"Hello, Witch Man," mused Adek as he walked into the small cabin.
"I told you; I prefer the term conjurer, necromancer, or witch doctor, please." Said Joshua. "Yes, I quite like that."
Joshua was a fair haired man with a pale completion. He was dressed in black robes with strange, light blue characters covering the facemask (A/N the facemask is a part of the hood) and the hood, which rested around his shoulders, revealing his short hair; shorter than Adek's but also slightly curlier. He was reading one of his alchemical books at the kitchen table, his bird like figure hunched over, and he decided to start a conversation.
Adek leaned against the wall of the cabin the two friends were sharing until Adek's was renovated.
"When is that pile of sticks you call a cabin going to be done, Kameron?" Joshua loved to tease Adek about his real name.
"I told you, my name is Adek," he replied.
"Ha! Whatever Kameron!" laughed Joshua. Adek ignored his snide comment.
"The new illusion spell worked wonders. I'm getting good..." Adek said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, well, once you get better you should try that disguise spell you've been working on," Josh suggested. "Save you some time sneaking around."
"What about you, you pea-brained wizard?" said Adek.
"Nothing much. At least, nothing as good as teaching you to control the Change," said Josh. "...or the flame dragon I conjured to get us off the stake."
"You mean the monster that almost did the job for the village?" Adek scoffed.
Josh chuckled. "Awwwww, is the big puppy scared of a little fire?"
"A little my hind-end!" Argued Adek. "The blasted thing burned down the whole town!"
"Awwww he is!" Josh said.
"Shut it you two bit sorcerer! Have you seen..." Adek began, but he didn't get to finish his thought.
"Been here the whole time Wolfie," said a beautiful voice.
"I should've seen you!" Adek exclaimed, a little shaken up, as the young woman stepped out of the shadowy corner. She was dressed in a lowcut tunic style dress made of strips of grey cloth arranged in a spiral fashion around her mid-section, a compass looking button on the shoulder, and matching boots.
"Damn it all! How do you two do that?!" yelled Josh.
Adek, knowing where she would be, inspected his "friend," his eyes lingering in two places before reaching that breathtaking face; perfect red lips on pale, almost snowy skin, one brown eye covered by her long brown hair.
"Hello Emily," said Josh in between wild bursts of laughter.
"Yea, hey, Em," muttered Adek.
"Sorry for scaring you," Emily apologized. "Actually...scratch that, I'm not. Now, if you two will excuse me I'm going to go see Stag." At that, she walked out.
"Okay, but don't feed him too many apples!" Called Adek before she got all the way out.
Emily turned around kissed Adek before she walked out. Josh, smiling, recovered from his shock yelled, "Get a room!"
"You're just jealous," accused Adek, giving him a cold look.
"Yep two people--a bat and a wolf-sucking face in my cabin," Josh said, mockingly. "I'm just seething with jealousy."
"Well, I wonder who your succubus has bedded today?" Adek retorted.
"Hey!" Josh exclaimed. "She promised to not do that. Besides, I can satisfy her enough, myself."
"Ha!" Adek snorted. "I have to go brush Stag. Have fun with your "studies" of those girls' bodies you plan to revive."
Before Josh could defend his "research" Adek walked out.
Adek strolled out the door and around to where Stag was cooped up in the stables. He resadled the small horse while his friend fed him treats.
The horse, like it's rider, was out of the ordinary; about chest height with a barrel of a body that misslead any onlooker about his amazing speed or stamina; his brown coat had a small white patch on his chest.
Adek climbed up as swiftly as any expert rider could have and turned to look at Emily.
"Well..." he said. "Bye..."
"No goodbye hug or kiss?" she asked.
"No," he said firmly. "That's ending now, Em." He didn't know why--he had a good thing going--but he knew he needed to end it now.
Emily was stunned, honestly.
"Well...bye then..."
...
Adek rode off to his range, just a mile from where his cabin was being remodeled. He practiced his shooting for a little while and then returned.
But there was a new scent in the air. Like honey; sweet and nice. But with an edge of danger to it.
"Careful now, Stag, he warned. He then gave the hand singnal for "danger" and slowly rode around to the side of the dark cabin, meanwhile forcing a partial change to take place; just enough so that his eyes turned into primordial slits, fangs grew, and he could see in the dark.
He heard a giggle come from the trees.
"Surprise!" came the shrill voice of a woman.
Adek's head snapped up as a pale blur flew straight towards him at incredible speed. He had only enough time to fling up his arms before the figure knocked him off his horse and onto the cold, packed dirt.
