milliways_bar | Lakeside

Lakeside

It's not that common for people to be out by the lake at near on nine o'clock on the morning, not when there's food and drink inside, but it's not unheard of. That's why Sahaal doesn't react when he hears footsteps somewhere on the other side of the water. He just keeps staring up into the stars, feeling the grass poking any exposed skin and immersing himself in memories of long ago.

This time, he's recalling a raid made about a century after the Great War, and he swears he can smell blood on the air here. It might be an illusion, but it's his senses making it, so it's a good one.

It's only broken by the unidentifiable smell of the person who is steadily getting closer and closer to him.

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Who ever is stalking the guy, it isn't Guide. Guide has been exploring the forest and labyrinth again. He's also a bit annoyed because of the strange creatures in the underbrush that he found breathed fire and were ferocious little jerks.

The young Wraith kneels next to the water to wash some scorch marks from his face and hands, the cool water of the lake soothing his healing burns. He has not noticed the other patron out and about.

Sahaal is naturally a predator, it's in his blood. He does not like being stalked, so just before this mysterious patron can get close enough for either one of them to get a visual identification of the other, he's sprung up from his relaxed reverie and has dashed off into the nearby treeline. Once about ten meters into the darkening woods, he ducks behind a log, combat knife in hand and waits, watching for any movement.

The movement catches Guide's attention. He can sense the life force of the creature hiding in the woods there. He can also see the heat signature of one hiding. Guide bares his teeth letting out a growl. He stands to his full height and stars at the other within the shadows.

The growl, picked up by Sahaal's enhanced hearing, has his full attention. He turns towards it, knife up in a fighting stance.

Edited 2017-05-28 21:57 (UTC)

Guide searches for the mind of this creature.

This may be fun, he thinks. He needs a good fight with something sentient and doesn't breath fire.

He bares his teeth in a grin.

Sahaal's face is a mask of determination. He hasn't been in a fight since he battled Acerbus, and he lost badly. This time, he wants to win. With all the stealth of his gene-line and training, he slips into the dense mix of oak and copper beech, lying in wait.

Edited 2017-05-28 22:11 (UTC)

Ah a blade of stealth, this was going to be fun. Guide is from a time when stealth sometimes is used, but it is all out war against the Asurans. He was bread to fight, he wasn't sure he'd live long enough to hibernate for the first time, there were no guarantees.

He strides to the edge of the trees, still searching for this one's mind. He looks up at the branches of the trees nearest him. They looked like they might hold his weight. Though, if his prey was watching him, as he was sure it was, it wouldn't do to give his position away so easily.

Hey, what's that thing you can see out of the corner of your eye? The shape is illusive, a white wisp of a thing flying through the trees. Guide is projecting a ghost, one of the things his kind has learned to do.

As soon as he sees the wisp of... whatever, Sahaal pulls down his goggles, and lets his eyes soak in the darkness. Some sort of warp ghost, perhaps, or an illusion cast by a psyker. No real threat, despite its strange nature.

He grins, feral and cruel. Whomever is on the hunt will have to do better than that to take on a psychological warfare expert. Still, a good try, for some mortal or xenos.

Yeah, he's a Wraith, young, but still not from your universe.

Guide knows he's exposed here that much is certain. He dodges into the trees letting his senses adjust again to the life around him. Just avoid those fire spewing fluff balls....

He wonders how patient his opponent is. He's itching for a knock down drag out fight but not if he ends up in an ambush. He'd like to keep all of his limbs, those take time to grow back and it isn't painless. Soon he is deep in the wood where the trees are tall and old. Ah good, a place to hide and search out the mind of this one. Perhaps, he can even communicate the normal way, rather than having to speak aloud.

With a swift full body movement he's propelled himself into the lower branches of a tree and is working his way to a position where he can watch the surrounding area while waiting. Searching with his mind for the other.

(OOC: I don't know what your pup's mind feels like, if Guide can catch the flavor of it, but I like to leave that up to muns.)

Sahaal watches the wisp go, then climbs up into the branches of a nearby tree, to try and get a decent vantage point. He's absolutely loving this, though he doesn't let it show on his face. He takes a breath, to calm himself, before scanning the treeline for anything hostile.

(OOC: Sahaal's mind is more guarded than most, but I've no doubt that Guide could catch some of his enjoyment of the hunt, as well as a few other things. Only emotions, no actual thoughts.)

Edited 2017-05-28 22:47 (UTC)

Guide is pleased when he finds the mind of his prey. This one is just as excited as he is at the prospect of a good hunt and fight. He also finds it most intriguing that that is about all he can gather. He can't even find the mind feeling. This is not something he is used to in any but the most gifted minds.

He gather's up his long white hair and ties it back, then stuffs it into the back of his leather coat. He'd rather not have that getting in his way. He often wonders why he keeps it long, it just seems to be something that would provide a great hand hold for an enemy. He shrugs, his queen likes men with long hair, even as a child she encouraged them to not crop it.

He shakes this line of thinking out of his head and continues to search out his prey. The thing about forests is that there are so many conflicting life-forces to deal with, they also have many infrared signatures, and it's just annoying with all that wild life. Plus, from what he could sense of the creature he was looking for, it wasn't human, so what now? He could try tracking the creature, but then he's sure this one is good at avoiding capture.

Well, Sahaal is many things, but patient is not one of them. It's a character flaw, he knows, but sometimes, he just can't wait.

He has no wargear, no armour, and no idea about the nature of his prey. To attack now would be stupid. So he tilts his head back and screams.

This is no normal scream, this is the scream of an Astartes, and a Night Lord to boot. It can shatter glass, rupture eardrums and even burst blood vessels. Sahaal wants nor needs any of these. He wants to smell the fear of this foe of his, to drive it out into the open where he can get a good look at it.

And then fight it, but first things first.

Edited 2017-05-28 23:07 (UTC)

Shit, that's not good for a Wraith. He claps his hands over his ears, he is neither frightened nor worried, but this just pisses him off. He might lose his hearing for a very short while, but healing ruptured eardrums also means he will have to feed all the sooner. His ears ringing he flattens himself against the bowl of the tree. Give him a minute or two, his ears will be better, save for the small amount of blood that drips for a moment from them. The sensation he has of sound disappearing is interesting to the young Wraith, coupled with the wet feeling in his ears. He doesn't really like that.

So, his prey can do that. Interesting. His new wounds healing within minutes, he looks around and hisses through his teeth.

Sahaal smells blood, and he grins. From the scent, definitely not human, but like no xeno he's ever fought. This is going to be good. Plus, now he has something to track.

He stalks along the high branches of the old oak trees, heading towards the blood.

Guide can feel the blood drying in his ears and on his neck, the sounds coming back he crouches on the tree bowl he was in. If this creature could smell his blood then he was out of luck hiding.... He reaches a hand around his belt and counts his grenades, he has four, he might be able to get away with using two. They weren't something the hive master nor the his father, the consort, would care to lose. He also has his long knife, the one his father had given him only a year before, when he'd reached manhood. He also has a stunner on his belt, he would only use that if he really needed it, right now, the blade.

His feeding hand twinged, between the injuries inflicted on him by the creatures of the forest, having not feed for a few days, and now his ears healing, he's beginning to feel hungry.

Sahaal is close enough to smell the xeno at this point. He's in the next tree, and kisses his knife.

"In your name, my Primarch. Even here."

Then, he's leaping into the same tree as this unknown alien, his killer's instincts coming to the fore. There is only him and his prey. Nothing else matters, and there will be blood spilt in these woods tonight, no matter the laws of this place.

Guide's whips his head around at the sound of the voice. Yes, his ears are completely healed now. The life-force of the creature distinguishing itself for him now. This isn't good, combat in trees will be hard, and probably not advantageous to him. With that he jumps from his place in the tree to the forest floor landing not so softly on his feet.

He straightens up and in a smooth motion takes out the large knife with the bone handle. He's rather glad the Bar had given him his weapons back after his time in the cells. There was a clearing not far from here that would be a great place for a battle. He heads for it hoping his opponent is following.

The xeno jumps from the tree, heading away from him. It could be cowardice, or perhaps pragmatism. Fighting in a tree would not be ideal. Sahaal takes the bait, and follows, his booted feet landing amongst the much of rich loam and old autumn leaves.

He stays five or six of his stride lengths behind the xeno, whom he still hasn't got a look at. This one is certainly good, but as Sahaal tracks him from the shadows, he has to wonder how good.

Guide stops inside the clearing and turns glaring at his opponent.

He's grinning showing much of his sharp teeth, crouching ready to attack.

Sahaal is grinning as well, he wasn't expecting a trenchcoat, but it hardly matters.

"What the hell are you?"

He tosses his knife up in the air, catches the hilt and settles into a Legiones Astartes standard fighting stance.

"I am your death," says Guide maintaining his grin. He's ready, digging his boots into the dirt ready to spring.

"Oh, I doubt that very much. Better men and aliens than you have tried."

Sahaal makes the first move, leaning in to grab "his death"'s wrist and bring his knife down into the xeno's jugular.

Guide moves fast as a blink, throwing himself out of the way.

He flicks his knife trying to slash at the back of the man's knees.

Sahaal dodges, and sends a left hook into the xeno's nose.

That does connect producing a crunching sound as his nose breaks. Blood streams from it for a moment as the bones begin to heal.

He brings up his knife up trying to stab the creature in the ribs.

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