Walking through the woods of Worth Woodsea Shinzo was restless. He only traveled st night, in fear of the sunlight; and he vampire had only a few hours left to find himself a little town to rest in. Shinzo was suffering from the all too familiar sanguine hunger of a vampire, and he needed to find someone to feed on. He planned to take refuge from the sun in a tavern, he could wait one more day . If he took it easy he could feed off one town for at least a month. Running into town and ranssacking the blood banks of women who walked at night was a sure way to get suspicion hrown on him and Shinzo had just dealt with enough of that.

He tried not to think about it all as he walked through the woods. Shinzo could smell blood, and there was a trail so he knew he would be somewhere soon. He kept walking on as the crickets chirped in the woods around him. Shinzo could easily see in the dark, and it was clear to him he was mostly alone. There was occasionally a bat flying over his head, but besides that and the bugs Shinzo was traveling in solitude.

Eventually Shinzi arrived at a town sign. Villatowne it was called, and there were maps posted underneath the sign. Suinzo grabbed himself one and scanned it for the tavern. He could see the darkness brightening, and thay meant he was within the hour to find rest. He had enough Jewels, he wasn't worried about that. What worried Suinzo was the stabbing pain in his gut. The hunger had grown since he got so close to town, the smell of blood growing stronger and enticing him. Shinzo gulped down some spit and ran off toward where the tavern was supposed to be located.

When Shinzo arrived at the tavern he was surprised to see it filled with bustling meat sacks. Mortals thrived in the candle lit tavern, and Shinzo was thankful for that. According to the clock he had a half hour until daylight, which was just enough time for him to settle under the bed.

Shinzo bought a room using some of the Jewels he had earned from a pickpocket job in the last town he rested at. He wasted no time getting under the bed where it was darkest and crossed his arms. As he laid there, Shunzo was no longer waiting for the sun. He felt free and began to entrance himself using magic. He fell into a torpor.

Shinzo awoke at promptly eleven pm the next night and got uimself cleaned up. He planned on feeding, in fact he was faced with little choice. His face looked gaunt, and Shinzo felt as pained as he looked. Dressed up nice in his favorite leather coat Shunzo walked down the stairs of the tavern and into the bar. He ordered himself a tomato juice and sat in a corner. Shunzo waited for someone to enter hat would strike his fancy.

Eventually someone did, and he was pleased to view her. Like a prospecting buyer of a highe end lacrima Shinzo eyed her up
She was a brunette, with soft brown eyes that were big and round. She was dressed in a yellow blouse with bell bottoms on, and her hair was tied up. She was graced with symmetrical features and appeared perfect to shinzo. Of course as hungry as he was anyone could have satisfied him by the end of the night.

Shinzo sipped from his juice and watched the woman walk over to a table where two women were sitting. They seemed to be friends and Shinzo was pleased for the events.

Shinzo was a Predator, and in such a state of hunger he was heavily dedicated to his work. Shinzo only fed on beautiful women, delicate not to share an intimate moment like feeding on ugly people or even men at all. He set his cup down after the long sip, and then reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a long white cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. His eyes were off his target now. He didn't need to size her up anymore. Part of the thrill was the wait. Shinzo used a fleck of flames from his finger tip to light his cigarette. It smelled skunky but he happily inhaled as he waited.

Wordcount: 739

Exhaling another deep toke of his hand rolled cigarette Shinzo found himself staring in the direction of a neko. Velvety black cat ears sat atop his head, and the nekos tail was shifty as could be. Shinzo noticed his hunters mind was focused on eyeing up the cat man. He didn't seem like a fighter, or a wizard. He was simply sitting at a table by himself, drinking a brown sludge. Shinzo thought of his quarry on the other side of the tavern and decided he wouldn't draw attention to himself with a whistle, that's what he wanted to do. Instead he decided to walk over to the cat man and talk with him.

Shinzo coughed gently and pulled out the chair that sat in front of the beko and sat in it backwards. He leaned forward a bit, feeling playful. In his peripherals he saw his target laughing and smiling. "Her blood will be filled with happiness, and wine." Shinzo was salivating as he thought about it, but quickly swallowed his spit and refocused his attention on the neko. Shinzo wanted to do something.

"My name is Shinzo. Nice to meet ya." Shinzo held his hand out, his black fingernails gently hanging out for the neko to grab onto.

"Names Zimnur." The neko said, and sighed. He was obviously stressed out and Shinzo felt like entertaining the guy.

"You look like you need help. What can I do for ya?"Shinzo retracted his hand shake. He wassmiling, excited to follow the woman out of the tavern and draw her blood into his mouth. He nearly stood up thinking about it. Breathing in through his nose Shinzo recollected himself.

Zimnur sighed again but this time he looked up to meet Shinzo's vampire gaze. His eyes were deep, dark red. His hunger was reaching its climax soon. Shinzo blinked twice abruptly to break the gaze they had made with each other, and then Zimnur spoke.

"Well my tribe is expanding. We plan on taking over these acres south of here but there's wolves all over. Whoever takes care of them gets to be Security Chief. I need that. I don't have much, I need that." Zimnur sighed and wiggled his noodle arms around. "Kill the wolves for me and I'll pay you. Just don't tell anyone I asked you to do it for me."

Shinzo nodded. He understood the need for a position of power. He had seen vampires who controlled entire cults of humans, ripened by the Immortal coil itself as feeders for vampires. He wouldn't say it, but Shinzo needed that; just like he need the woman's blood from across he way. As Shinzo spoke he watched her stand up and head to the exit of the tavern. He was short and brief. Shinzo wasted no words. "Mark my map." He placed his map of he woods on the table, his eyes across the room watching the girl leave the tavern.

Zimnur marked the map and started telling Shinzo more of the quest, "....the alpha is the one-" Shinzo walked away nodding. He headed toward his room, no longer watching the girl exit the tavern.

Wordcount: 542

Shinzo got into his room and headed immediately for the window. He could see the woman in her yellow blouse crossing the street. The town was small, and Shinzo knew if he wanted to suck her blood before she was locked in her home he would have to act fast. Shinzo pressed forward the underside of his wrist and a ball of flame appeared in his hand. He shot his wrist forward and a trail of fire soared through the air. It hit a nearby barn and stuck. Shinzo leapt through the window, swinging on the Fire Form webbing. As he soared hough the air he came close to the ground and let go. The fire in his hand disappeared.

In total silence he rolled over the ground and up onto his feet in a crouching position. The woman was just in front of him. He'd have to sneak up to her and attack her from behind to get to her neck. This hunt that he needed so bad. As Shinzo moved closer to the woman the hunger began screaming throughout his body. This was normal for him, and Shinzo maintained his peace of mind by focusing on the smell of her blood. He crept up closer and closer until finally he was in arms reach.

Shinzo led forward with his right hand and grabbed the woman backwards she leaned back on her left falling into Shinzo. He held her by the shoulder and pressed forward with his jaws to her neck. Shinzos four pointed vampire teeth sunk their way into the soft flesh of the subdued woman. As the venom coating Shinzos fangs ran through her blood she became paralyzed. She just laid in shinzos grasp as he drew her blood from her body. Shinzo had nothing on his mind but the taste of her blood.

Sweet at first, then Salty with strong hints of cinnamon. As Shinzo pulled his teeth out of her corpse he wondered if the woman used cinnamon perfume in her life time. He held her tighter than he had before even though she was dead now. Shinzo gently laid her to the ground.

"Thank you, Anneliese." Shinzo whispered to the girl who be had just given her a name. He quite liked her blood. Shinzi wondered if her friends tasted the same, and formed the fire webbing in his palm again. He ziplined onto a nearby roof and then sat down.

With the map held open in his hands Shinzo calculated how long the walk would be. He had four hours to walk tonight. Which looked like it was just in the area where the wolves were seen roaming. Shinzi decided to make it into a two day trip. With nowhere to hide from the sun Shinzo had to build a shelter from the woods around him. Once he was satisfied he got in the shelter and rested until the next night.

After traveling for the better half of the night Shinzo found himself where Zimnur had marked on his map. The vampire looked around with his night vision eyes, he saw nothing. "I guess I'll have to draw them to me." Shinzo whispered to himself.

Wordcount: 538

No lunged hungry Shinzo could operate normally. He wasn't pressed for time outside of the curse of daylight; and that meant he could arrange his traps for the wolves as he wanted. Shinzo placed dear carcasses in a small circle with a giant wood woven basket atop it. He figured once at least two gotnin he could trap them. And the take care of the rest. Wolves are pack animals and won't give up on their own so easily.

Shinzo thought to himself, "So unlike my kind."

Waiting in the tree above his trap Shinzo had a wood horn he had made. He blew it in the air, imitating the distress call of a deer from Worth Woodsea. Shinzo kept at it for a few hours and went well into the night. As it got darker he used his night vision to properly ascertain the wolves on arrival. Shinzo didnt have to eat long
By midnight three medium sized grey wolveseere sniffing the deer up. One was definitely sure to get caught, but Shinzo wanted two. Dealing with a single wolf would be much easier than two. He watched and waited longer and longer. it was starting to test his patience, when suddenly the second one pounced on the deer for a midnight snack. Shinzo spit aflaming dart from his mouth. The black fire was almost invisible in the night, its only proof having flown was the cut rope securing the trap up in he a8r.b

The trap fell and caught two wolves. They started squeeling and growling and making q7ite a racket. Shinzo pressednhisnfist outward and summonedna magical sigil inside the trap. Suddenly a ball of fire exploded in the place where the wolves were trapped, and a burning cat walked around the two wolves. They must have sensed Shinzo's magic because they avoided the cat. With two subdued Shinzo had only the third to get. That one was definitely going to die. Shinzo thought on how he would kill it but he didn't get much time. The third wolf had found him and climbed up the tree to get Shinzo.

The vampire was vulnerable and decided to use one of his less advanced spells. Lion fire Barrage. His hands became swirling with fire. Shinzos fists looked like two Lion head and he was ready. The wolf had been closing the distance. It was now or never.

Shinzo jumped forward first, firing a lead left snap shot that missed. He came back around with an axe kick that clobbered the wolf. But the beast recovered quick and snapped at Shinzo a few times. Shinzo was bleeding but he didn't let it bother him. The vampire jumped up intonthenair and fired a flying knee, but he wold leapt up on its hind legs and dodged it. Shinxo was ready though. He summoned a magical sigil under his feet and was shot forward by fire . With his two fists facing forward he slammed he wolf in the car and sent it flying off the tree.

All three were subdued.

WC: 514

Shinzo got off the tree and killed each of the wolves with a single Fire Form Spear spell. They were easy to hit when they couldn't move and Shinzo put them out mercifully. He cut off their three tails as proof and began heading back toward Villatowne. As he noticed daylight beginning to shine through the net of stars above, Shinzo realized he had just a half hour to construct a shelter to protect him from the sun. He hated going underneath the ground but it looked like that was what he was going to do. Shinzo used Fire Form Magic to construct a a big dog. The fire construct wagged its burning tail as it dug up a deep hole. Four feet down just in time. Shinzo stepped inside of it and entered his torpor.

Once night had returned Shinzo dug himself out of the ground. He began walking home. It didn't take long for the vampire to sense a presence in the woods. Using his night vision he could see another wolf. This one was stalking him, and Shinzo could sense the danger. This alpha wolf was much bigger than the previous wolves. Shinzo stopped walking and prepared himself for battle.

After sitting still for quite a long time the wolf decided to make its move. A loud howl could be heard from the wayside and Shinzo used his Fire Form magicnto construct a large owl. The burning bird sat on Shinzo's shoulder, but only for a second. The wolf came charging out of the woods with its jaws snapping, and rhe Fire bird soared forward. It collided into the alpha wolf and exploded in a black deluge of flames. He canine was lit aflame and Shinzo could already taste victory. The dog whimpered and flinched giving Shinzo enough time to summon a Fire Form Spear from the ground. It pierced the wolves stomach but the wolf wasn't done; it charged forward, bleeding from its underside. Shinzo didn't have enough time to dodge it and instead he put his arms up. The wolf clenched onto his right forearm.

Shinzo waved his hand up into the air again and another Spear flew from a magical sigil into the wolf's belly. It cried out and loosened its grip on Shinzo's arm.

"Arrgh!" Shinzo cried out and freed his arm. Back vampire blood was spilled everywhere and Shinzo was seriously hurt. The vampire doubled back and raised several more spears from the ground. As the wolf chased Shinzo flaming spears plunged their way thru the beasts guts. Red blood spilled everywhere, and the wolves intestines spilled out like garbage on the street. It couldn't move, pierced in place by Shinzos pyromancy. Shinzo was deeply breathing, trying to contain the pain he had in his arm.

After regaining his composure the vampire used a Flame Form axe to chop the wolves head off. He planned on brining it to the neko as proof of all his kills.

Shinzo walked for a long time and eventually made it back to the tavern. Zimnur was sitting at the same table and Shinzo casually walked over to him, holding his bloodied arm in a sling and dragging the massive wolves head into the tavern. He set it on Zimnurs table and the nekos grinned wildly. Shinzo smiled back, his long canine teeth poking out.

"I've done your work." Shinzo said and sat down at the table. Zimnur pulled out a baggie filled with Shinzos reward.

WC: 593