• PM To Join • The Kiss of Death (Volker)

[Sephira]

58th of Ashan, Arc 718

Everyone seemed on edge there in Scalvoris Town. Ever since the collapse at the docks everyone looked at the Flame Pin at her collar with a newfound wariness and fear. Still, the soldier had a job to do, and a task at hand. Last season she had encountered an old man near the center of town, a mage who killed for his sustenance. Death, hunger and loneliness had clung to his Frequency like a well-worn coat. He had been killing for a long time, perhaps for the majority of his life and the Rupturer had warned the old man to leave the island before they met again.

After their encounter that trial, Sephira had been swept into Deputy Needwell’s office where she had been berated for being seen near the Aberrant. His Harvester had displayed itself in public, and word of its appearance had made it to the office of the Flame Troop deputy. It had been explained in some detail what exactly the man was, along with his corpse-like friend. He was an Aberrant, a mage that some consider even worse than Necromancers.

His grotesque companion was a Harvester, an entity bonded to the Abberant that feeds on flayed energy. With the amount of death tied to his Frequency Sephira could only guess at the number of people the man had flayed and killed. The Deputy gave her strict orders to find the man again, investigate him and to be seen doing it. Clearly her inaction with the appearance of the Harvester had frightened onlookers, and now she was expected to remedy her mistake.

So to-trial the Rupturer found herself walking through the heart of Scalvoris Town where she had first encountered the man. Thankfully she was not without aid in this hunt as she had memorized the stranger’s Frequency before they went their separate ways. This would allow her to track him with some accuracy.

Steely gray storm clouds moved in overhead and the first droplets of rain began to fall. Her crimson wool coat was peppered with dark stops from the light misty rainfall. Sephira’s hair was tied back in a loose bun to keep it out of her eyes while she worked. Beneath the coat she wore a light black leather armor chest piece. Everything about her wardrobe was about allowing movement. Her coat with unbuttoned, and designed to sweep back away from her legs so it would not interfere with her sudden maneuvers in combat. Sephira was ready for a confrontation, perhaps even a fight. Her saber, Wyvern rested gleaming and polished in its leather sheath.

Reaching for a passing tendril of ether, the mage’s Attunement spark quivered in anticipation. The memory of the stranger’s Frequency rose into the forefront of her mind and she focused on the core Notes contained within. Death, Murder and Loneliness, the notes were tinged with different flavors of despair but they all served as needles on a compass that would point her in his direction.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Volker]

Date

It was Ashan, and that had always been a difficult season for Volker. Not so much physically, as there was so much hunting to be done he couldn't possibly keep up with it. Here was the time people let their children run free along the streets to play, they were lax about lounging around in the warmer weather, and animals emerged from cowering in holes. Volker, however, was content with small hunts. Like a tiger in spring he hunted less and focused on other needs more. A prospective mate was at the forefront of his mind, with housing and food taken care of. He wanted to focus on Nalin. Oor wanted to destroy. The spirit had been set free all winter in the middle of storms and the lack of people in the streets. Now with so many around he had to keep hidden.

Volker's refusal to hunt as often was making the spirit very frustrated. Currently they were sitting in the most cramped alleyway Volker could find against the most secure wall. He'd scraped the hell out of the cart shoving it in there, and the tent stretched across the claustrophobic alleyway made a makeshift roof. Volker definitely felt more secure here, but he was driving Oor crazy. He'd hunted a little that morning, just to satisfy Oor.

Not only did the wealthy and middle class let their children run free, the poor and homeless did as well, and those were the ones Volker targeted. Not only were they less likely to be missed, their parents couldn't afford to set the world on fire looking for them. And if they did, Volker could eat them as well.

He was currently breaking down the rest of the carcass. It had taken him most of the day, and even then he wasn't focused on ravenous hunger. He was smoking and drying most of it, cutting it into strips and setting them carefully over the embers of a guttering fire he'd made earlier in the day. The bones he was planning on cautiously leaving near the wrecked docks, where wild dogs roamed for fish scraps and heads. They'd chew open the bones for the marrow, making them utterly unidentifiable. The lower jaw he had set next to him as a trophy.

'I forgot how lazy you are in spring.' Oor grumbled. 'You didn't even spend time on this one. Just grabbed him by the throat and crunched down.'

Volker shook his head slightly, and leaned forward to place a long strip of thigh flesh next to the ribs he had on the coals. "I am focused on other things. This will allow us to travel a little more. Forty pounds is nothing to ignore."

'Even if twelve year olds are nothing but wiry muscle and fat. Oily little bastard.' Oor muttered. Volker set the stripped femur aside and grabbed the other. There wasn't much left. Just small bits of meat to be garnered off the spine, and the rest of the head to take care of. Volker had shoved that under the pile of offal he needed to toss to the dogs. Intestines, liver, kidneys. The heart he was cooking to eat, as the protein-rich muscle would make a fine meal he couldn't bear to toss to animals. The head he'd need to weight down with stones and throw into the sea. It being spring, fish smelt would take care of most of it.

"You are in a foul mood." Volker noted.

'No shit. Promise me we're going to work on at least a little magic after this.'Oor said grumpily, settling next to the fire to watch the food.

"As promised." Volker agreed.

[Sephira]

Listening for a Frequency was less like trying to hear a distant sound, and more like searching for a particular flavor in a dish. Other tastes and smells begged for her attention but the mage remained focused on her quarry.

Death

Murder

Loneliness

The notes chimed over and over within her mind as she sought them out. After a few trills Sephira began to feel the same notes off in the distance near to the poorer districts of Scalvoris Town. The roads here were narrow and the buildings were squat and crowded together. Beggars, vagabonds and street rat children moved through the streets at a beleaguered pace. She was not surprised that the killer she had met on the street was living in this cesspool. He would need to keep out of sight and out of the public eye. Hiding among the poorest of Scalvoris Town’s citizens would be wise. These people had their own problems to worry about, rather than a murderer hiding among them.

His Frequency became stronger and stronger, Sephira’s boots clipping hurriedly on the street as she moved quickly toward her destination. The Element had to continually remind herself that she was here not investigate, not arrest...or kill. They needed evidence against this man before bringing him in.

Finally a cramped alleyway was before her, with a ramshackle little tent at the back. His Frequency resonated here, clanging like a great bell within her mind. Sephira released the magic, and the ‘sound’ dissipated. The narrow quarters made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. If there was a fight in here, she could be at a disadvantage. Rupturing gave her excellent mobility, but she needed room to move. Suddenly Sephira felt a bit like a fly moving into a spider’s web. She would need to be wary.

Her footsteps were loud against the cobblestone of the alleyway, splashing in a puddle as she approached the tent. She recognized the cart from their encounter last season and Sephira knew she had to be in the right place.

“I told you I’d find you.” She said loudly, her voice calling down the alleyway. There was a hint of amusement in her tone. The woman had promised him that she would find him again.

“I confess, I didn’t know exactly what you were when we first met, or your friend.” Sephira said flatly, coming to stop a few yards away from the tent.

“But to know that an Aberrant and his Harvester haven taken up residence in Scalvoris Town...It does cause one a bit of concern...” Her voice strangely light, given the situation. The mage had decided it best to start their encounter with a conversation rather than the spilling of blood. Technically there were no witnesses to his crimes as of yet. Sephira needed evidence before anyone attempted to arrest him.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Volker]

Date

The narrow quarters meant that Volker was effectively pinned as well. That was something dangerous. He heard footsteps and looked up to see the Element who had warned him to leave the island. He glared at her, and wiped his knife clean. He'd made a high-risk kill just earlier that day, and for once he was grateful the child's head was hidden under the pile of organs, and the meat was quickly smoking itself into ambiguity. Nonetheless he continued with his work, destroying the very evidence she was seeking as he went. He set the last of the bones aside, and the flesh on the fire. "I know you did not know. If you had, you might have neglected to get that close." he told her, using his blade to flip some of the pieces. They were curling and drying, and he needed to salt them. One wished for a little fish sauce or something to flavor the smoked meat, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Next time he'd prepare a little better. Right now he had to focus on her not identifying the bones...or seeing that head. His prize lower jaw he swept quietly behind him into the blanket with his hand, and stood up.

"Should you not be more concerned with what has attacked the docks, and the political situation with Rynmere?" he questioned her. "There is no reason to bother me. I kill when it is necessary, and when it is spring I have other things on my mind. Too many people wandering the streets without care. I do not kill needlessly, I do not waste."

'And what have you got against Harvesters, anyway? We need to eat just like you people. It's crazy how humans will let a pig bleed out screaming but the second it's one of their kind on a plate they go absolutely nuts.' Oor mentioned, perching himself on the cart next to Volker. 'What do you want? Is it just to harass us, or did you have something different in mind?'

"I would rather you leave. I have done nothing to you." Volker told her, picking up some of the strips from the fire and setting them on the wood next to him to cool. They'd be perfectly dry and chewy, and would last a lot longer in his pack. He could travel easily and not have to exhaust himself hunting. There was one thing he did need to get rid of. He leaned down, stabbed through the heart, and settled it on the drying strips. He needed to eat that before it could be used against him. That done, he added fresh strips to the hot coals, stirred them up a bit, and glanced at her. "There are much worse things than myself afoot in this city."

[Sephira]

The man’s cook fire crackled in the corner and Sephira detected the scent of roasting meat. For some reason it brought the taste of bile to the back of her throat. Bones could be seen near the edge of the fire. They looked like overly large chicken bones if anything. Sephira was no expert on skeletal remains so she put the observation at the back of her mind for the time being.

The mage chuckled darkly when the man mentioned the docks. It was a cutting cynical laugh, which was not surprising considering that Sephira had been at the docks that terrible night. “The case of the dock attack is well enough in hand, and Rynmere is none of my business. The council sees to such things.” She quipped lightly while inspecting her nails.

“You seem very well versed in current events for a murderer. Do you spend much time frequenting the council hall?” The comment was sarcastic and biting, but regardless of her mocking façade, Sephira was silently trying to come up with a plan. She needed to search his possessions, along with the entire alleyway.

The Element’s eyes darted over his belongings while also taking in the dimensions of the space. If it came to a confrontation she would need to act swiftly.
The man continued speaking, his words earning a quirked brow from the soldier as he openly admitted to killing; that he only murdered when nessecary.

“You also seem very comfortable with taking lives, so you’ve likely been at this for a while...” The mage mused almost to herself before her expression turned sour.

“Not wasteful? How many people have you killed in your long life? How many deaths to merely sustain your existence?” She wondered if he kept count, if somehow he rationalized it to himself. He was much older than her, and if he had been killing for the greater part of his life...then how many were counted among the dead? The Element could only guess at the length of time; although the prevalence of Loneliness and Murder in his Frequency inclined her to believe that he had been at this since a young age.

How many deaths did that equate to? Ten, twenty, one hundred, two hundred or perhaps more? The thought made her stomach twist uncomfortably.
When Oor chimed in Sephira’s expression softened if only slightly. “I do not take joy in hunting mages and spirits. We face enough persecution as it is.” Her tone bore a subtle bitterness. Sephira knew well the sidelong glances she earned as a mage from the public. She couldn’t imagine the prejudices facing necromancers and aberrants.

“You’ve used this city as your hunting ground, you openly admit to this.” Sephira said firmly. “I warned you to leave before I found you again. I gave you a chance. ” The mage began walking forward, unsheathing Wyvern and holding it at her side. There was no threat in her posture or eyes, it was merely a very well-reasoned precaution.

“You have voiced the intention to harm the people of Scalvoris. I will need to inspect your possessions for evidence of criminal activity. Please stand aside. If there is nothing amiss, then I will leave you be.” The Element stated crisply, her words bearing an official ring to them. She had probable cause of search him and his tent. Hopefully that would be enough to merit the collection of evidence.

“You are not wrong.” Sephira conceded solemnly to Volker when he noted that he was not the worst criminal in the city. She had faced terrible things in the past. The Element’s cult had probably been the very worst she had encountered. The cultists had likely killed more people in that one night than the murderer before her had killed in his life time. But she had her orders. Sephira could only hope that this could be resolved without bloodshed. She was there to investigate, not to attack, however she would retaliate if he struck first.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Volker]

Date

Volker snorted at the mention of the council, but to her sarcastic response he simply nodded his head. "Yes." he said simply. "I wanted to know if there was another of my kind hunting here, but if there is the council is ignorant to it. Aberrants do not share hunting grounds well unless the Harvesters are a mated pair."

'Which let me tell you right now doesn't happen very often.' Oor shrugged. 'Either way, it's just the cultists, who ruined a perfectly good hunting ground. Honestly? We don't take people if we can help it. Dogs are a much easier target. No one misses them.'

Volker glared at her when she criticized his statements on waste. "Death is a necessary part of life, Element. It does not mean I have to disrespect the dead, or waste their offerings. Nothing is left to rot, if I can help it. Organs are given to the dogs that sustain me in winter. What I cannot eat is salted or cured, and stored safely somewhere you will not find it, even if you could identify it." he said coldly. "I am not a simple murderer that slits throats for the sake of it and leaves the body to bloat and rot in an alleyway. I have more respect than that."

If he stopped to think about it he'd been killing for a very long time. When he was inducted at nine, he hadn't killed anything but dogs and cats, and had fancied himself an accomplished hunter. Oor had started him out on pedophiles, using Volker as live bait. Such monsters needed privacy and secrecy to conduct their business, and once Volker had tricked them into bringing him to a place like that, he gained the same.It had taken him a while to gain the confidence necessary to move on, but once he'd sharpened his skills on unwitting perverts he'd started to perfect his technique. Travelers came next, people who disappeared on the road for little reason. Then highwaymen, then the homeless and prostitutes. Things easily lured in by promise of coin or faking vulnerability. Volker had killed hundreds in his lifetime under Oor's tutelage.

He tensed when she drew her blade and walked forward. He lowered his head, and growled at her. "Why seek me out now? You have nothing to gain from this, and I warn you, you will not like what you find. Turn back, leave now, and let me be." he stood up. Only the fire was between them now. Oor folded his arms across his chest.

'Woman you know damn well this is harassment.' Oor spat. 'Hunting isn't going to stop because you irritate us now and then.' The spirit settled himself over the organ pile. Daring her to reach through him and dig through it. 'But fucking fine. You want to look so hard? Go fucking look.'

There was little in the cart. Meat, dried or salted that was unidentifiable. One dog skin that Volker had rubbed with ashes from the fire that was also curing. A small box with old bones wrapped in cloth. The odds and ends of a man's life, his toiletries and the like.

[Sephira]

Sephira’s lips formed into a thin pale line while the Harvester spoke. He was impetuous and rude, probably a trait that came from being an immortal etheric entity that fed on people.

“The cultists ruined many things.” She commented bitterly, her words carrying more emotional weight than she cared to display. The mage moved past the man and toward the cart and the rest of the Aberrant's things.

The Flame Element grimaced inwardly as the murderer began detailing the fact that he wasted nothing following a killing. At the very least he was efficient, but the words still made her stomach turn.

“I believe you, I believe in some way you see all of this as sane, as rational.” Sephira paused, taking notice of her scathing tone as she began rifling through the items in his cart. Perhaps this way of life had been forced on him, similar to how she had been initiated into magehood at fifteen without really understanding the path she had chosen.

“How long have you been an Aberrant?” She asked coolly while shifting the lid on a small wooden box to find a roll of cloth inside. She tugged on the fabric to reveal an array of old bleached bones inside. She couldn’t tell if they were human or not. The skeletal remains would not go far to to prove anything as to recent killings in Scalvoris so she left them alone for now. Replacing the lid she moved toward his tent and the crackling fire.

“I’m a soldier.” Sephira replied to the man, when asked why she had sought him out now. “I have orders.” Her voice was mild but firm. “That trial in the square, people noticed your friend.” She noted while nodding toward Oor.

“News of his appearance got back to the Flame Deputy, following which I was questioned and then assigned to the case. “ It was all said with a very matter of fact tone. Sephira had also warned the man against letting his Harvester appear in public on top of suggesting that he leave the island. Perhaps if the duo had been a bit wiser in their actions, she would never have come here.

Oor was now seated on a pile of what appeared to be flesh and possibly organs. The Harvester’s corpse-like appearance only lent itself further to the disgusting nature of the scene. Sephira was barely keeping her calm as she came to stand a few feet away from the Harvester. The spirit seemed to at least have something of a sense of humor, although Sephira didn’t find him all that amusing. Clearly he thought she was going to reach through him to rifle through the pile. The Rupturer had other ideas.

Snagging a passing thread of ether Sephira focused on the space just beneath the pile, her eyes flaring with the crimson light of her witchmark. There was a low thrumming boom that reverberated through the alleyway as she tore open a portal beneath the pile and cast the contents through. The exit portal appeared a couple yards behind her, splattering to the ground. Organs and unidentifiable bits of flesh slid across the ground. There in the middle of them was a rounded object about with two empty pits for eyes, with bits of skin still attached to the cheekbones, and a bit of scalp left on the head. It was a head, half butchered and stinking of rot.

The moment her eyes fell on the object the Element turned and vomited right there in the alleyway. That same trill two scrawny men shambled into the mouth of the alley, with quizzical looks on their faces. They had heard her portal, the boom had been loud enough to attract unwanted attention.

“Oi, whuts a little Element like you doin down here?” The shorter of the two called down the narrow lane. He had a mop of blonde hair and two oversized blue eyes.

“Looks like she’s sick, the poor lass. “ The taller of the two said scathingly, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Trills after they appeared a portly man rounded the corner to complete the trio.

“We don’t need to be bothering her Harry.” The overweight man cautioned, speaking to the short man, a worrisome look crossing his pudgy face.
“My niece was killed at the docks.” Harry called down the alleyway at Sephira just as she wiped her mouth and looked at them. His short stature was offset by the dangerous look in his eyes.

“Bogs!” The pudgy man yelled, pointing toward the skull and innards decorating the ground. “We need to go...this ain't any of our business...” He said nervously, while wringing his hands.

“Shut it Finn.” Interjected the tallest of the men. His narrow brown eyes fixed on Sephira, ignoring Volker and the Harvester behind her.
“My little brother was there that night...now he can’t walk anymore.”

The two men then moved together, a violent look in their eyes as they left their friend Finn to stand and watch as they closed in on the Element.
“Leave now.” The mage cautioned sharply, holding her sword between herself and the men. The situation was quickly going sideways. There was a subtle quake in her voice and a tremble to her sword arm that took a trill for her to get under control.

“I’m on official business; if you interfere I will be forced to act.”

It was the only warning they would get. Sephira had to hope that the Aberrant and the Harvester would not attack while she had her back turned.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Volker]

Date

"Since I was nine. My mother hung herself, my father only returned to see if he could rid himself of Oor by giving him to me. It was a longer suicide than he had planned." Volker told her, watching the way she looked inside the box. He was protective of those bones. "I did not kill him, he destroyed himself." he pointed at the box. "That is all that remains of him."

Volker shrugged his shoulders at the mention of Oor. "I do not control him. He is his own creature. I ask him not to appear, and he will anyway. He believes this sort of thing to be amusing." he said. He only startled when the pile of organs was suddenly moved from the cart to the street with a loud, wet, splat. Oor doubled over in laughter, and Volker pursed his lips. What a mess, and right in front of his home too. Sephira only added to the mess with her vomiting, and Volker made a short, angry little snort at the messes. The rains wouldn't be enough to wash that out of his temporary home. She'd ruined it.

'Nice move! We had them all organized and you just...SPLAT.' Oor cackled. 'Oh immortals, please do that in front of the nearest flower cart or something, Element. Please. It would make my afternoon. People going along minding their own business when suddenly intestines.'

Volker wasn't at all happy at the sudden presence of people in his alleyway. He stood up and stepped behind Sephira, then squeezed in next to her. "You will leave my home this instant." he snarled at the pair. "Or you will have the same complaint your brother currently has." He lowered his head on his shoulders, baring his teeth. "Leave. Now." Oor had vanished behind him, and Volker knew exactly what the creature was waiting for. Volker couldn't make large orbs, but the second one of them touched either of these two men, Oor would take advantage of it. The Harvester waited with bated breath.

"Last chance." Volker warned. A small orb, maybe the size of a tangerine, floated harmlessly between them. The second it brushed the taller man's legs...Oor pounced. From the knee down, they turned grey and crumbled like twin pillars of ash. Volker readied another in his palm. "Leave. Now." he reiterated. "And bind your friend's legs before he bleeds out."

[Sephira]

Sephira grimaced lightly as Volker explained his past. She had suspected something like this. He had a terrible past paired with an early initiation into one of the most dangerous magics in Idalos. It was no wonder he had turned into a murderer. Suddenly the third Note of his Frequency made perfect sense; Loneliness. He had been a mage since only nine arcs of age, with a mother who committed suicide and a father who only worsened his troubles. He likely would have never developed childhood friends with such a horrifying history, nor would have pursued friendships into adulthood. He had been alone all his life, save for the Harvester that had been at his side since he was a boy. They made a curious pair.

Following the approach of the thugs Sephira stood her ground, waiting for the events to unfold. Surprisingly the old man came to stand by her side to defend against the two men, rather than attacking her from behind.
The tallest of the thugs collapsed with a shout.

“Everyone stand down.” She commanded firmly, holding her blade out between herself and the attackers. The shorter thug was on the ground next to his friend trying to tie up the bloody stumps with strips of cloth from his shirt.

“I’m taking them to the Order of the Adunih.” The mage said as she knelt down and retrieved the charred half rotted skull on the ground, wrapping it in a stray piece of dirty burlap she found nearby on the ground. This was the evidence she had been looking for, as disgusting as it was she would deliver it back to Element’s Hall. These men had been out to hurt or kill her, but now they were civilians that had been attacked by a mage and who now needed medical aid. Sephira would not arrest Volker right at this moment; she would give him something of a head start. The woman owed him that much at the least.

“You could have attacked when my back was turned, but you didn’t” she remarked somberly. The man was a killer, but a killer with standards.

“But that doesn’t change anything.” Sephira said, tucking the smelly parcel under her arm while sheathing her sword.

“I’m not arresting you to-trial, as I’m busy at the moment.” She noted while nodding toward the man struggling to bandage his friend’s wounds. It was true, she would be busy escorting them to the Order, but she had every right to arrest the old man, right then and there. He had assaulted a citizen with magic and she had evidence of murder wrapped in the cloth under her arm.

“The Elements will come for you, one trial or another. It’s only a matter of time. ”

With that Sephira walked toward the men and reached with an open hand toward the legless thug. He looked at her with venom in his eyes before taking hold. Between herself and his shorter friend they managed to lift him between their shoulders. It was a bit of a struggle at first to manage the weight but the pudgy man from earlier joined in and they began moving in the direction of the Order.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Volker]

Date

"You're healing them?" Volker asked curiously.
'I mean they did intend to kill you. Since you're a woman, and these guys don't look like they've fucked anything but warm watermelons for years, it could have been a hell of a lot worse. You could just leave them to us. They'll vanish.' Oor suggested. Volker looked at the man trying to bind up his legs and prevent himself from bleeding to death. He'd never walk again due to his mistake. He'd had his legs gnawed off by a Harvester, and having that sort of magic touch you wasn't easy to come back from. Volker bared his teeth at the men. He didn't like them, but it was unlikely they'd ever come near this alleyway again.

He glanced at the Element when she commented. "I could have." he admitted. "You dirtied my home and vomited on my doorstep. But, as I said, I don't waste." He eyed the head she had wrapped under her arm and snorted. She still intended to get him arrested in one way or another.

'Well hopefully the fact that you saved her rear from having to slaughter more citizens will count for something.' Oor muttered. 'I wish she hadn't taken that head though. We could have buried that or tossed it into the sea and no one would be the wiser. I wonder how she's going to keep it from rotting into oblivion. Hell, she could have robbed a tomb and gotten the same object. Only thing that proves it was you are the knife cuts, and those are gonna rot away by the end of the week.'