Many Merchants (open)

[Esmeralda]

Weeks of rough terrain travel had worn down on Esme's boots. The thick leather was beginning to curl and expose her toes to the bitter morning cold. Her trek through the Spine hadn't helped much at all; perhaps this small ocean town should not have been made her destination. However, once she began it seemed foolish to turn back. Esme shifted under her pack, which was full of her art equipment. She was hoping to sell her painting, or trade it for a new pair of boots. no matter what happened, her canvas' were sure to get attention. Over the horizon, the huge walls that surround the port city began to appear. The sun glinted off the ivory barrier, and Esme had to squint her eyes as she walked closer. Esme was approaching from the southern side of the city, so the crisp salty air of the sea wafted her way.

As she neared the bronze gates, a guard took notice. "You there!" He called gruffly, gaining the attentions of the fellow guards that lined the wall. "You wish to gain entry?" His speech was slurred some, and she almost believed him to be inebriated. Esme smirked, and nodded curtly. She held his gaze fiercely, and he broke contact first. Without any more questioning, he motioned for the gate to open. She slipped under without another word, and continued walking. She heard the sentries chattering, probably about what her needs where here; but it didn't really matter. Esme made effort not to linger in one spot for very long as she found herself with many merchants. They gossiped loudly, boasting about their goods and prices. The half-elf pulled out her multipled pieces of artwork, and set them up on wooden pedestals. She did so quietly, and felt the gazes of others burn into her back and she set up shop.


Esme squatted with her back against the wall, and removed her deteriorated footwear. She pulled out of her bad a few pieces of bread, and muched on them as she watched people walking through, exchange money, and chatter excitedly to each other. For a moment, Esme wished to partake in the festive attitude they all shared. But the thought was fleeting, and she somberly returned to people watching, and pondered on who would walk by and offer her something of value.

[Brenton]

Kialandi, the tall and muscular elfin warrior, stepped out of the trees and into sight of Teirm as he pulled his cloak closer around his shoulders while he effectively hid the sword that was strapped to his hip. The large figure pulled his hood up and kept his gaze down slightly as he walked toward the guards but suddenly there was one who didn't like that much. Look at that, guys. A big man who is too scared to look us in the eyes. Are you sure you are a man and not a girl? When Kialandi ignored the insults and went to walk by, the guard held his ground and drew his sword. I was talking to you, idiot! Now tell us your business in Teirm or we will be forced to hold you in the dungeons until you... The guard stopped talking when Kialandi looked up and flashed a devilish grin as he showed the sword hilt on his hip for just a second. If you were smart then you would put away that sword and let me through with no more questions asked.

Kialandi's voice was soft but very dangerous and he spoke to the guard who backed away and sheathed his sword. The others moved aside and soon the elfin man was walking through the gate and looking around. He came to a place with merchants all over the place and saw someone who looked like she was in need of some business as well as some new boots. Kialandi walked over and pulled out his coin purse. I will give you two gold crowns for a painting. Really Kialandi didn't need a painting but he would gladly buy one for her so she was given something while she was here.

[Esmeralda]

She sun began to rise higher, nearing the center of the sky. It was nearly noon, and so far, nobody had asked anything for the paintings. They cast a few admirable glances, but continued down their pathway, with their money jingling in their pockets. Esme had long since finished her bread, and longed for something, like a big jud of mead, to soothe her raspy throat. She could always leave city and find a river to drink from, but that would mean packing up, leaving, coming back, and placing everything where it was again. It seemed unecessarily tedious. Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she felt a negative wave of energy, and could faintly here two men speaking to eachother very gruffly near the gates of Teirm.

Esme decided it was nothing of importance, and settled back down, placing her bag over her lap to help keep her body heat close. She stifled a yawn as the warm rays of the sun bathed her face and hair with a golden glow. She found it a little funny, how the sun could warm her up, but the air nipped at the tip of her nose, and turned it red. She straightened up at once, feeling a presence that was much like her own. She could almost taste the magic that followed this being, and kept her eyes peeled to see who it was. Esme spotted a elf striding down the merchant laden pathway. He had a stance of most elves, proud and graceful. She thought he was going to walk by, and was nearly surprised when he came over and offered her a very good exchange.

She nodded, and gestured to her paintings. She had three total, and they were each very special. The first was on a lower peak of the Beor Mountain range, however, for being low, it was an incredibly astounding height. Stretched far and wide, was the Hadarac Desert. It seemed a little lonely, the painting, and reflected the artist quite well. There were a few small shapes near the vanshing point, but they were small and subdued. If one were not inspecting closely, they might miss it altogether. The second painting was in the Hadarac Desert, looking into the forest surrounding Du Weldenvarden. The thick woodland was very much alive, and the sun was setting, casting a lovely glow through the trees. The third and final, was one she completed before coming to Teirm. It was on the edge of the Spine, regarding the shore of the ocean and Doru Areaba, a far off island. The water was perfectly still, and there were only a few wispy clouds in the sky. This also had a setting sun, and not only reflected the sun as a huge fiery orb, but resounded the rays that stretched miles apart as well.

Esme did not speak, and would allow him to scrutinize her representations in silence. Behind them, a large clamoring began. It seemed as though a nearby kid had stolen a strip of meat from a trader stationed just across from them. He howled, and chased the boy down. Esme smiled slightly, and stood to stretch her cramped legs. She waited patiently, eager to have some of his money in her pouch instead.

[Brenton]

Kialandi was midway through appraising a painting of Doru Araeba when he overheard a commotion from behind him that arose when a boy stole from the meat merchant. The boy was no older than that of a whelp elf who had no more fallen from the womb than had earned enough money for the strip of meat. He was shorter than most with his thin body showing that of weakness from hunger and grime from living on the streets. His hair, lank and greasy, was a sandy blonde with blue eyes under it while his arms and legs pumped vigorously as he ran through the market toward the nearest roof. By the time the meat merchant had gotten the attention of a guard, the boy was already on the roof and hiding while he bit into the meat with desperation. The guards started forward but not before Kialandi had already made it to the building and stood with his sword drawn in defiance. He recognized the pain this boy was in for he had lived this way for a short amount of time and had been forced to steal to survive. It was also helpful that this boy had power beyond his age within him and Kialandi wished to train him as a soldier.

Stand aside, sir, or we will be forced to cut you down as well. This boy has stolen from a rich merchant and he must be forced to pay the consequences for such actions. The guard spoke as he drew his own sword but in three seconds he was disarmed and Kialandi had the other man's sword in his free hand. How much does he owe this merchant? I will pay for the meat and then deal with the boy as I see fit. When the guard gave a quizzical look to the merchant, the merchant gave a price and Kialandi handed over a gold crown to the man before returning to the female merchant. Here are two gold crowns for the painting of Doru Araeba as well as a jug of ale for making you wait so long. The elfin figure handed over the money and the ale while he kept an eye upon the boy.

[Timmir]

((Making the random kid NPC into a character now Flame...))

A light smirk came to a clocked figure as it saw a young kid run past it with a strip of meat in hand. The kids pursuer was unsurprising a well-to-do merchant who's greed seemed to far outweigh his generosity. The cloaked figure watched as the merchant called upon the guards for help while the kid climbed up to the roof. Soon, the figure watched as someone stepped in front of the kid's pursuers, knowing that this was it's time to strike.

The figure quickly moved behind the merchant's stand and with practice hands, it opened the merchant's lockbox. Instead of taking anything however, the figure dropped something inside before shutting it tight and putting it back where it was. Quickly checking to ensure that it's act has remained unseen, it slyly left the stand as the merchant finished his business with the strange man.

The cloaked figure turned around as it looked back at the merchant as he took his place back behind his counter, none the wiser of the cloaked figures presence or what the cloak figure just did. It wouldn't be long now before everything came together. All the cloaked figure needed to do is wait and watch the show.

[Esmeralda]

Esme was bemused to watch this man chase after the thief. She wondered why it bothered him so. She took a few steps forward to get a better view of what was going on. Esme didn't care to listen, because something else caught her attention. A rather shady figure that walked up to the merchants mill, and dropped something inside his money box, and retreated. She stopped and wondered if odd things like this happened all the time in cities like this, and perhaps she should steer clear of them for some time. Esme decided she would rather move her items than have theives and random cloaked individuals scouring the area and making her nervous. Her process was stopped as the man walked over, the blonde haired theif being tugged after him. By the looks of this poor boy, he didn't have much. Probably never had. She felt a little twinge in her chest, like a feeling of understanding.

She understood the need to take things, but there were better options. He could have offered service in exchange for some warm food to calm his hunger ached belly, maybe even gone out and caught his own food. However, this was not the case. She eyed the boy suspiciously, making sure to stand between her artwork and his sticky fingers. Esme accepted the money, and was quite thankful for the hefty jug of mead. She took a couple swigs, smiled graciously, and began to roll up the painting to hand it over. Before she finished, a thought came to her mind. Esme wasn't big on talking, but she was curious. "Why take interest in a thief?" She asked, keeping her back to him. She used some twine and tied it around the now orbicular painting, and turned to hand it over.

Before he answered, she remembered the oddity that was shadowy person, hiding beneath a cloak. The merchant had returned to his place, winkles of age and anger lines his reddened face. Esmeralda stared forward, expecting some terrible spirit to arrive and wreak havoc. Moments passed, and nothing happened. Maybe she was judging this character? She only saw whatever he dropped from the corner of her eye, it very well could have been some money. But she knew most people were not like this. She motioned to the man she spoke to, and pointed in the merchants direction. Hopefully he wouldn't ask questions, and they could see whatever would happen.

[Brenton]

Kialandi looked down at the boy who he had by the wrist and nodded at the woman who he had just bought the art work from. Why don't you tell her what it is you steal and why you do it. He watched as the boy looked stunned and then nodded before clearing his throat. My name is Shaelren and I do not steal what I do not need to live. All I take is food and drink to survive and I only do this because the Empire killed my mother when I was young. So if you fear I will take your paintings then don't worry for they are not a necessity to my living any more than the money in this man's coin purse. Shaelren shut up and stood there while he watched the meat merchant. By that point the boy had already finished his food and was getting bored again.

Kialandi smiled at the woman and spoke again. I used to have nothing even though my father was rich beyond measure and so I remember what it was like to have to find food to eat by any means possible. Shaelren here would do better to train under my tutelage and maybe he can one day discover who he is and realize he had more to live for than stealing. Kialandi had noticed the shadowy figure and so he was watching from the corner of his eye as the merchant went to open his money box.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

A pure white cat slipped unnoticed through the crowd. A single silver pendant hung from his neck like a collar. He slipped under a table to avoid the skirmish as a boy stole meat from a merchant. Strangely the cat watched the scene with interest as though it understood what was going on. The vendor whose table he was taking shelter under noticed him and called to him with an small piece of cooked fish to tempt him. He eyed it for a moment before accepting the fish and letting her stroke his fur before retreating with the tidbit.

However, instead of eating it he padded over to Shaelren and pawed at the boy, fish tidbit in his mouth as though offering it to the scrawny youth. Few would realize what he was, a werecat, and that suited Syaoran just fine.

[Timmir]

The merchant opened his lockbox to put the gold piece the strange man gave him into it. As he did so though, he noticed something strange within it. It was a ring he didn't remember putting into the lockbox. Curious, he pulled the ring out to examine it.

The ring had a gold band with a decent size diamond on it. The ring was relatively small, looking like it was most likely fitted for someone with really slender fingers, probably a woman by the merchants guess. On the inside of the band it had sometype of inscription on it, yet it was in runes that the merchant didn't understand. Overall, the ring looked like it could fetch him quite abit of crowns. The merchant then quickly glanced around to check if anyone was watching him before slyly putting the ring back into the lockbox and putting the lockbox up.

After seeing this, the cloaked figure grined. The merchant took the bait just like the figure expected him to. They then glanced over to a pair of nearby guards who were now making their way to the merchant, happy to see that their accomplice had did his job.

"Excuse me Sir, may we speak with you for a moment." One of the guards said.

The merchant looked at the guards oddly. "What is this about?" The Merchant asked

"We have reason to believe that you possess something that doesn't belong to you." The lead guard replied

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The merchant responded.

"So I'm guessing you won't mind us searching your place and person."

The merchant growled knowing he didn't have any choice. "Fine" He said trying to keep his anger down as he moved out of the guards' way.

The lead then motion for his partner to check the stall before returning his attention to the merchant. The other guard began his search by pulling out the lockbox. "Well what do we have here?" The guard said as he opened the lockbox and saw the ring inside. He picked the ring up and examined it. "This ring is to small for your fingers, can you explain to me where you got it from?" The guard asked.

"I don't know, I found the ring in there?" The merchant answered honestly.

"Right... Well this ring matches the description of a certain that went missing yesterday."

"I have no idea what your talking about."

The first guard looked at the other guard before looking back at the merchant. "Sir, we need you to come with us."

"What for?" The merchant asked.

"Just for further questioning."

"I told you, I don't know where that ring came from."

"Right, can you answer me how the ring found it's way into your lockbox then."

"I told you, I don't know. If I have to guess, someone is trying to frame me."

"Be that as it may sir, you still need to come with us."

The merchant growled again, but complied with the guards, knowing that there was no use arguing any further. Both of the guards began leading him away from the area.

During all this, the cloaked figure kept to close the sidelines, keeping an eye on a woman and the strange man who the figure caught glancing at them. If either of them or anyone else moved to try to help the merchant, they would find themselves being intercepted by the cloaked figure, who was unwilling to let anyone ruin all their hard work.

[Brenton]

Kialandi moved at inhuman speed as he drew his sword and stepped in front of the guards with his body tensed for a fight. He had seen the merchant dealing with Shaelren when the item had been placed and it was not right for evidence to be planted so someone else could get in trouble. Release that merchant now for he did nothing wrong! If I have to then I will gladly disarm every one of you guards in this area before you listen to reason. Already Kialandi could feel his muscles tensing and getting ready to grow as his bones seemed to grow larger. If he got much angrier any time soon then there would be a large dragon in his place and that wasn't a good idea at the moment.

Kialandi knew that there was no way he could protect Shaelren in this fight so the man reached out his mind and told the boy to run. Immediately after, the boy bolted, heading toward the city walls and the house in the Spine where Kialandi lived. That was where they would meet. But what made it strange was that Shaelren moved at speeds no human could reach which meant this boy wasn't human even though he looked human.

[Esmeralda]

Esmeralda listened patiently as the thief explained himself. Although she didn't find it truly necessary, it was nice to hear him state his reasons. She believed this man who never shared his name would take care of the skinny blonde rat boy. Her attention then became focused on a medium sized white feline approaching, gloating a piece of fish in his mouth. She crossed her arms and brooded silently. So first, a boy steals from a merchant across from them. Now, a white cat jut waltzes on up offering up it's food. What else could possibly happen to make today's situation more odd? A lot more, she was soon to figure out.

Not a moment after this strange tomcat arrives, a commotion begins with the same salesman across the alleyway. Esme didn't care too much to eavesdrop, but she got the jist of their bitter tones and aura's. The merchant opened up his money box, and the guards that surrounded him grabbed a ring. That must have been what that odd veiled character dropped in! She felt a pang in her chest at the injustice that was unraveling before her. As the guards led the innocent merchant away, the man holding Shaelren bolted and used himself as a human barrier, sword drawn. The thief ran off, and Esme almost wanted to chase him down. The rooftops of Teirm made it easy for thieves to run to safety, and she was positive he would do just that.

The half elf turned her attention to the very tense situation unfolding before her. The guards were not happy to be intercepted, the merchant was not happy to be framed, and she was not happy that all of this was happening around her. Esme sat for a moment, wallowing in the mix of emotions that surrounded her and flooded her to her slightly tipped ears. "Enough!" She shouted, gliding to the tall man with the drawn sword.  Esmeralda felt her face grow warm, but her adrenaline was pulsing and she couldn't stop. She turned to the guards. "That ring was placed in the merchants box by a rather shady figure..." She scanned for a moment, finding the specimen's dark aura. "Him! 'Twas he who done it," She gestured to the deep ebony cloak that watched from a distance.

A moment after, the adrenaline high left her head, and she felt a bit dizzy. Esme hadn't been so vocal in a while, and he shocked even herself by the commanding tone of her voice. She wasn't sure what to do next, so she assumed a passive stance. However, she kept her hand on her hip, where her dagger was hidden. If any were to attack her, even after her attempt to maneuver their immersion in this poor old merchant, she would defend herself the best she could.

[Timmir]

The cloaked figure watched as the strange man that had stopped the guards from capturing the boy earlier had decided to intercept the guards taking the merchant. Knowing full well that if they stayed, the whole operation will be at risk, they quickly blended with the crowd and left the scene. All the cloaked figure could for now is that their accomplice manages to do his job.

---

The first guard looked at the strange man that had intercepted him and his partner. The man had drew his weapon and claimed the merchant's innocence before threatening them if they do not listen to him. A woman then followed the man, claiming the samething as the man. Yet as she pointed to where the cloaked figure was, she would find that they had left during all of the commotion.

"Listen to them, they're telling you truth." The merchant pleaded, thankful for his saviors.

At the corner of his eye, the guard saw his partner moved to draw his weapon, but the guard motioned him to keep his weapon sheathe. He then turn to look where the woman had pointed, but couldn't see the person whom she pointed. The guard returned his attention to the pair.

"Sir, madam. I understand that you believe that you are doing the right thing I really do, but sir, please sheathe your weapon before you do something you will regret. All we want to do is take this man in for some questioning, and if he does happen to be innocent as you say, then he'll be release completely unharmed. You have my word on that." The guard said in a calm, yet commanding voice that hid years of experience.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

The white cat still held the fish. In the commotion the boy had run off without it. He seemed to not care about the situation that was going on. He crouched down and nibbled at the fish holding it between his fore paws. The pendant around his neck caught the light slightly glinting in it. Despite not seeming to care Syaoran watched Esmera confront the guards as well. Sure it was unjust but the guards were unlikely to punish the merchant too harshly. What caught his attention was the cloaked figure the woman had pointed at. The werecat made no move to intervene in any way though. The situation was a mystery to him but held little real interest.

His attention turned back to the guards and the merchant. He had seen the ring slipped into the box as well. He considered changing forms and helping. But would the word of a werecat help all that much? Probably not any more than the elf's and the woman's. Nor was the price worth trying to help. What was the worst that could happen?

[Brenton]

Kialandi shrugged in a manner that showed he believed this guard was a lying sack of crap and that his word could not be taken for any amount of truth in this situation. As it was though, he was already close to shifting and there would be issues if that happened, so Kialandi did one thing no one expected. He pulled out a few more gold crowns and handed them to Esmeralda so she could get away quickly and then he jumped forward and up. His feet collided with the first of the guards as his sword hit the second with the speed and ferocity of an elf. Quickly he bolted toward the city walls but was soon stopped by a battalion of troops who had found him.

This was just plain lovely how he had saved a thief and then a merchant just to be caught himself. As if he would allow that, so Kialandi drew himself to his full height and sliced through four guards just in time to meet with a turn coat elf wearing the Empire colors. This was outrageous to say the least so Kialandi flashed forward and slammed his hand into the elf's throat, sending him flying backward. He was about to run when another five elves ran up and pointed their swords at his chest.

[Esmeralda]

Although conflict could not be completely avoided, Esme hardly guessed that a fight would break out. The elf man jumped and attacked, landing a brutal kick to the guards face. But, of course, not after handing the half ef a handful of golden coins. Esme was so surprised, in fact, she dropped half of them on the ground. After taking down the armed men with ease, he ran off. The merchant stood, shocked to his very core, and mumbled incoherently to himself. Esme placed the coins in her bag, packed up her things as quick as she could, and set off to run after the commotion this strange person caused. She cast a glance at the white cat who surveyed the incident, and felt a bit uneasy. That definitely was not just a cat.

Esme did what any sensible person would do in Teirm, and that was climb the buildings. The way this city was built made it exceptionally easy for a thieves escape. She was no thief, but this would prove faster travel that running through crowded streets. She heard the clasing of swords and mail to her right, so she sprinted that directoin, jumping from one rooftop to the next. It was quite exhilirating, actually. People from the ground looked at her in awe as she gracefully bounded over them. Esme was so caught up in the moment, she nearly ran ahead of the fighting! She skidded to a halt, inches away from the edge of a rooftop. The ground below her swayed back and forth, making her a little queasy.

The elf man was surrounded by other elves, and Esme found this a bit curious. Why would they attack their own kind? She unsheathed her dagger, which glowed a light lavendar color from enchantments made by her parents, who were both very adept at magic. Esme shrugged her bag off, taking note of where she was so she wold not lose her belongings. Esmeralda was not sure what she was going to do. She could not watch a fight this unfair, but she could also not injure her own race. She let out a huff of exasperation, and was met with the sword of a sound being brought forth behind her.

[Timmir]

The guard felt intense pain throughout his body as he fell to the ground. While he tried to fight against it, he could sense himself quickly losing consciousness. He heard the cry of his partner, a poor young lad who had only joined the ranks a few days ago, as the elf ruthlessly cut him through. At his final moments of consciousness, he could see the merchant using the opportunity to escape.

"No..." The guard weakly said as he tried to reach out his arm in a vain attempt to grab the merchant. Everything he did, everything he risked was now all for naught. How could that murderous bastard know? The guard's then blacked out with the last thing he heard was the screams of the guards as they got killed by the elvish assassin.

---

The cloak figure stopped and looked back as he heard the cries of agony of the guards as they were killed. Bells were being rung as pedestrian made their way to seek shelter from the conflict going on in the city. It was obvious that the guards of Terim believe they were under attack and were not going to hold any quarter. The cloak figure shook their head in disappointment and used the commotion to mask their movement. They knew that the plan was going south fast, and if they don't do something soon, this whole thing was going to be for naught.

[Brenton]

Wind seemed to blow harder as anger built inside the large man with a passion that he had never felt before this day and his eyes flashed to a black before he bared his teeth. A growl escaped his lips that soon turned into a roar as his body expanded and his bones grew in length and size while scales rippled forth across his skin. Wings grew from his back and expanded until he was forced to fold them across his shoulders. A large tail grew and soon covered the entire street while he arched his neck and released a jet of flame to the heavens and watched the elves dash into the city in fear since they had never seen someone turn into a dragon.

Quickly Kialandi shrunk back into his humanoid form and cast several spells to fix his clothing and armor before setting off toward the gates again at a rapid pace. He saw Esmeralda on the roof but didn't have much to say, until he heard boots against streets. This made the elf creature curse and push off into the air, kicking off the walls of the buildings until he rested upon the roof in a crouch. The man ran over the roofs until he came to the gate and found several archers lining the walls. Silently he walked toward three of the archers and knocked them out before he dropped to the ground.

[Emiryal ♕]

werecat | neutral

Kialandi's sudden display surprised the white cat but not in the same way as the men he was fighting. Most cats would flee from such a scene but this one didn't. He remained where he was knowing the chances of Kialandi attacking him here were slim. After all he appeared to be just a cat and obviously the man had more important things to do. Syaoran smiled and abandoned his fish, no wonder he had been drawn here. As usually werecats usually ended up were interesting things happened.

As Kialandi raced towards the gates the white cat jumped off the stand and followed at a full sprint. Being small it was easy for him to negotiate the crowd and go mostly unnoticed. He climbed onto a near by building roof before using a tree to reach the wall. As his feet touched the stone wall he transformed into a young boy no more than 12 or 14 years old. He tossed a dagger at Kialandi, but the man wasn't the target. The dagger flew by him with only an inch to spare and embedded itself in the throat of a guard that had just come out of the guard house behind Kialandi. "Brother, I did not know your kind still lived. I have no idea what you are up to but I will fight with you," he said. As far as Sayoran was concerned Kialandi and he were very similar, both could transform into another shape, though Kialandi's was more powerful the werecat still felt drawn to help someone nearly kin to him.

[Esmeralda]

Esme whipped around barely in time to avoid the sword that was coming down above her head. She knew that she stood no chance against a seasoned warrior  like this one, so she would have to act quickly. He slashed at her twice more, and missed by only a hairs length. The third time, he caught her right side, scraping the steel across one of her ribs. However, she used this as a distraction almost and twirled around on her toes, coming close enough to him to feel his breath. It was here that she plunged her dagger through his chest, his wards popping like wood under a flame. He let out a strained grunt as the dagger sapped his life energy like a leech would from its prey. As he crumpled to the ground, Esmeralda checked her side carefully, peeling away the now bloodstained white shirt. The wound was about a half inch deep, and was now beginning to swell. The white of her bone was barely visible underneath the coursing blood that ebbed from the cavity. 

Esme ripped the side of her shirt, and wound it around the bleeding gash. It was in that moment that she heard a sound that was unlike any that crossed her sensitive ears. It sounded of a half man, half beast bellow that sent a whoosh of air around the city. She gasped when she saw what exactly was happening. A large and mighty dragon was releasing a steady stream of skin singing inferno. At first, the half elf woman thought that it was a solider of the city, but it shrank back down into the size of a man. The same elf man that she had been fighting with all along! Esme was about to join him, and scoffed as she saw the larger than normal white cat making his way through the city's walkways. What was with this feline?! 

She nearly choked on her thoughts when the cat turned into a boy, who looked no more than a young adolescent. He killed a guard with ease, and didn't seem to even bat an eyelash. How odd, Esmeralda thought. She had not met those who could change their forms, and she hoped that once this violent escapade as over she could learn a thing or two about them. She was scaling clumsily down a ladder at the side of a fish market, possibly where the cat-boy got his morsel, and felt the same dark and unpleasant aura of the cloaked figure that caused this whole mess. She raced towards the direction that she felt was right, and although she wasn't sure what she was doing, she felt that she could at least gain their identities. A soldier nearly barreled her over as she ran across a corner, and she continued to run. Although she had not injured the man, he could not keep up with her agility. For she was graced with speed of an elf, and she was but a blur to any normal human. 

[Brenton]

Kialandi saw the were cat stand up as a boy from his white cat form and he actually smiled when the blade flew at him to hit the guard. It was in fact slightly obvious by the shift in muscles that Kialandi had twitched to the side to ensure the blade would clear him and then he stepped forward and held his hand out with the dagger in it hilt first. Well met, were cat. My name is Kialandi Morzansson, Dragon Spirit and warrior fighting for the elven nation. Today is slightly odd since there seemed to be a theft and then this whole incident with the guards. Still it was invigorating to fight so many men and escape easily enough. Now that I have gone through the city and led the guards here, we should go aid the female merchant. The man stepped away and sprung into the air and caught the edge of the wall with ease as he flipped over and fell to the ground at the fish market. He stood up and looked around until he saw the woman running from a guard who had no chance of catching her in the first place. Then the guards saw him and Kialandi shrugged as he drew Dragonsblood with a small motion and sent one guard's head rolling down the street while another felt the blade go through his stomach. Five more guards remained and Kialandi jumped up again and ran across the roofs until he caught up to the woman.