Solo Night Watch

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow 63rd Day of Fall 514 AV B eing employed as a mercenary was proving to be rather boring. While it is was nice that she could choose her jobs and placements, most of the time she was tasked with guard duties or aiding a Wave Guard patrol. Not that she had a problem with any of that, but it was rather monotonous work. Still, it was paying well enough so really she had nothing to complain about. But still, she’d somehow had images that mercenary work would have more fights involved. There had of course been the odd tussle or argument that needed a firmer touch than diplomacy could break up. The occasional fight kept her combat abilities updated so she didn’t get lazy, which was the last thing she wanted. But her post for this night was the front of a warehouse holding food stores from the caravans that had visited the city. There were other storage houses of course, Zeltiva was a thriving city, but the Lord’s Council and other parties had begun the implement of food rations in preparations for the coming winter. Saraphina was well aware of how important rationing supplies were, it was a common thing in Avanthal. So when she’d been asked to relive some of the Wave Guard and watch over the warehouse for a few nights, she’d gladly accepted. Reports from the Guard indicated an increase in some of the activities of thieves in the area. It was likely those who thought to grab a few crates of food and hold them till the winter was truly in full force before selling them to some poor common folk for an exorbitant price. Saraphina found that to be disgusting. The city was trying very hard to ensure all the citizens had enough to last through the cold season, that someone would stoop to lining their own pocket by causing someone else to starve brought great anger to the Kelvic. So she’d stationed herself by the warehouse for the last few nights and patrolled the exterior regularly. T he storage area was dark and abandoned at this time of night. The moon was only a tiny sliver in the sky which made the shadows surrounding the silent building seem even larger. No lanterns were lit nor did night dwelling souls wander through the area. The soft sound of the waves could be heard in the distance and when Saraphina looked up at the sky, she could see several small bats darting around. Watching the small winged mammals for a few moments, she tilted her head to the side and carefully listened to the world around her. It was silent and still, as it should be. Still her restlessness at staying still for too long soon won out and she stood up from the barrel she’d been sitting on. The Kelvic didn’t require a great deal of light to be able to see clearly. That was likely part of the reason why she’d been asked to watch the warehouse during the night. Which was a wise choice on her employer’s part. So far the nights she’d patrolled the storage area had been peaceful and quiet, a relaxing job. As the Kelvic walked around the outside of the warehouse, she kept her ears and eyes sharp for trouble. Though things had been uneventful, she was alone in her guard of the building. It would not be wise to get caught unawares. A...cat jumped out from behind a crate in the dark alley space between the two buildings. Saraphina jumped a bit, but the two felines looked at each other briefly before the black cat darted off into the night. She watched it go before continuing on. The outside of the warehouse was made of sturdy wood, slightly warped by the high humidity of Zeltiva’s ocean air. The storehouse had no windows on the walls, but a side door was located on the left side. As she pasted by the alternate entrance, Saraphina reached out and tested the doorknob. She froze as she looked over the rectangular structure. Two sturdy locks were supposed to secure the door from the outside….but both locks hung open and the door was ever so slightly cracked open. The Kelvic narrowed her eyes and growled softly. Someone must have been moving very quietly to have slipped pasted her. She stepped to the side of the door and quickly stripped out of her clothes and boots. A moment later, a massive orange and black tiger nudged the door open and stepped inside the wearhouse. Someone was going to be very unhappy that they'd chosen her watch to break into the storehouse. Saraphina grinned a feline smile as she padded silently into the large open space.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

S he was mildly surprised when the door to the warehouse opened without a sound. Clearly the hinges has been well oiled. The large predator paused in the doorway. The dark interior of the building was much clearer with her night sensitive eyes, but even still, moving about in near blackness was a trial even for her. Whoever was inside must have some form of light to be able to see. The Kelvic lower her head and sniffed at the ground carefully. Ah…..there it was, the fresh scent of leather, mud, cotton and human….distinctly a series of male scents, each different in their own way. By her noses detection, she could make out four different unique smells. Even as she worked out the number of intruders, the soft sound of scuffling feet reached her enhanced hearing. Looking down the open space, her pupils widened to allow in as much light as possible. A sliver of light penetrated through the darkness and the greyish-black gloom became much clearer to the feline. Large crates stacked on top of each other leaving hallways to pass through dominated the floors. Barrels, sacks and smaller boxes were position in different areas and Saraphina moved forward with slow and stealthy movements. T he faint sound of scuffles, shifting feet and hushed whispers became louder as the Tiger crept forward small steps at a time. Flicking light started to get brighter and she caught the whiff of burning oil and smoke as she poke her feline head around the edge of a large wooden crate. A hooded lantern sat on a barrel letting gloomy light illuminate a small area. Her sharp vision could now see clearly the intruders of her guard post. Four skinny men, each dressed in dark clothing. One man stood facing towards the door, looking for all the world like he’d rather be in the belly of the beast than where he currently was. Which in a few moments, he might very well be. The other three thieves were ruffling through a few open crate, tossing dried meats, hard tack bread, potatoes, grains and anything else that was of value. One of the men held open a large sack which was rapidly filling up with the stores meant to help Zeltiva survive the harsh winter. Baring her teeth in disgust, Saraphina moved back out of sight. M oving to a stack of wooden crates that were arranged in such a way that it acted like a makeshift staircase, she climbed the crates. Now positioned about 5 feet above the inturders, she prowled to the edge of the elevated perch. The Tiger could now look down on the four men, all of whom were too busy trying to steal everything they could as fast as they could to notice the stealthy Kelvic. Standing up to her full height and taking in a deep lungful of air, Saraphina opened her fanged mouth and let out an earth shattering roar. The sound reverberated around the warehouse, hurting even her ears a bit. She grinned in satisfaction as all four men whipped around with a scream and a curse to see the massive orange and black feline of death poised to pounce and tear out the throats of any stupid enough to stick around.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

H er muscles coiled like a spring and the Tigress leaped from her perch, claws unsheathed and body flying towards the man holding the open sack. The thief had no time to react, too startled to move out of the way of the flying feline. Saraphina landed on the man's chest. Her razor curved talon's slide into human flesh with the ease of a knife through butter. Raking her paws down the prone man's torso, skin and muscle was torn, blood spurted up and the scream of sheer agony was almost sweet. Yells and panicked voices filled the storeroom as Saraphina mercilessly mauled the human under her paws. Gouges and scratches littered the body of her target and blood coated her furry feet. After about 5 seconds of attack, which likely felt like an eternity to the man, Saraphina whipped around to face the other intruders. A.. glance around told a story the Kelvic was pleased with. The lookout man had fled, she could hear the fading pounding footstep of his terror filled flight out of the warehouse. Both men that had been rifling through the crates were rapidly trying to escape after seeing their comrade mauled by the massive tiger. Their retreating backs proved to be too tempting of a target. Bounding forward and roaring with intimidation, she leaped up and racked her claws down the fleeing thieves backs. Cloth torn, flesh was rend and the sweet scent of terror and blood filled the air. One of the men stumbled from the attack, shrieking like a three year old child that had just seen a hairy spider. But both managed to keep their feet and bolted for the door. Saraphina followed them both to the cusp, but stopped her chase once they were back outside. Her job was to protect the warehouse, she wasn't being paid to waste her energy chasing down riff raff's. Snorting at the jabbering, cowardly men, Saraphina let loose one more, chest rumbling roar into the night to remind the three men not to return....EVER! T urning back into the warehouse, she walked back over to the man she'd mauled. The thief was groaning and pitifully crawling over the floor, bleeding profusely from several wounds but still alive. His clothing was shredded, crimsons stains coated his body and as the Tiger approached the wounded prey, his eyes rolled widly and jabbering words wheezed past his lips, "Donnot hurt me! Donnot! Was all Caspian's idea! Hes the one you want!" Saraphina debated on simply killing the man now. One quick bite to the throat would end his pitiful life. Certainly he was a low life theif only seeking to fill his own pocket, his existence was unworthy in Zeltiva. Still....as Saraphina looked over the whimpering mass of cowardly flesh made human before her, her sharp nose picked up the smell of urine. She smirked a feline smile, the man had soiled himself with terror. It made her feel a bit better. It was perhaps more fitting that this man live on and spread tales to his cohorts of how the night was filled with razor claws monsters that tore apart those that sought to profit from illegal means. Walking forward and ignoring the frantic screams of the thief, Saraphina clamped her teeth down onto the forearm of the man. She wasn't gentle and bite hard into the flesh. Screams of pain filled the air and the taste of blood flowed over her tongue. It was a sweet flavor that the Kelvic savored. P itiful punches and kicks, made weak through pain and blood loss bounced off of Saraphina's body as she dragged the prone man towards the door. Biting harder onto the arm in her mouth, the blows ceased as anther shirk of agony escaped from the man. Turning around, Saraphina walked backwards out the door, dragging the thief with her as she moved. Once both of them were outside, she released the human's arm. The man curled into a fetal ball, begging and pleading for his life with tears streaming from his eyes. Saraphina extended out a paw towards the thief's face, slowly unsheathing her claws. The man made a feeble attempt to shimmy backwards, but a low, air shimmering growl rumbled from the Tiger's throat. The human froze and Saraphina kept moving her paw forward. Planting the ham sized foot directly on the human's exposed throat so her claws pressed into pink flesh, leaving indents but not piercing the skin, she moved her feline face forward. When her muzzle was a breath's length away from the human's face, golden eyes boring into his, she pulled her jowls away from her glistening white teeth. No sound escaped from her vocal chords and the terrified man's noises had cease in pure, soul chilling fear. Saraphina held the death pose for 10 seconds, letting the thief feel the brush of the grave against his skin....then she pulled her face and paw away from him. For a few moments, the bleeding man blinked stupidly at the large predator, as though he was convinced he was dead and his mind just couldn't keep up. But then Saraphina jerked her feline head down the ally and took another step back, giving him a clear way out. The thief's breath shuddered out and it took him almost a full two minute for his legs to start working. Finally managing to stand, though he wavered tremendously, he took two step towards the exit Saraphina had offered. His movement were hesitant, like he expected the Tiger to change its mind and kill him outright. Which was still an option. Growing annoyed, Saraphina drew in a breath and let out a roar that shook the air, lunging forward and swatting at the air. The man shrieked in terror and almost fell over his own two feet as he fled frantically down the ally. A fter padding down the ally and ensuring that the sounds of the intruders was gone, Saraphina walked back to the open doorway. Shifting back to her human form, she walked back inside. The hooded lantern still gave off some light, so she only stubbed her toe once before she made it to the area the thief's had been ransacking. Picking up the sack, she put the items they'd been taking back into the crates. Once the burlap was empty, she slid the wooden top back onto the crates, securing them. Dusting off her hands, the Kelvic picked up the lantern. It was a nice quality lamp and still had most of the oil left in it. A fine prize for a nights work. Draping the burlap over her arm and using the light to guide her back to the door, Saraphina set both on the ground. Closing the door, she re locked the door. The thieves must have had some skill to have been able to pick such a sturdy device, but at least they left the locks intact to be reapplied. Once the door was again secure, Saraphina cocked her head and carefully listened to the world around her. The docks were silent and still, as they should be. Nodding in satisfaction, she dressed in her clothes again. Once she'd pulled on her boots, the red head Kelvic pick up her new lantern and burlap sack. Using the light, she kept walking around the warehouse on her patrol loop. The night watch wasn't over yet.

[Perplexity]

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Saraphina :

Skills:

• Tracking | +1 EXP
  Stealth | +1 EXP
  Climbing | +1 EXP
  Unarmed Combat | +1 EXP
  Intimidation | +2 EXP

Loot:

• +1 Burlap Sack
  +1 Lantern (1/2 full of oil)

Lores:

Intimidation: The Merits of Scare Tactics
Caspian: The Thief Behind Thieves

Comments :

I almost feel sorry for those thieves. Almost. Contact me at your earliest convenience if you have questions or concerns.