Revenge

Chapter 1
Creatures
A young maiden saw two mortals. She stood in the shadows and looked at them. She decided, after listening to their conversation, to step out of the shadows. She smiled showing her fangs clearly. The mortals wanted to stop and stare at her, but they ran instead. “Wait, don’t go...” She stopped and sighed. She got that reaction a lot being what she was.
Vataliny wore a dark green cloak. She was a half human; half snake. She looked much like a human, but she was more reptilian. Which meant for her natural instinct was to be like a snake. Vataliny had maroon hair that covered her bright yellow eyes. Her pale lips concealed two razor-sharp fangs. She also carried two sheathed weapons around a belt. In one short, golden sheath a hilt stood up with a beautiful jewel at the top. In the other longer sheath up came a gorgeous bronze hilt covered with dainty markings and designs.
Vataliny took out her dagger and tossed it up into the sky, she then caught it with her hands. Silver scales on top of her hand shimmered. Someone was coming, she could tell. She moved behind a tree. Slowly edging out to see who it was, it was a stranger. She didn’t like strangers.
Vataliny looked at a cobra. Its scales ran over Vataliny’s shoulder. Its name was Rain. The chocolate brown under scales shimmered as the turquoise scales rippled on top. Rain lifted its head. Its hiss sounded like a waterfall.
Vataliny questioned the stranger, “What is your name and where are you from, stranger?” She looked at the stranger coldly and fingered her dagger.
“My name is none of your business and where I am from is these woods, what are you doing here.” The stranger answered noting her cold stare.
Ah, a traveler, Vataliny said in her head. How ever Vataliny had no intention to answer his question. “Where are you heading? And you have to tell me your name, unless you want this dagger in your neck.” Vataliny threatened. The stranger laughed at this remark. He was also stricken at her beauty.
“Fine, my name is Aluwishis. I am heading for a tavern not far away. Would you like to come with me?”
Vataliny smiled, she liked Aluwishis. “I’ll follow behind you but I travel on foot so you must walk your horse. I will meet you in the very back left hand booth. If you don’t come, then you won’t live for very long after I hunt you down and kill you.” Vataliny said in a cold tone.
Aluwishis smiled at Vataliny showing his fangs, but barely. Aluwishis was a vampire. He didn’t like to drink blood but it was him. Most girls found him attractive but he usually ended up killing them, Aluwishis hadn’t fed in a while. He needed blood. He wore a black cloak and had dark brown hair. His eyes were red most of the time but when he liked someone a lot they turned orange. Right now Aluwishis eyes were orange with an evil flame in them. He turned around trying not to look at her for to long then he noticed her snake. “By the way what is your name? I can’t just call you girl, now, can I?” Aluwishis said still looking at her snake.
“My name is Vataliny and this is Rain. She wouldn’t hurt a fly unless I tell her to. I let her go to hunt occasionally.” Vataliny answered Aluwishis with a smirk. She would enjoy hurting him but she couldn’t. ‘I mustn’t, it wouldn’t be fair to him if I attacked him suddenly’, Vataliny thought to herself. Vataliny followed Aluwishis to the tavern and while he put his horse in a stall, she ordered water. Aluwishis walked in and sat down across from Vataliny.
He ordered water along with her. He smiled and said, “What are you anyways. I’ve noticed that you have fangs and were wondering if you were from my kin?” Aluwishis said. He was a vampire and didn’t find much of his kin while he was traveling.
“I am not from your kin. I am a half human half snake. I noticed you have fangs as well and thought maybe you were a vampire. If I am not right, please correct me. I don’t have to know but just for my safety I would like to know.” Vataliny said her eyes narrowing in on the man. She sipped her water in between sentences.
“Well, isn’t that interesting. I’ve never meet one of you before but many hafling. And yes for your information and my safety I am a vampire.” He answered back with a strange look on his face. He took a long drink of his water and look at Vataliny. He looked around and saw the keeper. He was showing off something he had caught. It was in a cage and was hissing loudly. Not a small cage like most game but a large cage, hand built and extremely tough.
Aluwishis walked up to the keeper and asked him what was in the cage. The bartender let him look at the woman in the cage. It hissed at him and said, “Voldor fol ho ver het ky hasth?”
Vataliny heard this and walked up and replied with a smile, “Mald ver goler doyth?” Vataliny said this like she knew the language. She did. It was Alyxandra; she had taught her friend her language. It wasn’t hard to learn if you knew what it meant.
Aluwishis didn’t know what they were saying until the two ladies started speaking common language which he could understand.
“My friend!!!! How have you been? Why are you in there? Where were you when he put you in there?” Vataliny said concern in her voice. She had worry in her eyes and happiness in her soul.
“Not too many questions my dear friend. I am fine. I am in there because I am different; even you know that, Vataliny. I was in the forest, the one just out of town, and I heard a voice that sounded like yours. We were supposed to meet there and I thought it was you. So I came out of my hiding place and saw him. I tried to run but he put a bag over my head. I can’t remember much except men staring at me and looking at me, trying to touch me!” Alyx looked around the tavern. Drunks were still staring at her.
Aluwishis watched the two girls and wanted to help Vatalinys friend. He watched Vataliny walk over to the keeper and say something. The keeper laughed and said back, “You want me to let my prized possession go!! Woman, you must be joking. That half human is the only one in the world left. They had all been killed or died in the wild. Rumor has it that there is one more left and it’s a lady. No one can catch her. She has long fangs and carries a snake with her. She is said to talk the language of the serpents, a forgotten language that is just now being learned. No one knows too much though. My plan is to catch that half serpent and than keep her for my entertainment. But as they say, she is only a legend.”
“You seem to know much of this hafling, sir. But what if she wasn’t a legend what if she was right under your nose.” Vataliny confidently said to the keeper. She knew she might have been giving herself up but that was a chance she could take.
“You really know her madam. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Where she is and what do you mean under my nose? How do you know she isn’t a legend? Have you seen her?” The keeper was starting to get crooked.
Vataliny smiled. Her fangs were showing clearly. The keeper gasped. “I know this because I am the legend so to say. Also many people have tried to capture me but have failed to do so. I am skilled not only in concealing myself but in swordsmanship.” Vataliny pushed her cloak back showing her dagger sheath and her sword. Her dagger sheath was empty and the keeper wondered why that was. Until he saw the dagger in Vataliny’s hand. The tip was gleaming and her finger was stroking it gently. “Everything you have heard about me is all true. My friend serpent is an elemental. I hope you know what that means. Anyway, I am half human half snake and if you don’t let my friend and half kin go than I shall sink my fangs into your arm and inject you with my venom. It will cause you to go insane. Also I only now the anti-dote and you are not going to get it out of me, because it involves my venom with my friend’s venom.”
The keeper gaped and gingerly held out the key to Vataliny. Vataliny snatched the key and opened the cage holding her hand out to Alyx. Alyx was laughing to herself and then the two friends broke out in tears laughing so hard.
“Yes, madam.” The keeper said bowing, “I’m so sorry to capture your friend. If you would like you and your group may have some rum and stay here as long as you want. If not then I assure you I will never let this kind of thing happen again.” The keeper got an evil look in his eyes. Vataliny looked back at him unwillingly.
Aluwishis grinned. His fangs clearly sticking out of his mouth. His grin made Alyxandra shiver. Alyx looked over at Vataliny unsurely. Vataliny just looked at her and smiled. She had a plan; Alyx thought that smile always means she has a plan. The thing was no one ever knew what Vataliny’s plans were because of her closed mind. Rain curled up around Vataliny’s arm.


Toler walked through the tavern door. He looked around as if he was looking for someone. Vataliny ducked as she saw Toler walking through the door. She kneeled down under the table. Aluwishis was too busy to notice Vataliny disappear. Vataliny drew her recently sheathed dagger. Toler sat at the bar and ordered ale.

Two men walked in the back of the tavern. The keep’s room. They walked in the bar and grabbed the keep from behind. They took him in the room. Vataliny dashed out from under the table. And ran into the back room. She bared her teeth and yelled, “Let him go.”
“Why should we, Vataliny?” Toler said from behind her.
Vataliny gapped and spun around. The sword cutting her arm. She flinched at the sudden pain. “Toler? I thought I killed you a long time ago.” Vataliny looked at him with a confused look. “I thought that I had finished you off.”
“That was my brother you killed. We look exactly a like. I have come here to kill the barkeep for revenge on my father. But instead I get to kill the girl who could defeat my brother in one blow. But tell me, how did you do it?” Toler asked her, a smirk playing on his thin lips.
“The same way I’m going to kill you.” She threatened.
“And how would that be?” Toler asked, “I don’t suppose you can hurt me with an injured arm. You do have a sword don’t you? That will hardly scar me, but that dagger will only leave a dent.” The smirk glowed, his hand clenching the sword hilt.
“Like this…” Vataliny lunged towards Toler. Her fangs bore. He jumped out of the way in fright.
“You plan to eat me?” He laughed a cold hard laugh. “That will do the trick!” He said sarcastically.
When he was laughing Vataliny lunged at him again. Striking his leg head on, she injected it with all of her venom. The two men got scared and ran off. The keep ran back into the room screaming, more like mumbling, and something at all of the drunks. They just kept on talking to each other. Toler fell to the floor and took him a second to realize what had happened.
“What the…” He said getting up and looking at his leg. Two bright red dots were there. His leg started to swell. He walked towards the door. Woozy from poison he looked back at Vataliny and said, “I’m going to get you for this, Vata. I’m going to kill you!” He walked out the door.
Vataliny muttered under her breath, “If you live.” The cut on her arm wasn’t that bad. She kept her hand over it, occasionally wiping her hand on the bottom of her cloak.

“What happened?” asked Aluwishis.
“Nothing.” Vataliny said coolly.
“Something had to have happened.”
“I just met one of my old acquaintances.”
“That’s it?” asked Alyx listening in on the conversation.
“Yes that’s it.” Vataliny looked agitated. The keep ran up to her.
“You saw them. They tried to kill me!” The keep yelled at Vataliny. Pointing at the fainted figure of Toler outside. Vataliny smiled. Alyx looked at the figure and asked
“Isn’t that Toler? Vataliny that’s Toler isn’t it?
“Yeah, so?” Vataliny said. Her voice wasn’t as worried as Alyxandra’s voice was.
“So. Vataliny please tell me you didn’t.”
“Didn’t what?” said Aluwishis.
“Yes Alyx, I did. And I did inject him with my venom if you were wondering what I did to Toler.”
“Oh.” Aluwishis said thinking; again, that Vataliny really was what she said.
“Vataliny, you said that would never happen again!”
“I lied okay? And he was going to kill me. What do you think I should have done?”
“Not use your venom. Why not your sword or you dagger which was in your hand, I presume.”
“Yes it was. But I wasn’t thinking okay? I don’t know why I did that but we should go see if this assassin is dead.”
“Fine.” Alyxandra said, reluctantly ending their conversation. Aluwishis ordered ale.
“What are you doing with that… that foul substance?” Vataliny looked at the ale disapprovingly. She sighed and took a big drink of her water. Her fangs reflected some light. A drop of venom fell on to Vataliny’s tongue. She flinched. Ordered more water. Looking out the window once again.
“Foul, I find it quite good.” Aluwishis smirked at Vataliny. She sneered showing him her fangs. Alyx sighed and looked at Vataliny disapprovingly. Thinking that Toler would have been better to just defeat with a sword. Alyx knew the full power of Vataliny’s venom. She didn’t know what it would do to her though, but she knew what it would do. Vataliny was mixing some new anti-venom. A bit woozy from using all of her venom. She still had a drop or two left. But that would hardly suffice for what she needed to stay alive. She looked at Rain. It was sleeping on the seat next to her. A drunk came up to them.
“What are you doing here?” He fell on the floor.
“I think we should go check on Toler to make sure he is dead.” Vataliny said. They walked out of the tavern. A half drunken, warm ale, warm water, and five silver coins were all that was left on the table.































Chapter 2
Assassins
Vataliny, Alyxandra, and Aluwishis all crowded around Toler. Alyxandra looked at the legs and the arms. She sighed and looked at Vataliny. Toler lay on the ground. He wasn’t dead. Just passed out. Vataliny sighed in relief; thinking he was dead she looked at Alyxandra and smiled at her. Aluwishis poked Toler. The two sidekicks Toler had working for him crept around the tavern wall. Seeing Aluwishis poke their master they jumped out, swords drawn and ready to attack.
“Do you really want to fight?” Vataliny asked annoyed.
“Yes.” The two assassins said in unison.
“Fine, let’s get it over with so I can kill you also.” Vataliny said. She drew her sword and lunged at the two. The sound of the sword hitting the other made the forest ring. Birds flew out of trees with fear; Vataliny stepped back and swung again. Swing after swing she hit harder every time.
Toler woke up and lifted his head, feeling drowsy setting it back down again. Standing up and found his servants and Vata fighting. Pulling out his sword and swinging at Vataliny. She kneeled over from the blow to her legs. Reaching back and feeling the blood on her calves, Vataliny turned around and swung her sword as hard as she could.
“Couldn’t defeat me with your venom so you decide to kill me with that thing.” Toler said.
“This thing is a sword. And if you know how to use it I would say it was a damn good one at that!” Vataliny said, swinging the sword and cutting him on the arms. She smiled and took a step forward as Toler took a step back.
“Vata, if you truly think you can kill me and both of my servants then you are wrong! It’s three to one! How can you beat those odds?”
“Get off your high horse Toler. The odds are even.” Just then Aluwishis and Alyxandra walked out of the nearby forest.
Toler looked at them and shouted to his servants, “What are you waiting for? Kill them!”
“Yes sir!” They both said. Running after Aluwishis one took a swing at him, the other running towards Alyx.


Mean while, a young vampiress sat in the trees watching the scene. The young girl fighting Toler looked familiar. She knew Toler. Wanted to help him because she was his comrade. Lightly hitting the ground; she ran with swiftness. Warfare was one of her specialties and she took pleasure in knowing that. Toler spotted the vampire running and motioned for her to get away. She didn’t know why Toler did that. The girl didn’t look like she was too hard to beat.
Vataliny swing her sword as hard as she could. She hit Toler in the legs, he fell down and she put her sword up to his neck.
“Do you believe that I can’t kill you or won’t kill you?” Suddenly she felt cold metal against her neck.
“No, because now the odds are four against three.”
“Haze, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in the forest!” Aluwishis yelled at the girl. As Haze put her sword down Vataliny quickly turned around. Breathing heavily after the long fight with Toler.
“You know her Aluwishis?” Vataliny questioned. Aluwishis just nodded. Toler took the chance and put a sword up to her neck.
“Drop your sword Vata, you’re defeated.” Toler said.
“No.” Vataliny said quietly.
“What, I couldn’t hear you.” Toler laughed. He lowered his sword a bit. Vataliny ducked and sliced him on the legs again. She held her dagger out to Haze and her sword on Toler’s neck.
“Don’t jump to conclusions too quickly, &n bsp; Toler.” Haze looked at Vataliny thinking she was tougher than she looked, also noticing the fangs. Haze saw an Egyptian cobra on the floor and beckoned for it. The cobra hissed and slithered towards Vataliny. Vataliny picked up the snake. Toler jumped up and held his sword out.
“Vataliny, is it? I heard you in the forest previously, with my brother Aluwishis. Didn’t look like you could fight very well. Although you do always carry that dagger out of its sheath. A dangerous little fighter nevertheless. Where did you learn that? I would like to fight like that also. You have many strange qualities about you, talking to snakes, fangs, an extremely good fighter and even a respectable traveler.” Haze said in appreciation. Vataliny glanced at Haze.
“You have much to say to me. Why is that? You talk too much, and if I may ask, what is your name? The snake, as you call, it is my servant and friend. The only person I can trust if you look at it from my perspective. How long where you watching me? How much did you find out?” She questioned Haze while holding down Toler.
“My name is Haze, I have been watching you for quite some time, and I didn’t find out very much from you though you are a very interesting creature...” When Vataliny heard that, she decided to correct through a famous female technique called screaming.
“CREATURE?” she screamed, “I am no Creature! I’m half serpent half human, only half creature. Only half, is that so hard to understand?” Vataliny started to cool off.
“Uh, Vataliny?” Alyx looked at her.
“What?” Vataliny said annoyed.
“Toler’s getting away.” Alyx pointed at the, now, far away Toler. Vataliny turned and ran with an amazing speed. She grabbed Toler and walked back to the gathering, breathing heavily. Toler was gasping for breath as Vataliny tightened her grip on his cloak.
“You’re-ack-choking me!” Toler gasped with little breath left.
“Good! Why shouldn’t I?” Vataliny told him coldly. Alyx hit Vataliny in the leg. Scowled at her and motioned her head towards Haze and Aluwishis arguing.
“Aluwishis, you wish to woo her!”
“I do not!”
“Yes, else why did you take her to the tavern? You knew Toler always goes there.”
“Because I heard Toler talking about a woman named Vataliny, when I heard her name I wondered if she was the one.”
“What are you speaking of?”
“You know...the girl.”
“Oh, Aluwishis do you really believe that?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Aluwishis contradicted his sister. His voice held annoyance. Unaware that Vataliny, Alyxandra, and Toler were all listening in on their conversation, they continued. Almost silently.
“Haze, I don’t think she’s…” Aluwishis looked stunned as Haze burst out laughing. Vataliny started blushing. Aluwishis turned around to see Toler laughing on the ground with his cloak in Vataliny’s hand. Alyx looked stunned and she giggled at what Aluwishis had said. He looked at Vataliny mercifully and Vataliny just blushed and looked down at Toler and kicked him. He whimpered in pain with tears in his eyes from laughing. Looking back up at Aluwishis she felt a pain in her arm. Alyx turned white as Haze licked her lips. Vataliny put a hand on the pain and pulled her hand back to her face. It was covered with blood. Her hand dripped off the blood as she put the hand back on the wound. Toler held a dagger, dropping the dagger on the ground and standing up. Vataliny grabbed Toler and pulled him to the ground.
“Toler, you have.” Vataliny told Toler. Haze took a step closer to Vataliny.
“Come here Vataliny, I can heal that for you.” Haze said trying to feed herself.
“I can heal myself.” Vataliny looked at Haze’s disappointed face. She pulled out her vial of Anti-venom and drank it, saving some of the last drops for her wound. The stinging sensation would continue on for hours. Vataliny passed out; she had drunk to much anti-venom. She let go of Toler and fell to the ground. She began seizing, and lay on the ground, viciously turning and shaking. Aluwishis ran to her side as her dagger by her leg threatened to stab her. When Vataliny woke up it was dark. Toler had gotten away and she had bled all over the ground. Haze had blood on her lips.
“Shit!” Vataliny said startling Alyx, Aluwishis and Haze. “I shouldn’t have done that.” Toler had indeed run away. Vataliny suspected that he had and he would never return. She looked at Alyx. She said a faint good-bye and stood up. Turning around, she took off running.


























Chapter 3
Memories
A tear slid down Vataliny’s cheek as she remembered the last moment with her friends. It seemed like a century, but in turn it was really only one year. She missed her friends so, but her revenge on Toler was not yet over. She had found him in a cave, in fright he fled running around her; he managed to escape once again. Vataliny’s head hung as she stroked her cobra. The snake looked at her and crawled on her shoulder to rest.
“Don’t worry, Rain. We’ll find Toler.” Vataliny said assuring her snake. Humming a song to her self, Vataliny closed her eyes. She started to silently cry. Her voice was lovely; she ended the song on a long, sad note. She buried her face in her cloak and started to cry uncontrollably. Looking around she heard a rustle, and, wiping her face off, she stood up with her dagger held out.
“Is anyone there?” Vataliny asked with concern. Everything was silent. Vataliny shrugged and went on singing to herself. This time she forgot how the song ended. Vataliny could still feel the warm blood drip down her arm. Looking down she could see a red spot in the earth, it looked like a cobra. Mouth open, fangs showing. This cobra was pure black, a touch of red soil made up the blood red eyes. Vataliny smiled and continued on her journey. Her cloak arm was now stained black. Her blood had a stream running down her arm. She also washed her cloak removing the blood stains all over it. Buckling her belt she sheathed her sword, then her dagger. She looked around. The feeling of being watched brought back memories from the past. She wiped a tear away and looked at herself in the water.
Whistling to her snake, she put her arm down and the snake crawled up her arm. She looked around and Rain whispered something in her ear.
“I can feel it too, Rain.” Her dagger was at her side. She put her hand on her sword hilt and shouted, “I know you’re out there. Show your face.”
There appeared a fair, pale face. Long, black hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes belonged to this fair being. Light red lips smiled at Vataliny, The person stepped forward. The woman was tall, taller than Vataliny, who was quite tall herself. The tall woman pushed back some of her beautiful black hair.
“You. You’re an elf?” Vataliny asked the elf, seeing her pointed ears. Her wound had stopped bleeding, but it would start when Vataliny had regained enough blood.
“You’re wounded.” The elf said, concern in her voice.
“Yes, what is your name?” Vataliny asked. She felt apprehensive about this elf. Not sure if it was good or if it was evil. She did not trust very many elves, let alone other creatures. Her worries were on finds and destroying Toler, not in fighting. Vataliny was in the shape to fight. Not here, not now.
“My name is Tari Elanstar. Might I ask your name?” Tari answered coolly. She could feel the apprehensiveness about this girl. The tensions see the muscles tense up then fall loose, as if being controlled then finding their mind again.
“My name is Vataliny, I am not bleeding, yet I am wounded and I take responsibility for that. All though, I do notice you are an elf. What county are you from?” Vataliny started to warm up to elf.
“I do not remember where I am from. I live in a colony just downstream... Are you sure you are fine? I really can heal the wound. Please, may I help you?”
“No,” Vataliny put her hand over her wound, “I am fine.” Tari looked at her unsurely but dropped her hand off of the vial which held a dark green substance.
“Where are you traveling?” Tari asked.
“I am looking for someone. Have you met a man named Toler?”
“No, but I have heard of some strange things around here. I just heard yesterday that you were coming; I was sent to check you out to see if you were dangerous.” Vataliny laughed at this comment. ‘Me? Dangerous?’ she thought to herself. Tari looked at her. Her eyes narrowed. They came upon the blood spot. ‘A cobra?’ Tari thought,’ This girl is dangerous; anyone who bares the sign of a cobra bares the curse of evil. I thought I detected something evil in her eyes. This girl has no reason to be here.’ Tari looked away. Vataliny detected something odd going on. Tari looked Vataliny in the eye, “Come with me.” She said. Brushing some dirt over the blood spot. She started walking away. Vataliny hesitated a few steps then gingerly took a step. One more look around, and she continued after Tari. They continued on deeper into the woods, after a while they stopped at two trees. It almost looked as if an invisible gate was blocking the way of their path. Tari closed her eyes and put her hand on the left tree. She looked back at Vataliny who had fallen back quite a way. Vataliny had her dagger in her hand when she felt a cold blade across her neck.
A harsh whisper spoke in her ear, “Put down the blade.” Vataliny could feel as she considered this, the knife was pushed harder into her neck. She could feel when it finally broke the skin and some warm blood ran down her neck. It fell under her cloak between her breasts. The pain became so unbearable that she let go of her dagger. It dropped straight into the ground soundlessly as if the ground beneath her feet was scared to make a sound. The knife lightened and she could feel her sword being lifted out of its sheath. It had stayed there for quite some time. The knife slid so close to Vataliny’s neck she could have thought it was still cutting her. Tari looked at Vataliny and the person behind her.
“You have a nice blade, hafling. If I am correct, you must be excellent with swords, I do not doubt your skill. And this dagger is equally nice.” The person said, taking a second to admire the fine blades.
‘It’s a male.’ Vataliny thought to herself, ‘definitely a male. He must also be an elf.’ Vataliny was interrupted by the man again.
“Halfling, do you have a name?” The man questioned starting to walk around her.
“Vataliny, your majesty,” Tari said. She was bowing to him.
“Vataliny. I have had news that you are a hafling, but of which breed? Tiger? Dragon? Which one of these creatures could you possibly be?”
Vataliny stood there. The flame in her eye seemingly became pitch black, her pupils narrowing to fine slits. Her cloak started to blow around in the slight breeze.
“She is a serpent, m’lord. A black one at that. She has evil in her eyes. You will see the ground when she drips blood from her right arm.” Tari stayed with her head down.
The man looked Vataliny over. He stopped at the slit in her cloak. He reached out her dagger and sliced into the cut. Vataliny didn’t flinch. Blood ran down her arm and dripped off of her hand. The blood turned black in the soil. Vataliny didn’t dare looked down or up. She tried to keep her mouth closed. Now that what she was was revealed to elves, she knew she couldn’t help but sigh. Once she opened her mouth to let out a sigh the elf looked at her. Then to the cobra shaped head in the soil.
“A serpent. The curse of eternal evil. The worst you can have. Tell me snake, how did you get this curse. Fangs? You have fangs? You have the curse of the cobra, young snake. You are cursed with everything the cobra has. But I see that you also have a certain human appearance to you. The only resemblance between you and a cobra is the fangs. And I presume that you too have venom. You are a young human. Around eighteen human years or so. What are you doing traveling in the woods?”
Vataliny saw the sword in his hand start to rise. If she would have to answer she would only answer what she had to, “I will not deny that I am a cobra, nor will I deny that I am evil. I am in search of a man. He goes by the name of Toler. And I must say that you are nowhere close to my age. I am immortal. Yes an immortal human.” Every time she said an, ‘s,’ she made a hiss.
The elf was looking at Tari after he asked the question, when Vataliny started talking he looked startled at how well she spoke the common tongue. He was not, however, surprised at how heavy her sword was. He looked her over then swung her sword around. The dagger was just as heavy as the sword. He dropped it in ground as Vataliny had done. It ricocheted off the dirt and lay flat on the ground. The elf looked back up at Vataliny. “You are an assassin.” He said. Looking straight in Vataliny’s eyes, he knew that there was a slight grow in the flame there. “I know you are. You have the swords to be one. If you where hired to kill this Toler, then why haven’t you found him? Then again, were you hired to kill this man? Though, I doubt that at a task as great as this you already would have succeeded, but then again if you weren’t hired to kill this man, and I assume that he is mortal, then you would have just done this.” He jabbed the sword towards Vataliny, barley touching her bleeding neck. Making another motion he started again, this time walking around Vataliny. “Although, I suppose that you and this boy know each other from some where. Where, I do not know.” He brushed the sword across her back putting it in its sheath. “You are free to go.” He put the dagger in her hand and stepped back. Vataliny turned around and glared at him.
As Vataliny walked away from the camp she wondered if she would ever see another elf, or become captive one more time in her life. Although the possibilities were very great, she hoped not to run into another elf. Her possibilities of finding Toler were, however, very little. She would have to travel far too many a forest and village to find him. Vataliny was, however, going to find him. Though she wanted to kill him badly, a duel would be better. After all, humans were humans. Vataliny continued through the forest to find a nearby village. She had wanted to find a tavern and rest for a while.
After walking five or six miles dusk set in and Vataliny was forced to set up camp at a tree. She was still a distance away from the village, let alone the tavern, but she had to set up camp. She pulled Rain off of her shoulder. She set the cobra on a rock in the nearby river. The snake started to drink. It gulped down the water and then started to swim around in the water. Its scales blended in with the water so it looked almost invisible. Vataliny let her snake just swim downstream in search for food. She reached into her cloak and took out a small package of fresh, raw, deer meat. She started to eat it, occasionally licking the blood off before she took a bite. The deer meat was carved and it looked like something from the market. She had more packages in her cloak but she rationed it. Once she had eaten her supper she lay down on the ground and dozed off.
Vataliny awoke to a loud thunderstorm. She gathered her stuff and hurried on. She was heading towards the village. When she got there, she was completely drenched from hair to foot. As she walked down the streets, she noticed that they were completely empty.

As the sky darkened, his senses grew sharper. He could smell the coming rain, had smelled it for several days. He could hear her heart beating, a very rapid, inhuman beat; although he knew she was not frightened.
As the sky darkened, everything around him grew more alive. Things that could not move seemed to twist and writhe, but especially her. Her warmth seemed to wrap around her as if there was some force keeping the warmth near her.
As if without it, she could die.
He had been following her since he noticed her almost a year ago. Wandering around the land as an exile, he had been in despair when he stumbled upon something else like himself. His superior hearing picked up conversation between her and others that provided him with the information that she was, in fact, a halfling.
She was not nearly as odd as he was, however.
He watched from the forest as he turned, once again, to the sad thoughts of his roots.
Although his celestial age was much older, his appearance was that of a twenty-year-old man. At the time of his birth, the entire elf city had proclaimed it an evil date. His mother had been an elf, a beautiful naturist with long black hair and softly delicate white skin.
His mother was not the problem, however.
She had been of high ranks, considerably, in Elvin society. She was allowed to travel as she pleased and she had many powers. Because of this, she stopped at a city called Amber Glen. The city was one of the largest in the land, and his mother was there on an aristocratic mission: attending Royal Parties.
She could not, however, pass up the opportunity for excitement, so she dressed up every night as a lower elf, one who would fit in at shady places. ‘Twas in one such place wherein she met his father. A vampire.
He had been quite taken with her. He seduced her. All elf society that knew of the crime was horrified. Elves, as strict rules, do not mix with other breeds. However, his mother was pregnant soon. Sadly, his father was murdered as punishment for his crime, and his soul was trapped within a glacier. His mother, after birth, became even more pale and fragile and died before he could scarce walk the earth.
His early years had been confusing and painful. He had not understood what he was. Then, one day, the king of the elves came to him and declared him an exile. He had been stripped of his title and his name became a curse.
He’d changed it. No one, not even he could remember now what his original name had been. His name was now Afriel Sanguis. The last name meant blood.
There was action in the streets of the city. The girl was moving through it. The wind blew Afriel’s long black cloak and hair wildly, and it began to rain.
He didn’t even know why he was following her, really. Maybe just because there were other things out there like him and if he wasn’t near them he’d go insane. As a result of past experience, Afriel hadn’t spoken in nearly millennia. Afriel had not uttered one single word. Why should he? Everything he said was used against him. And what would he say to her? “Pardon, my dear, but I have been following you. You interest me because you are a crime against nature, and I am as well. Please, be my friend.”
Nay, he would speak no word to her. Oft he had fancied she may notice him, come to him and ask him questions. Even then, at her bidding, he would feign to be mute. Mayhap he would draw his name in the dirt. Daily, then, he could hear her call for him, hissing at him with a careful brutality. He could already hear it,” Afrriell Ssaunguiss…” Out of boredom, loneliness, who knew what, he would follow her until she died or made him leave or both. Or until he was satisfied with this nonsense.
He trained his eyes on her as she walked boldly through the strange city.

Vataliny sat down in the middle of the road. She wrapped her cloak around her trying to keep up her energy. She shivered, without her energy she couldn’t travel more. Vataliny had sensed another but she just thought it a creature. She soon fell asleep, and her head on a broken water fountain, slowly made her way to the ground. Cloak still tight around her, she opened one eye to a footstep. Half awake she was alone in the middle of the town. The rain was coming down in thick sheets and she tried hard to stay dry under the broken fountain. She let out a low hiss. The cold rain beat against her now frail body. She lay down and wondered when it would stop. Closing her eyes to keep the rain out of them she dozed off.
She awoke to a whisper. Half the town stood around her. Her cloak was gone and she was on a bed her weapons had been removed and all that she as left with was her shirt and pants. Yes, the women snickered at the thought that she was wearing men’s clothes. She had many bandages on her, on her arms, a few on her legs and many on her stomach and one on her neck. The bandages had been replaced many times, and some were now blood soaked. She had been bathed again and her clothes had been washed. Her cloak was hanging up now to dry.
Many people now stood around her and she hissed slightly. A gasp ran through the crowd. The next thing Vataliny’s knows is that she is stuck in a cage. Her fangs were bared and she shook the cage many times. The keeper would just laugh and a crowd would gasp and whisper to each other.
“Thouy weaft hastd beighn!” She warned the keeper in her native tongue. The whisper grew louder and everybody crowded around. Her dagger was hanging on a wall nest to her sword. A sign said, “Heavy and sharp! Do not touch!”
She grasped for them and felt a stinging on the back of her arm. All she did was look at a dagger in her arm and pulled it out then dropped it on the ground.
Vataliny’s eyes narrowed on the man as she lunged at him. She looked around seeing something that caught her eye. Rain was hovering in the window. She smiled and sat down in the cage. Her smile had faded and a look of annoyance came over her face. Looking around in complete despair she looked for someone she knew. Looking out all of the windows she caught a faint glimpse of Afreil. “Who is that man? What is he doing here? Has he been following me?” she thought. Then she looked at and noticed the features on his face. “An elf, a high ranking elf also! What could he be doing here in this town? Shouldn’t he be back at his home?” She pondered over this for awhile. The people around her got bored and left Vataliny to be.
The next day all Vataliny could think about was the elf. The fire in her eyes had disappeared. Her fangs were now smaller. All she had been having was water and meat remains. She could feel the snake in herself leave her body. She had to get out of this cage or she would die completely. No one would be able to heal her. She needed t live in the wilderness. She needed to finish her job as an assassin, or she would continue living in this form. Two perfect tears slid down her fair cheeks. She had started to become pale now. Her pupils were becoming more rounded now. She talked to herself in her native language though. One thing she could never forget. Her true self.