Of Night and Day
The light was rising towards its peak in the sky, as it was illuminating the ground below. Balanar and Ezalor were trotting down mid lane towards their next destination.
"Ah, bathed in the light. Isn't this glorious Balanar? For once we get a moment to rest." Ezalor pets the head of his horse and sits back relaxed in saddle.
"You are an old fool Ezalor. This cursed dawn burns my eyes. I long for another case soon to distract myself from this radiance." Balanar speaks in a low growl as he drinks from the bottle in his hand.
Ezalor shakes his head and continues on the path. He looks back at Balanar who is struggling to keep up, though he could not tell if it was due to the sun or whatever concoction was within that bottle.
"Well Night Stalker, the daytime's not as bad as all that, is it? Bad enough that you should wish for a murder to take place rather than travel in the light?" Before Balanar could answer an announcement came overhead, FIRST BLOOD.
"Speak of the devil. Looks like we finally have a case. They are calling us to bottom lane, let's go Keeper." Balanar seems to have a new skip to his step as if excited that something finally happened.
Ezalor and Balanar have been on the Dota Patrol for 15 years as partners. They have solved many unsolvable cases together. Ezalor has always noted that of all their cases, the ones involving murder are the ones Balanar is most interested in. Nevertheless they work together well and get results.
They arrive at the scene to find the body of a young maiden laying lifeless upon the ground. The frost still settling down around her.
"This one's face seems familiar... but her name escapes me." Ezalor leans down and looks her over and notices several markings upon her and the faint smell of poison. "She is quite beautiful though, hehe."
"Keeper, focus!" Balanar snaps at him and then begins searching over the crime scene. "Rylai, The Crystal Maiden is our victim. It appears she died of a dagger in the back and from poison that invaded her system." Balanar closes the victims eyes and looks at her. "A waste of a good support. Now I suppose the question is: was the poison in her blood from the dagger or were there two accomplices?"
Ezalor illuminates the scene to look for traces of the attacker's essence, only a faint trail was visible to his eyes. "I see the outline of one figure. It is faint but I can make out the basic shape. It appears to be snake like from its silhouette." He continues to walk around the scene and finds a ward upon the ground. "She was leaving to place a ward. Whomever the assailants were, were waiting for her."
"They did well to cover their tracks, I can just barely make out a snakes slithering path. Keeper are you certain that there is but one essence here?" Balanar searches around the area for more tracks. "Something bothers me greatly about this. I feel that there must be more than one assailant."
"You are correct, I see it now where I could not before. There seems to be a faint but lingering essence of another being. The light is being distorted around it. Odd I have not seen this before, what ever could it be?" Ezalor wonders off in contemplation, curious over this anomaly.
"I have seen a kill this way before old one. I fear we may have a repeat offender." Balanar got up and looked towards Ezalor. "We may have a serial killer team on our hand. And I fear they are going for a killing spree if we don't stop them soon."
Balanar jumps up and begins searching around the scene for the missing piece. "There must be something here. Something that escapes our vision. Old one, your vision is better than mine under this blasted sun, help me look." He looked over at Ezalor who was speaking with Luna. "You are such a strange old man." he whispers under his voice while shaking his head.
Ezalor walks up to Balanar smiling. "Ah they don't make them like that anymore do they Stalker? The moon truly has reflects her light."
"You truly are messed up. Now that you are done harassing the lieutenant again would you help me?" Balanar snarls towards Ezalor.
"Ah the road ahead is brighter now my friend. While speaking with Miss Luna I discovered something: A dagger that belongs to the Sisters of the Veil. Seems we have an old friend back to her old ways eh Night?" Balanar smiles.
"Let's go catch us a Phantom!"
To be continued...