armor. They formed a circle and began closing in slowly, seemingly watching her intensely for any movements. And then suddenly, two charged forward, one wielding a spear and the other a sword. Realising a little dagger won’t help and there was no one to witness her anyways, Rio called upon her power, encasing both her arms in shadow till they fully transformed into two sinister black claws.
Her crown horns popped out, indicating that she was now at her full power and she swung, knocking away the swing of the sword. The spear armor however stayed outside her range and thrusted, leaving her with no choice but to face the palm of her left claw at it to take the attack head on and the head pierced into the dark vortex of her shadowy claw. She winced in pain but her mind was still relatively and unnaturally calm. She needed a longer weapon to match the reach of the spear and so in her imagination, she pieced together the image of a weapon that would allow her to reach the spear armor. In her right claw, the shadows seeped out to form a long uneven rod in her grip and she swung with it, brutally smashing the helmet off the armor and it fell apart as if all life had left its empty body. Her black imitation weapon however shattered quickly as soon as the hit had connected.
She had defeated two but many still surrounded her. The suits seemed more cautious though, having seen their fellows felled by her mysterious power and approached together as a cohesive unit, rapidly reducing the amount of space she had to work with. Hurriedly, she created another unwieldy weapon in her claw to try and break out of this blockade. This time, it was a large ball of shadow and she took a stance, pulling her arm behind and throwing it full force at the suits blocking the exit. Unexpecting a ranged attack, they were unprepared and crumbled as the solid ball pummeled into them before dissipating but the damage had been done and the formation was briefly broken. Rio burst forward, taking advantage of the momentary gap to run for the exit wall and disappeared into the alternate world before the suits could recover and give chase.
Exhausted, she tumbled out of the shadows of the wall, taking a few uneasy steps before falling and rolling onto her sides. Her claws faded, returning to being fragile human hands and her horns retracted. It was a while before she got up to a sitting position as her stomach grumbled noisily in protest and she opened her satchel, reaching for the provisions she had brought. A measly apple taken from a stall and some leftover biscuits she found on an inn table. Not the tastiest meal but it reinvigorated her with strength. Looking at the wall, making a mental note of where the treasure room is, she decided that she had enough exploring the dungeon for the dear. With the apple in hand, she began slowly chewing at it, enjoying the bliss of eating something sweet which was a luxury for a poor thief like her. So engrossed in the sugar that it was too late when she noticed the dagger positioned dangerously near her throat to slit it if Rio breathed too hard.
“Well, well, look which little filth we caught in here Rein.”
The voice of a haughty but irritated and clearly bloodthirsty elf spoke as she held Rio at knifepoint. The knight behind the elf sighed before reaching out, pulling the elf’s hand away and thus, removing the immediate danger. Rio’s eyes glanced to either sides, trying to find an escape route but the knight seems to have noticed this.
“Don’t try to run. I only wish to talk.”
His voice was rough but filled with honest purity, with no tone of deception. Rio though looked very uncertainly, not fully convinced. She took a single step back before he continued, still speaking truth.
“I won’t stop Elaine from shooting a second time.”
Realising she had been beaten, Rio quietly nodded and the knight responds by holding an arm out, directing them to a place where they could sit and discuss whatever the knight plans to ask.