The Cruel Midnight's Collective

Tempting Fate - Teaser Chapter

In the heart of the Oblivia Wilderlands, where shadows reigned as much as the sun did and the scent of sweat of countless species of humanoids and hybrids hung thick in the air, The Howling Hound tavern nestled like a honey-pot for the weary, a place where the differences in species didn't determine the treatment you received. Its wooden walls, tinged with the scent of resin, and rough-hewn furniture bore mute witness to the cacophony of voices, laugher, and the clink of tankards on wooden slabs.

The tavern keeper, a barrel-chested man by the name of Gorrum, an elven-human hybrid, shuffled between patrons with his usual gruff yet jovial demeanor, while his barmaids flitted about with practiced ease. However, eyes and ears were not drawn to the comforts of The Howling Hound this fine evening. No, instead, whispers floated amongst the clientele like barely-remembered dreams, of a man whose name instilled both fear and awe.

A wolf-man hybrid; a lycanthrope, if tales are to be believed. But this man... if you could even call him that, was no ordinary lycanthrope, he did not speak of his lineage nor did he boast of his abilities, abilities that any who had met him would struggle to deny.

There were some who claimed to have never seen him with anything but his ever-present canine smirk, and yet others who said they had witnessed fleeting glimpses of the haunted shadows in his golden gaze.

His name was Arkadius Midnight.

To some, he was a monster, a beast of unimaginable brutality. A genetic mistake, a smudge on the face of humanity, a born Lycanthrope without any way to transform into a human. To others, an angel sent to right the wrongs of the world. To the people who drank through the night in The Howling Hound, he was simply Kade – mysterious, dangerous, and strangely alluring.

Kade was all-too-familiar with the whispers, the stares, and the palpable tension that filled the air when he stepped foot into the tavern. His cloak covered his primarily fur-covered body, as his head was far more wolf than man at this point. Standing about Six feet, four inches tall, he retained his human-like ability to walk on only 2 legs as well as the upper body strength and dexterity of a human, but his whole life, this had been his curse to bear; the outcast. The weirdo. The freak who was constantly called a dog. But the funniest part of it? It never really got to Kade. He'd taken it in stride and seemingly held no grudge... the key word being seemingly. Behind his golden eyes lied a fiery vengance and an unwavering sense of brutal vigilante justice. Arkadius Midnight was not a creature to be trifled with in the land of Oblivia. Even the name "Arkadius" became like "The Boogeyman" of older Oblivian legends. 

His snout perked up when Gorrum had pulled something from the flaming oven. The scent of roasted meat and golden honeyed-spices became evident as he made his way to the bar. Kade casually nodded at Gorrum in greeting and the human gruffly nodded back. "Kade Midnight, always a pleasure," Gorrum grumbled in his thick-lined Basso voice, "What can I get for your wandering's tonight?" From under the wide, dark hood, Kade's yellow eyes glinted, as they caught the flicker of firelight. "Same as every other night, Gorrum. 'N ale and something with them spices I smelled brewin'."

Kade's voice, rather rough and medium-pitched with what could be best described as an Australian accent, resonated in the tavern and everyone within the establishment couldn't help but take notice of the elusive wolf-man - the very same that many desired to meet or make a deal with; and even more so were those plotting to end his life.

Kade paid no mind to the reactions, instead his attention was focused on the sizzling and tantalizing roast that Gorrum soon placed in front of him.

"Any contracts go yer way lately?" The barkeep asked the Lycan. Kade tore off a chunk of meat, savoring the taste, while considering his answer. "Someone had put a bounty on a group of crazed rabbit-lookin' people. Usually I would try to show some kind of mercy to such... well, not 'lesser beings', but moreso smaller beings. Typically, a Prey animal, you know? But these rabbits, they seemed to have evolved a taste for flesh 'n bone. They'd been terrorising the nearby village, picking off livestock and even, in some gruesome cases, the children," Kade said, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. Gorrum grumbled disapprovingly. "That's no longer just a simple bunny problem. Didn't let yer guard down?"