The prophets of Elra

The inn (Scarlett)

The fire could be seen for a thousand miles, the screaming could be heard even farther. It was cries of pain, sorrow and death, there was no light here only darkness. Everything burned, every city, every village, every living thing. The sea was a pot of boiling water.

It was horrific yet there was an eerie beauty about it all. A sick sensation of glee and satisfaction blew in the scorching winds. The smoke was a blanket in the sky blocking out any light the sun had to offer. There was nothing but the fire.

There wasn't a thing that could contain the blaze. Even if the seas themselves gather together to battle the burning the attempt would be worthless. The flames came faster now, hungry, all powerful. It was an endless flood to heat and suffering. There wasn't a thing anyone could do other then await their demise.
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It was the very earliest hours of the morning when the sun still hasn't fully risen. There was the beating of rain drops on the roof of the inn. The room was small, just enough to fit a bed, a dresser, and a bedside table. Glass bottles and various items of clothing were scattered about the floor. There wasn't much of value aside from a ring hidden from curious servants under a floor board.

The room was rented by a rather strange female. She arrived almost two years ago carving out her meagre existence. She hadn't ever told any other residence of the inn much about her past. It was fine though, people didn't come to this town to boast about where their from and who they are, they come here to disappear. When she came she brought nothing with her aside from the clothes on her back and ring on her right hand.

The inns owner took pity on her, she had nothing and he provided her with a dry place to sleep. At the beginning people were angry and were quick to question the owner on his decision. But once she started to bring in coin the questions stopped. Scarlett was her name and she was sitting on her bed head in her hands. The early morning was slowly creeping by. She knew that soon she would have to get up and begin her daily tasks. There wasn't much left to motivate her aside from her own hungry belly. The work she was doing was tireless and always called her attention.

Scarlett forced herself up and across the room to her dresser. There was a half empty glass sitting on top and she took a swig. She was shocked to taste liquor so early in the morning, but she embraced the burn nonsense. Stripping down she quickly changed into long sleeved shirt and black leggings. There was a hunting knife with a worn handle which she tucked into its sheath attached to the belt she strapped on. Pulling on a dark brown cloak and grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows she rushed out the door.

She wanted to get out quickly, do the job and get back. It was always a battle around here, the weather always changed so quickly. One minute it would be sunny and the next it would be a storm, obstructing her view and wrecking her chances of success. Her line of work was competitive and speed was extremely important. She set her pace to a brisk walk as she rushed to make it out the front door of the inn. However she was stopped before she could make it even halfway to through.

"Going hunting?"

It was Bill, standing behind the bar washing a class with a washcloth. His grey hair was thinning leaving him with a bald patch on the top of his head. He has brown eves and red patches on his skin. His most defining feature was a thick brutal scar that went from the top of his head over his left eye and down to the bottom of his chin. He had never shared the story of the injury that almost ended his life, and something about the way his eyes darkened when it was mentioned made Scarlett never want to know.

He had always been kind to Scarlett, even when she probably didn't deserve it. He took her in off the street and gave her food and a bed. His generosity didn't stop there, he also never threatened to evict her if she was a bit late on rent. She's also seen him assist others in situations similar to her own. He would offer his last drop of water where their is a drought. Not a lot of people including Scarlett would offer the kindness he does. She shook her head at his question, they both know where she was going.

"Define hunting."

Scarlett's voice was cool, like normal it held no warmth. Bill chuckled,

"You know what you do is gonna get you stabbed in some dirty back ally somewhere. There's so much more a lady like you could be doing."

Scarlett rolls her eyes,

"Like what? Marrying a fine young lord? If you haven't noticed I'm not particularly the type a handsome human man would want."

It was true, no human would want anything to do with her. If they didn't run in fear they would spit on her disgust. Bill sighs and shakes his head turning the other direction. A clear signal that she's been dismissed.

Scarlett strides out the door her boots thump on the wooden floor boards. It's muddy and the ground is most definitely slick. She sloshes through the muck ignoring the mud splashing onto her legs. The smell of horse manure and smoke from chimneys waft into her nostrils. It's enough to make her gag, she scrunches her nose and quickens her walk. It wasn't too much farther of a walk now.

The small shack was located just on the outskirts of town. It was nothing to those who did not know what it was. To Scarlett it was her life, and in a way her sanctuary. She hurried to the door and shoved it open, it made a creaking noise that split through the morning air. The rest of the town had yet to wake up but inside the shack activity was booming. The usual crowd was there, hanging in their ordinary spots.

The group of tough guys were in the back, there were five of them, they were all bags of muscle. It was the leader of the group who was the most intimidating though, he was the size of a bear and just as dangerous. They called themselves the rippers. She knew to try and avoid run ins with that particular group. They were a particularly brutal gang, one that was willing to do whatever and butcher whoever they needed to get their payment.

The other group Scarlett made sure to avoid was the three males who sat at a table with a deck of cards. They were smart, so smart that they had every possible move and outcome calculated before the fight even began. They weren't nearly as brutal as the rippers but ten times as deadly. Like Scarlett they weren't human, they were novakin. The novakin live in the south west region of the map. They are only here because they have been banished from their homelands. For committing a crime so sinister that their sentence would be as harsh as to remove them from everything they knew. In many cases it was worse then an execution.
They were swift and silent as shadows, they could kill everyone in this room in a matter of seconds. No one dared to get in their way for risk of being their next target.

The others in the room were much like Scarlett, they were single hunters and not much of a threat. Scarlett took a seat where she usually does, as far away from the danger as possible. She leaned back and sucked in a breath, it was going to be a long day.