"Can't we talk about this!?" Pike shouted as he burst from the forest foliage in a full sprint, a bolt flying merely inches away from his head and plunging into a trees trunk with a
'thunk'. An irritated groan escaped him as he continued to flee while trying to ignore the sounds of men and hounds alike howling for his blood as they gave chase. Through gritted teeth he continued to run deeper into the depth of the dark forest they had chased him into and cursed his own luck. It was no surprise people were after him with the bounty on his head, but Pike was sure he had gained some distance between himself and his hunters. Did he make a mistake and leave a trail behind for them to follow? The thought of making such a mistake annoyed the young half-demon, fueling his determination to escape with his life.
"Damn it all you useless twats, catch that damned hell spawn! I want his head on a bloody pike!" a booming voice cried out through the forest and making Pike wince at the thought of his bodiless head stuck on stick for all to see. Why can't humans ever try to kill him with kindness? It's always either burnt at the stake, hanged, decapitation, one man even wanted to throw him into a pit of hungry rats! Another bolt soon zoomed past his head and brought Pike out of his thoughts, quickly reminding him why exactly he was running in the first place. With a burst of energy he leapt over ditches and fallen trees, tore through foliage and swerved between the trees to avoid more incoming bolts. To his pleasure the angry voices and savage barking began to grow distant as he grew deeper into the forest. A small smile spread cross his face as he glanced behind him and let out a sigh of relief.
"Well that was easier than I- huh?" was all Pike managed to say as his next step lacked any earth for him to stand on. Instead Pike quickly found himself tumbling down a steep hill, tearing through several bushes and gritting his teeth as he tried to shield himself from the hard impacts against the ground. Finally Pike managed to stop his fall by slamming into a solid tree with his back, groaning in pain before slouching against tree with heavy breathing. The pain aching in Pike's spine was difficult to deal with, but luckily it wasn't the worst he's been through. For a long moment Pike remained still to listen to his own breathing, the world around him growing quite in the night as he sat alone in the wilderness with only his own thoughts.
A bitter smile came to his face as he stared down at his lap to examine his slightly cut up hands. He winced in pain as he rotated his bruised thumb and groaned in annoyance before glancing over to his right pocket with a frown. His expression soften a bit before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a folded letter. For a moment he simply stared at the piece of paper with a hopeful glint in his eyes, wondering if it was true, that there was actually a place people like him can rest in without worry. At first he simply thought it would be an interesting place to visit before he got back onto the road, but for the past few months things have been getting more dangerous. Not only has the bounty on his head grew slightly, but every encounter continues to become more and more too close for comfort for him. In the end it seems he'll have to choose between two options. Either finally settle down and take on whatever happens, or to keep running. Honestly the thought of anymore running made him want to vomit. Before he could linger on his thoughts anymore the distant sound of howling men and dogs began to slowly grow closer. Pike let out a long sigh before forcing himself up to his feet through gritted teeth, shoving the letter back into his pocket and continuing his escape into the night with a slight limp.
----
Two weeks laterPike sat alone beside a running stream, the sun breaking through the trees and glinting off the water as it smoothly ran through the forest uninterrupted. The world around him remained calm and tranquil as his tired gaze remained on the clear flowing water, the sound of birds chirping away without fear mixed well with the gentle rush of the water. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling out his nose Pike looked up towards the trees with a small frown as he slowly began to sink into his thoughts once again. It's been a few weeks to get this far to his destination and honestly things have been running smoothly. His last close call with those hunters in the forest a few weeks back. Ever since then he's only had to avoid a few hunting parties from the shadows and interact with a few merchants with his illusionary magic concealing the many marks and symbols lining nearly every inch of his body. With a glance to the top of his hands he let his eyes scan the strange circular symbols with a familiar sense of curiosity he's had since discovering his magic. It always seemed like some type of puzzle, or at least a piece of puzzle that continues to taunt him.
With a gentle push of his mana the symbol atop his right hand began to glow a dull red before his whole hand was enveloped with dancing flames, the familiar heat feeling nice against his skin. The flames began to dim as Pike let out a slow calming breath until the fire around his hand was only rising a few inches from his skin. For a moment Pike simply stared into the weak fire with a distant look in his eyes. Memories, nightmares and regrets continue to plague the half-demons thoughts before he let out a defeated sigh and rose to his feet, waving around his right hand as he extinguished the flames with ease. Though he would prefer spending his day here to meditate and sleep, Pike knew he was close to his destination and didn't want to waste anymore time. Plus actual food and a bed sounded like heaven! With food and comfort on his mind Pike inhaled deeply through his nose, gave a few quick slaps to his cheeks and ignored his exhausted limbs screaming out to him as he began to finish the last leg of his journey.
After an hour of walking alone in silence Pike finally came to large clearing within the forest. For a moment he remained still, his eyes widening slightly in slight shock as he took in the impressive looking manor. A small smile spread to his face as he finally reached his goal and arched a brow as a few figures in the distance caught his interest. By the looks of it they were all just arriving like himself. Were they all in the same boat as him? How long has this place even been around? So many questions continued to fill his mind until he shook his head clear and took in a deep breath. A mixture of excitement and hesitation filled his chest before he finally took the first step forward. Out of caution though he flipped his hood over his head and cast an illusionary spell to hide the markings along his body, making him look like another human.
Like all new places he visits Pike decided to observe first then poke around afterwards. As he neared the entrance of the manor the figures he spotted earlier grew more clear for him to see. His brows arched upwards in surprise as he saw a few clearly non-humans standing outside the manor speaking to one another. He would like to speak with them later, the thought talking to another non-human sending a spark of excitement into his heart. For now though he wanted to explore the mason itself while he can. As Pike passed the new faces he gave them a casual wave and small smile if they looked his way, even giving a firm nod towards the the living skeleton, which he had to process for a moment before shrugging it off and continuing on. Before entering the manor itself Pike looked around the front garden, if you can even call this a garden, and saw several crows and ravens standing idly by. Pike watched them with curiosity, getting an odd feeling from the creatures before breakings his gaze as one of the crows snapped their head towards him. A small shudder ran up his spine before he pushed open the door and entered the building.
Upon entering he was welcomed with a rather pleasant sight of an excellently cleaned foyer, not a bit of dust or grime to be seen. Pike looked around the foyer with a thoughtful gaze, admiring the style and construction with a small smile before burying his hands into his pockets. "Huh, not bad," he admitted as he walked deeper into the foyer, spinning around as he continued to walk and take in his surroundings before stopping at the base of the staircase leading to the second floor. As he began to wonder what was on the second floor though he notice a few other new faces with him in the foyer. Honestly he doesn't know how he missed them, well the two smaller ones would be easy to miss, but the taller man should have stuck out like a sore thumb. He must have been more infatuated with the décor than he thought. Pike gives them a slight nod along with a small smile before looking back up the staircase with a curious look. "Who the hell owns this place?" Pike questioned aloud unintentionally.
