[h3]World Post[/h3]

The Vale is prone to fog in the dead of night. Its a heavy mist that snakes about the knees and sometimes billows up to obscure the view of ones surroundings. Vale mist is green- for it travels through the forest from the bog- and is said to be cursed by the witches that reside there. The townsfolk fear this dark magic- and so lock their houses, seal their windows, and place warding amulets on their doorways. The time is midnight and the town is quiet- as all should be at the hour of evil.

Solitary street lamps attempt to break the mist- to no avail. Their candle-light is almost fairy-like in the dark. This is a night of mischief indeed- perhaps even a malicious act- one that could change the lives of the residents forever.

[h3]a Dark Place[/h3]

They both stood there in the dark- listening to the inner workings of room before them. One would think these creatures in-human. For their clothing was black as pitch and their skin covered in a black bile akin to oil. All that showed were the whites of their eyes- dwarfed by their widened pupils. They moved about in utter silence- for that is the way of phantoms- and disturbed nothing in their wake.

An evil magic was at hand here. These creatures, demons or phantoms, were sent here for a purpose. One pushed the bedroom door open- so gently it might have been mistaken for the wind- and approached the bed of their victim. Their partner stood out in the hall- markings on their skin beginning to glow. The phantom by the bed crouched by the sleeping body. They hesitated before leaning over to confirm who it was.

The phantom out in the hall began to make signs with their hands- tracing glowing marks in the air before them- all the while chanting with muted breath. The way their lips moved- one could see she was a woman. The markings- magic runes- glowed a jade green. The spell was for sleep to grip the household- to make their escape easier.

"This one has magic, too." His accent was of the valley (think spanish from Spain). The creatures voice was an assault on the quiet of the room- wounding the silence. His partner was dumbfounded by his actions- they were forbidden to speak in the presence of their victims prior to the curse. Their pact of silence was the only thing keeping them alive.

Before he could disturb them any further he gripped at the victims face- palm under the chin while the fingers viciously closed down from the nose- prevent biting and screams. The black bile then took life and slid off of the demons skin. Like a disease it spread across the nose, mouth, and cheeks- clawing its way down into the eyes and ears. They would feel suffocated and disoriented- unable to open their mouths or eyes.

While the bile took affect the Phantom made quick work to hog tie the victim and toss them over a shoulder. As he walked out into the hall his partner tapped the victims temple- perhaps out of pity- and placed a sleeping spell to calm them down for an hour or so.

~~~

They reached the edge of town- climbing over the lowest point in the stone wall surrounding the village- where a mule and cart sat waiting. The woman spectre turned to her partner,

"My lord- thank you for aiding a woman and her child escape such depraved conditions." She sobbed in perfect gratitude- lest they had been seen.

On cue he replied by settling the victim in the back of the cart on a bed of hay. He threw a blanket over their sleeping body before saying,

"I did only what I hoped another would do for my wife and child in the same situation." Was his reply before departing back behind the wall.

The cloaked woman allowed her hood to fall about her shoulders- revealing a face of inhuman beauty. She walked alongside the mule as they disappeared into the green fog of the Angar.

~~~

Hours later, after the dawn of a new day. After the bewitched mist slunk back into the bowls of the bog. The screams that rose from the clinic were not from an ailing patient. The Doctors daughter had gone missing and no one in all of Vale knew where she was.