The Coldest Dawn

By: Sunamon Posted on: August 24, 2004

Moving slowly through Dockhand Square, the Occultist nodded curtly at the Ratman as he scanned the crowd. A young Kharon was bragging to a Sorcerer of equal age about how many rats he had slain since midnight had passed. A Shadowsnake was hiding there in the shadows, also watching the crowd. As the Occultist's eyes passed the Shadowsnake, he glimpsed a figure standing even further in the shadows behind him. Squinting into the darkness, his attention was suddenly caught by an odd sound behind him. Glancing back, he saw nothing, and when his eyes returned to the shadows, the mysterious figure was gone. With a grimace, he picked up his pace and walked on.

His course through the city of Ashtan took the Occultist all throughout the city. As he ventured down Golden Walk, he caught sight of a drunk lying near a sewer grate. As he looked back to the road, a dark figure seemed to be crouching near the drunk, staring at him. Turning his head slowly, so as to not alert the person of his noticing, he looked back, but only the vagrant was lying there.
"Am I seeing things?" he asked himself. "My mind could very well be playing tricks on me, it is quite late."

Shaking his head wearily, he moved on. A cold gust of wind snatched his cloak away from his body and chilled him to the bone. Grumbling angrily, he grasped in the dark until he was able to catch the rogue garment and pull it back around him.

"Damn winter," he muttered, "I just had to come out on this night, of all nights. I'll get sick if I stay out in this much longer. Maybe I'll drop by at Epicurus' place."
Stepping a little quicker, he altered his course to take him towards the residence of Epicurus. As the wind blew harder, a small, open umbrella tumbled past him and into a side alley. Peering into the darkness, a faint gleam of something metallic flashed near the umbrella. Squinting though didn't help him see what it was, and it quickly disappeared, enveloped by the shadows. Smirking, the Occultist decided to walk on.

Turning a corner, the lighted doorway of Epicurus' house was visible far down the road. A faint smile played on his face. Rubbing his hands briskly to warm them, he gazed up at the night sky. The stars were barely visible now, as the sky was a dark gray from the light of the morning sun on the clouds. It was a lot later than he had realized. Somewhere in the city, a cock crowed.

"How odd... normally, they wait until the sun is actually up." He chuckled lightly to himself, "My father always used to say, 'A cock crow before dawn and death is upon,' but I don't see anyone dying around here except..." his eyes caught some movement down the street. "That little boy there."

Reaching into his robes, he procured a red lollipop from a hidden pocket and began to approach the child, who was slowly shuffling away from him, past Epicurus' residence. As he neared the boy, a warm smile spread across his face.

"One more towards summoning the Spawn..." he murmured as walked, his pace quickening with each step until he stopped short at an odd noise behind him. Without warning a shadowy figure, which had somehow rippled into existence, materialized behind him and wrapped a leather whip around his throat. Gagging he tried to yell for help, but the coils only tightened further around his windpipe as he was hoisted up off of his feet and dragged back into the inky depths of the shadows.

A few moments later a dull thud sounded from the dark and a tall, sinuous man walked out and calmly reached down, picking up the piece of candy that had fallen from the slain occultist. Brushing it off casually he strode quickly up to the orphan and knelt down beside him.

"Hello there," he said as he handed the child the lollipop, which was consumed graciously with eager eyes. "How would you like to come with me?" The child nodded eagerly and fell into step behind the stranger.

Peering into the distance at the sun, which was now rising over the horizon, the Dawnstrider patted the boy on the back as he told him about a great place in a land far away, where he would be fed and sheltered, and could live a life of peace. The child giggled happily at the thought of it as the man glanced around before making an odd gesture into the air. As he did so, a swirling vortex of colored lights seemed to spring into life, and him and the orphan stepped through it into lands far distant.