Ymiden 3rd 719
Night had swiftly hit the town of Rharne as the sound of locusts filled the trees along the mountainside, with Ymiden still so fresh the warmth of Ashan lingered but would be sorely missed and soon. Like she'd done the past three nights Belinda sang her heart out as she hid away, far down some backstreet alleyway found in the Dust Quarter. There wasn't any uttering of poetics words but a continuous somber melody she hummed aloud, her skimpy little dress inviting enough to draw in any man that took interest her way. Each time she did she found herself rather lucky, as eager drunkards couldn't resist the chance to taste her.
As she tasted them.
Sure she had a bit of fun on her terms but it was just that, ultimately the game she loved to force men to play. Thus Belinda carried the somber and inviting tune, the corners of her lips upturned into a smile as at last another had been drawn in; one of the locals that had gathered to play. A modestly tall and dark individual dressed with a hooded cloak, the scruffy lower half of his face barely visible with a devious grin to match Belinda's. "Good evening." The broad fellow greeted her casually with eyes already in a smolder at the lady.
"Yes, it is. Even with all that's gone wrong, Rharne still celebrates as vigorously as ever." She remarked as she stood straighter with a hand brushing through her brunette hair.
"I take it you're looking for a little distraction yourself." He mused as he eyed her up and down a little curiously, admittedly she looked to be a rather inviting harlot.
"Of course... but nothing's free in this world." Belinda answered with her own intrigue, as she measured him up and down the way he did her.
"That so? What's the cost then?" He checked as he leaned in closely with the intent to corner her, Belinda suddenly found herself pressed between him and the wall; causing her eyes to widen as she felt a sudden sense of excitement. Clearly she was used to being the one to lead men along here, whereas this one already seemed to have his own sense of confidence in the matter.
"A name," she sighed as her brown eyes faltered onto his lips, "and maybe a kiss."
"Really? Is that all?" The man smiled widely as if that was hardly anything, completely unaware of the clever little trap she had setup for him. Just as it worked with all her other men, Belinda found yet another who foolishly tried to court her; and she couldn't help but giggle deviously as a result.
"Maybe. We'll see." She teased with a dreamy look into his eyes, the gradual lean towards him an invitation for the man. He couldn't help but chuckle as he reciprocated, the name whispered into her ear as softly as possible when they drew closer.
"Call me Thorn." Yet again Belinda giggled and with a gasp, she brought her hands to his cheeks so that she'd finish the invitation. Their lips locked and for a moment remained so, until they started to tango with one another so that she would further draw him in. She was so close now, so very close that she could literally taste it. He kept feeding into her insatiable need and for a moment she almost forgotten, until the craving became more feral and finally she couldn't resist it anymore. Thus she did her best not to just suck but siphon, all that she could through the pressing of their lips... until.
She pulled back against the wall agape, surprised by the sudden cold and heat felt in her very core. Literally. The Rharnian looked down at her with a cold stare, as he yanked the hilt of a dagger out from the center of her chest. And now as blood leaked from her chest Belinda sank to her knees, her mind a whirlwind of mixed broken thoughts as she tried to comprehend. She'd had this man... She was so close to devouring his essence, but now as she shivered with horror in her eyes; the whore couldn't help but clutch at her wound as her bleeding heart ached.
"You're a clever girl, luring men into dark alleyways so they can have their way. Thorn commended as he watched the woman struggle at keeping her composure. And then when they were finished, you... did whatever the fuck it is you just tried." Belinda's voice came out in small short spurts, as the difficulty with breathing became accompanied with other unusual sensations. By now she was certain of what was about to happen, that judgement from Pier and Pre awaited her very soon. Except she wasn't ready... This wasn't what she wanted, she just wanted curb her need for Ether; to feed her Spark so that she could continue to do her own lucrative work. Finally she started to sob aloud as tears broke from her eyes, as the hooded Rharnian knelt down with a finger pressed to his lips as a gesture for silence.
"It's all right, soon it'll all be over." He attempted to comfort her with a soft vacant smile. "Honestly it didn't have to be this way, except you let your insatiable need cloud your better judgement. I wouldn't have found you so easily really, if you hadn't killed two men already that is." Dread felt accompanied with a dulled sensation as Belinda dried to hold onto her thoughts, her consciousness slowly fading as she clawed first at the wall and then at the ground she'd bled on. Her somber eyes desperately focused on the distant entrance of the alley. Thorn could only sigh as the smile faded from his lips, his attention fixated on the bloodied dagger he still held between him and the harlot. "You won't get very far..." He warned her as she started to crawl, that is until he twisted the dagger around so that he could jab it down into her hand.
When Belinda opened her mouth to scream that's when he then grappled the back of her head forcefully, with his other hand pressed hard against her mouth to contain the sound entirely. Poor Belinda frantically sobbed as more and more blood slowly trickled from her wounds, as she couldn't move any of her fingers without it hurting her entire hand. "The problem with things like you, is that you try to pretend that you're still people. When the truth is you're not... you're all just parasites feeding off the weak in the world." His words were more venomous towards the end of the statement, as Belinda could at least see the look in his eyes. Hate. Pure unfiltered hatred for what she was, for just existing with the abomination attached to her soul.
"Just like the Immortals, you all think you can toy with mortal lives..." Once Belinda realized she wasn't going to walk away from this alive, she garnered what little strength she mentally had left to command her last reserves. The flow of Ether into her mind caused her eyes to glow a bright yellow, as she focused on him with an intense stare he felt the influence of Spark sink in. The Empath wanted him to share in all her pain and fear, to wallow in the despair he imparted on her before she finally lost what shred of life was left. Immediately when he felt the influence sink in Thorn didn't hesitate, he shifted his hands to where he could pull her head in one general direction. With enough force put into the twisting gesture he made, Belinda's neck snapped and the harlot's body fell completely limp before him.
With a scoff Thorn pushed her body over so that she laid mostly on her right side with the back on the ground, and Belinda's other shoulder rested against the wall as he removed the dagger from her pinned hand. "The first mistake you made was the deaths, one man a night made you far too easy to track." Especially since she was an Empath that relied on her voice to lure them, like a siren did to the unlucky fisherman when he was out at sea. "The second was how eager you were to siphon my lifeforce." Likely because her own Ether had run low, that or perhaps she'd found the addiction uncontrollable. "And of course the third was choosing an alleyway such as this to do the deed." This far down at this time of the night was perfect for her little ambushes she created, at the distance they were at no one would likely notice two strangers going at it unless they deliberately wandered down here.
"You mages make me sick." He spat in disgust as he looked at the canvas he now had to work with. He didn't need to worry about ripping the fabrics of her dress thanks to how revealing they were, but admittedly he held no interest in how gorgeous the woman used to be. She was nothing but a monster to him, slain in her own element by his very hand now. With the dagger taken carefully, he carved the first letter over the right mound of her bosom. Then the next letter, followed by the next, and then the final which branded her for what she truly was.
Strange... It felt even more liberating than he anticipated, putting things like this one in the place she truly belonged. Before when he'd accidently killed a woman by draining her of blood, he felt nothing but remorse for losing control over the curse that influenced him. However this wasn't like that at all; this felt good in comparison, as though he just did the world a favor by ridding it of scum like Belinda. With the use of the dagger finished and her brand now clear, Thorn rose to a full stand and walked around the areas she had bled. With the shoulder bag he carried brought around and opened, he then dropped it as he walked away from the gruesome sight. He carried on deeper down the dark alleyway as he knew where to go, what ways to turn to casually put as much distance between him and the thing he'd just killed.
Come the time someone would discover her wretched corpse lying there, with the word "mage" etched in her skin, the murderer would already be halfway through the Dust Quarter.
"Patrick", "NPC"
