The Crimson Killer

Scarlett finds herself in a large town that despite it's hard to reach location in a rocky desert, is very lively. Torches illuminate the cool night air as some people wave at her with a smile. She gives small weak waves back as she tries to find some place she can get lost in the crowd. It's been almost two months since she faked her death, but she can't shake the feeling that the Reaper is still after her, that he somehow knows she's still alive.

She enters a large building made of sandstone filled with people. She walks over to a small bar as people on a large wooden stage on the far side of the building run out of view behind some curtains.

"Welcome to Tazville," The man at the bar says, "What brings someone like you to such a remote place?"

"Um," She scans the crowd as she takes a seat at the bar, "Just trying to find some place to get out of the battlefield,"

"Well you've come to the right place, ain't nothing but parties happen in this town. I should know, I've lived here my whole life," The torches in the bar dim as the sound of beating drums and a lute fill the air.

"Speaking of parties, looks like Filipe is about to do his last dance of the night," The man gestures towards the stage, and Scarlett turns to face it, "He came here not too long ago and he's certainly made a mark for himself here,"

People start to cheer and whistle as a man emerges from behind the curtains on the left side of the stage. Nothing but black swirly tribal tattoos are on his upper body, and bright aqua bracelets on his wrists. The moving shadows made from the flames seem to accentuate his large figure, the definition in his large muscles clear for all to see. His tan skin almost glows orange from the flames as they suddenly erupt as he raises his arms up, the crowd going crazy. They quickly die down just like the flames which go back to a low ember, but the ones by the stage burn a bit brighter.

The drums and lute start to pick up in volume, playing a melodic beat as the man starts to walk to the center of the stage. Scarlett finds herself drawn to his lower body as he's in golden yellow and aqua shorts that end just below his knees and hug his legs as tight as a sword in a sheath. With a loud bang of the drums and a roar from the torches, the man steps into the center of the stage. The drums and lute start playing a fast paced tune as the man starts to dance on the stage, his body moving as smooth as water and as fast as a flame.

The audience gets excited as he beckons for an onlooker to join him on stage. A woman eagerly walks onto the stage as he leads them by the hand. He suddenly spins them around, catching by surprise. As they finish the twirl, they lose their balance and start falling back but he catches them, as he leans in toward them. The women in the audience cry out as he gives her a quick kiss on the lips before pulling her back up. He twirls her again, in the other direction, and stops her so she's facing the audience. With a shriek of excitement she jumps back into her seat as he continues the show.

Before Scarlett even realizes it, he finishes his dance. As he stands there in his finishing pose, the audience applauding, he looks over the crowd of people. Scarlett is caught off guard when she makes eye contact with him, and sees he seems to be caught off guard for some reason. She feels herself blushing as he gives a bow and heads offstage, the troches becoming a bit brighter.

"He knows how to give the ladies what they want," The bartender says with some jealously. She turns to him but before she can request a drink he walks off to tend to someone else who just called for him. She turns around at the sound of lots of sudden talking to see a group of people crowded around someone.

Scarlett's surprised to see Filipe emerge from the crowd as he makes his way to the bar, still only wearing the bracelets and shorts. She can't help but get a glimpse at what's between his legs before quickly turning around, feeling both hot and nervous inside.

"Is this seat taken?" A somewhat deep voice asks with a spanish accent. She turns to see it's Filipe. She notices the stubble that runs along his jaw line and gets thicker around his mouth.

"Uh, no you're welcome to sit there, if you like," She says, struggling to not jumble her words as she continues to sit slightly turned away from him, hunching over slightly and holding her hands tightly in her lap. He takes a seat and waves down the bartender.

"The usual please," He says with a warm and confident smile. The bartender nods before turning around to the shelves with all the bottles, "So, you're new here I'm guessing?" He asks turning his head to her, his arms folded and laying on the bar.

"What makes you think that?" She asks, glancing at him. He chuckles a bit.

"I may be a bit new to this town myself, but I've quickly come to know who the locals are, especially the women," He says with a smirk.

"I can certainly see why," She waves a hand gesturing at his body.

"Thank you, I train everyday," The bartender brings him his drink, "Thanks. So, what brings such a beautiful flower to a town this far in the desert?"

"Just trying to stay out of this war,"

"Ah, looks like we have something in common. Like everyone else in this world I was trained to fight, but I wanted to dance. Ever since I felt confident enough that I could survive on my own, I've been going from town to town doing just that," He takes a sip of his drink.

"That's quite a story," She says with a smile, resting her arms on the bar now.

"Well, I have a lot more stories than just that, you'd be surprise all the stuff I've seen. I've travelled across all three kingdoms, and crossing from one to another is not easy,"

"Try living in a town on the border of two kingdoms," He suddenly looks surprised.

"You lived in the Split?!" He asks full of curiosity, "You must be a pretty lucky lady to have escaped there alive with all the battles that happened there. And I guess that makes me a pretty lucky guy to be able to talk to one," He puts his drink down, the tips of his fingers brush against her elbow as he puts his hand down, "Maybe we could swap roles, and you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"It's nothing interesting," She says as she rolls her eyes, "Just constant fighting, and when the royal armies came I ran for my life and now I'm here,"

"Have you been on the move ever since?"

"Pretty much,"

"Do you have any place where you want to go?"

"Not really, I've just been going wherever, trying to stay out of this war," Filipe puts a hand on the side of his face as he smirks from a thought.

"Well," He moves his other hand closer to hers, "I was planning on going to another town soon, and once you get outside this desert area it's nothing but ruffians and pirates. I don't want to sound too cocky, but I know how to use a sword pretty well. So, if you want a, personal, body guard," He gently lays his hand on her's, "I'd be happy to escort you to wherever you'd like to go," He looks at her with a suggestive smile.

"I usually prefer travelling alone," Scarlett lays her other hand on top of Filipe's, "But a little company never hurt someone,"

They enter Filipe's inn room, closing and latching the door shut before he presses her against the wall by a nightstand. Scarlett runs her hands along his, sturdy, muscular, body and the soft, curly, hair on his head. He rubs her lower back and slowly brings one hand up to her head and presses her head close to his. After a few seconds he suddenly stops kissing her as she stares at him with a dead look.

"Found you," He says without an accent before pulling the knife out from the back of her head. The Reaper takes her corpse and lays it on the bed. He picks up the sheath from the nightstand and puts the knife back into it before getting his bag from under the bed. With his target dead, he disappears into the night.