Clandestine Undertakings (open!)

[Anonymous]

Thunder crashed through the air, causing whatever strays that still remained in the streets to scamper off in search of shelter. A storm was brewing in the magical little hamlet, and it looked like it was going to be a big one. The clouds were so thick that they formed a blanket of darkness over the town, making it nigh impossible for anyone to see where they were going. Not only that, the wind was so strong that it could easily knock someone off their feet. Realizing that it would be insane to try and brave the approaching storm, most of the villagers finished their business early and turned in for the evening.

The weather had reduced the normally bustling city into a veritable ghost town, making it look like a place torn right out of a horror novel - which was strangely appropriate, considering what was about to take place.

Strolling down one of the abandoned paths was a frighteningly large man. He was clearly not from around these parts, as his thuggish clothing and unkempt appearance would be very unbecoming for a mage. A scowl was plastered on his unshaven face, and his beady eyes stared off into the distance, trying to see through the darkness that pervaded the town. He had one hand buried deep in his pants pocket and appeared to be holding something, likely a knife that he would not hesitate to use anyone foolish enough to give him any trouble.

"Bloody hell!" he grumbled under his breath as he made his way down the street, trying to ignore the wind that was blowing in his face, "This is gettin' ridiculous... Here I be wandering around in the rain, and that smarmy git is takin' his sweet ass time! When I get ahold of him, I oughtta give him what-for..."

Walking alongside the ruffian was a little girl no older than eight. Her body was wrapped in a thick purple cloak, and her hair was sopping wet from the rain. She kept her eyes fixed on the ground below her and said nothing, obviously terrified of the man. There was a sorrowful expression on her face, and she looked severely depressed - almost as though she had lost the will to live.

Glancing over at his companion, the criminal wrinkled his nose in disgust and pushed her forward slightly, then gave her a strong kick on the behind. "Keep walking, ya little brat! And would it kill ya to smile, or something? I want ya to look real pretty for the nice man. Hehehe..."

The child winced from the blow, but remained completely silent. Crying wouldn't get her anywhere, and she knew trying to run away from her captor would be a mistake. Having no other options, she simply continued to walk alongside him, silently hoping that this was all a terrible nightmare.

The criminal scowled at her. "Stupid little..." he muttered to himself, then continued on down the road. Seeing an alley in the distance, he smiled widely. "Looks like this is the place. Let's go wait for the nice man, shall we?" he laughed sinisterly, pulling the young mage along.

Looking both ways to make sure no one was watching him, he dragged the girl into the alley. He slowly came to a stop and looked around again, then leaned against a nearby wall. "Better show up soon..." he sighed, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a piece of chewing tobacco. He plopped it into his mouth and waited impatiently for his employer to arrive.

((OOC: Getting a bit on the long side, so I'm going to cut it off here. My actual player character will make his debut in the next post.))

[Anonymous]

It was a miserable day to be out in La'marri. Even more so when one did not have a place to stay there.

Beneath the shelter of a nearby building sat a young man in white robes, cross-legged, his staff leaning against the wall. The building's roof jutted out just above him, keeping him sheltered from the rain. He'd stayed out for much too long - the sudden change in weather had caught him unawares, and now, very likely, he would not find a place to take in such a rain-sodden traveler as he. Fear of the cold could make a miser out of the greatest of good samaritans.

And so Nikias Olghar tried his best to keep away from the worst of the weather, and to meditate, for he had been out a while and the visions were starting to grow worse. Small, glowing blue figures jumped in and out of the puddles, giggling and splashing each other, while lightning from the sky appeared to form and dance in front of Nikias' eyes in an caricature of a romantic couple, before dissipating. He closed his eyes, trying to stave off the visual and auditory hallucinations - before realizing that someone was trudging his way down the path.

Keeping his head low, his eyes caught a great big ogre of a man making his way down - with a much smaller person in tow. And although he could barely make out what the man was muttering, the kick to the girl's behind was enough of an indication that an injustice was taking place - especially after hearing the man's cruel laughter.

As they went by, the monk of the Yoreiq Isles stayed motionless, pretending to be asleep. And then, when he was sure that the man had gone past him, he opened his eyes, watching the man drag the little figure - a girl? - into an alley. The young man decided then and there to follow. Surely the rain was no excuse for turning a blind eye to a potential atrocity?

His racing heart, fearful of what he'd find, went a good way to dissipating the worst of the hallucinations. I am becoming addicted to danger, he thought to himself grimly. It's the only way I can feel normal these days. Staff and sandals trudging through the mud, Nikias strode towards the alleyway in quiet pursuit.

[Anonymous]

Standing on the edge of a balcony overlooking the town, a shadowy figure silently watched the night sky, his hands clasped neatly behind his back. Something about evenings like this always put him in good spirits, though he could never quite put his finger on it. True, they were perfect for his particular business, but the reason had to be more significant than that.

Perhaps monsters simply had a natural affinity for the darkness.

He walked to the edge of the roof and looked down into the alley below, his thin lips curving into a smile. Leaning against the building was none other than the thug he hired for the job. What a pleasant surprise! He had expected him to be at least an hour late, considering how reliable his kind was. Perhaps the bad weather gave him an incentive to get the job done.

Glancing to the side, he noticed a small figure standing beside the vagabond, no doubt the child he ordered him to kidnap. Although the cloak obscured her features, he could tell that she seemed utterly devastated. Her eyes were locked on the ground, and her kidnapper did not even have to hold her to keep her from running away. She had lost the will to fight and consigned herself to her fate. It seemed the thug did exactly as he was told.

Stepping forward, the necromancer transformed himself into an ethereal apparition that bolted into the sky at lightning speed. He landed in front of the thug a moment later and reassumed his normal form, greeting him with a deep bow. "Good evening, my friend. I trust you are doing well?"

The thug looked up from the ground, grinning when he saw his employer. "Well, look who it is! 'Bout time you got yer ass here, guvnah. I've been standing out in this damn storm for o'er an hour, I have!"

The sorcerer straightened his robe. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but weather like this is ideal for kidnappings. Or would you have rather done it with people wandering the streets?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, the thug looked off to the side. "Suppose you have a point... Now do you have my payment? I wanna get out of this dump and have my supper."

"Depends," he hummed, his eyes drifting to the child. "Have you begun the conditioning process? I cannot continue with the ceremony unless you have."

The criminal gave him a confused look. "Conditioning process..." he mumbled quietly, trying to figure out what the man meant. "Oh yeah! I made her watch me kill her parents, just like you asked. Screamed a whole lot, too! It was really funny. Hasn't made a peep since then, though."

"Excellent! I am greatly pleased," the necromancer hummed, looking down at the girl again. Her soul was all ready full of anguish from watching her parents die before her eyes. But unfortunately, she was still far from being a suitable sacrifice. The conditioning process would have to continue for a few more weeks before he could finally begin the ritual.

[Anonymous]

With his heart-rate up, and his mind alert to danger, Nikias' senses were sharper than they usually were. He thought he caught--something--moving through the sky towards the alleyway, and immediately he pressed his back against the wall. Not that it would've done much good; whatever he'd seen had been moving so fast that he'd barely had time to react. Still, nothing seemed amiss, except for the fact that he could hear two people talking in the alleyway.

The rain and thunder made it difficult to hear what exactly was being said, although he distinctly thought he heard the big man speak the word "kidnapping" - A dead giveaway that this was no innocent business transaction on a dark and stormy night. The next few words that he picked up were not much better: Conditioning, ceremony... and it seemed that the big man had blood on his hands. The girl's parents...

Despite his size, the big man would pose little danger, the young man decided. It was the man he was speaking to that would likely be the bigger threat, especially if he was a capable magic-user. For all of his training, Nikias had no defense against magic - no ways of preparing for it. Still, he couldn't walk away from this with a clean conscience. Action had to be taken, whatever the danger.

Not caring to disguise his movements now, he strode into the alleyway, staff in hand, his single eye glowing faintly in the darkness. His gaze settled on the girl first, assessing her situation - cowed by fear, no doubt, and fatigue - before looking upon the big man, and then the older, frail-looking gentleman... a spellcaster of some sort, no doubt, by the way he spoke of ceremonies. Saying nothing, he stepped forward, locking eyes with the old man, and then loudly stamping his staff in the mud. The disfigured young man said nothing, but it was clear in his manner that he was not going away - and that he was not at all pleased with what he was witnessing.

[Anonymous]

The large man folded his arms across his chest, giving his employer a heated glare. He was obviously aggravated from wandering around all night and wanted to get out of the rain. "Satisfied? Then give me my payment!"

Remaining silent, the necromancer tuned out the annoying thug and listened carefully to his surroundings. He had a feeling they were being watched, and the sound of approaching footsteps confirmed his suspicions. Once again someone, filled with righteous indignation over what he had witnessed, had taken it upon himself to save the day.

It wasn't like he never encountered interference before - in fact, it was quite a common occurrence. The thugs he tasked with gathering sacrifices for the ceremonies had a talent for messing up and attracting unwanted attention. Usually it was easy to deal with: normally he would have the thug murder the interloper and use the body as material for a chimera, or if worse came to worst, make his escape with the sacrifice in tow.

He had a feeling he would not be so lucky this time. La'marri was a town full of exceptionally powerful warriors and mages that would be excellent sacrifices for his demonic summonings. Unfortunately, this also meant they could easily throw a wrench into his plans if they had the mind to. That was why he chose this particular night for the kidnapping: his servant would have a much better chance of doing his job without attracting attention. But it seemed he put far too much faith in this fool.

"You there, buddy?!" the murderer snapped again, stepping forward. "I'm talking to you! Give me the money so I can get outta here! Someone might have found the bodies by now for all we know."

Looking up, the necromancer assumed his ethereal form again and shot into the sky. Traveling through the air, he landed in front of the intruder and reformed in his normal form. As he suspected, the man looked like he could be a problem. Judging from his attire, he was either a magician or some kind of monk. But this was inconsequential. What bothered him was his glowing eye, something he had never seen in all of his travels. If the stranger possessed some sort of unknown power, then they might be in for some trouble.

The necromancer greeted him with a sweeping bow. "Good evening, sir! I am Nikanoru, a simple necromancer from the land of Thanatos. How might I be of service?"

The criminal stepped forward and gritted his teeth when he saw the man. How could he be so stupid! He must have done something to draw attention to himself. No matter: if he caused any trouble, he would pound him into the ground. "Son of a...."

The child looked up from the ground, widening her eyes when she saw the stranger. Her once lifeless orbs shone with newfound hope, and her despair seemed to vanish. She stepped toward him, only for her kidnapper to grab her by the air.

"Don't even think about it, ya little bitch!" the kidnapper snarled. "Yer not gonna cost me my payment... I haven't eaten in about a week."

[Anonymous]

At the display of power, the young man flinched a moment, almost bringing his staff up to bear, until the old man tried to be cordial - as if he could distract him from what was really going on, here. With one brief look over the old man to make sure that he wasn't going to try anything, he wordlessly attempted to brush past him, his attention now focused on the big man and the girl.

He locked eyes with the thug - and then finally, he spoke, his voice low and raspy from disuse. "Murderer. Little man with big body, who preys on children." His head swiveled to look back at the old man with an intense gaze. "You will not make any purchases tonight. Leave, now. The life of an innocent is not for sale."

[Anonymous]

The large man gritted his teeth as the young man spoke to him. Having always had an undeserved sense of self-accomplishment, he demanded respect from everyone that was unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Needless to say, he wasn't going to take such harsh words lightly.

Tossing the child aside, he stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up the ground. "Retard has quite a mouth, doesn't he? Look, I can tell you probably have some mental problems, so I'll cut you some slack this time. Get your ass out of here, or else."

The girl landed on the side of the alleyway. Whimpering, she mustered what little strength she had and tried to pull herself up. Before she could, she started coughing and hacking and fell to the ground again. Apparently she caught something from being out in the storm for so long.

Nikanoru watched them from near the entrance, arms folded across his abdomens, his long sleeves dangling just above the ground. He could tell his minion was digging a deeper grave for himself with every word. Despite his gargantuan size and brutish strength, he knew the thug was not an experienced fighter and would stand little chance against the mysterious monk.

Nevetheless, he was not about to let such a valuable sacrifice get away so easily. "Be aware that you are meddling in the business of Thanatos," he warned the young man. "I was given this mission by the Holy Church itself. Should you interfere, there will be serious consequences for this town."

This was, of course, a blatant lie. Although he was once a figure of great importance in Thanatos, he fled long ago after he was to be executed for his horrifying and cruel rituals. But he sincerely doubted the monk knew that.

"Besides, you're wasting your time. The conditioning has all ready begun, and the subject's life has been ruined. Even if you saved her, she would only die in the streets," he informed him evenly.

[Anonymous]

The thug was strong. Natural, brute strength, something that could have been refined, controlled with the right training. But the mind was woefully underdeveloped, and he could not have anticipated that his verbal threat had no effect on Nikias. Indeed, being grabbed by the collar only served to pull him in. Throwing his staff back, the monk curled up his legs, pulled back and kicked out with both feet onto the thug's face. Using it as a springboard, he wrested free of the thug's hands and back-flipped through the air, landing gracefully, one hand lowered to retrieve his staff.

Glancing back at the older man, he pondered his words. It was too late to back down now - he had just assaulted his 'business partner', after all - but did his actions here have consequences that he had not considered? No matter, he decided. All that is important is that there is a child in danger.

"Nothing is hopeless," he replied, in response to the the old man's last assertion. "Not while there's life." His eyes locked on the girl's face. "Run."

[Anonymous]

The brutish man never saw it coming. Before he could react, he felt both feet plow into his face. He fell backwards onto the pavement and brought his hands up to his face, letting out a symphony of girlish screams. He turned on his side and groaned in agony,
obviously in a great deal of pain.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed at the monk. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!!"

Staring at her defeated kidnapper, the girl smiled widely and pulled herself up again. Taking her savior's advice, she made a dash for the other end of the alley, going as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. Once utterly despondent, her heart was once again filled with hope. She had been saved from a fate worse than death and could start a new life.

Her hopes were squashed when the necromancer intercepted her in his ethereal form. She stared up at him in fear, watching as he once again took human form. "P-Please.." she pleaded him. "Can't you just find someone else? I've all ready lost so much..."

Nikanoru looked down at the child, a small frown on his face. He had ordered the thug to murder her parents in order to begin the conditioning process. With her whole life destroyed and her family dead, the girl would grow hopeless and begin to harbor negative emotions. This would increase her suffering exponentially during the actual conditioning and ultimately lead to a stronger demon being summoned during the ritual. Unfortunately, it seemed that Nikias poisoned her by planting a seed of hope in her heart.

He paused, a sinister grin appearing on his face. The sacrifice might not be tainted, after all. By giving her a shred of hope, he could make her suffering even stronger by snuffing it out. If you give a crying baby a lollipop, chances are it will cry even harder if you take it away.

"That is something I cannot do. You see, my dear, I've been planning to abduct a child from this town for quite some time now. La'marri is home to many powerful wizards such as yourself, which makes you ideal for summoning demons," Nikanoru explained to her with mock sympathy.

The child stared at him. "Summoning demons...?"

Nikanoru nodded. "I make a living by summoning demons into this world and selling them to the highest bidder. They are most often used for war, so the most malicious and bloodthirsty demons go for the highest price. But in order to summon these malignant creatures, I need to bait them with negative feelings."

Casting a quick glance at the monk to make sure he wasn't trying anything, he looked back to the girl. "I have done extensive research on what kind of sacrifices demons are more likely to respond to. Children tend to be more emotional than adults and react to pain much faster, so I primarily use them in my rituals."

The girl stared at him in horror. "So you abduct children for a living...?"

"You could say that. After abducting my sacrifices, I torture them in the most painful ways imaginable to create strong negative feelings. Then I use them as bait for demons during summoning rituals. When a demon feels a strong attraction to the sacrifice, it materializes into this world and promptly devours the bait," Nikanoru answered, speaking in a tone most people would use for a simple dinner conversation.

The young magician shrank back in fear, staring at the robed man with absolute revulsion.

[Anonymous]

The thug had less endurance than Nikias had imagined. Retrieving his staff, he stepped around the man's body and planted a foot on his chest, swinging the staff over his head and bringing it down on the big man's temple, with enough force to (hopefully) knock him out for a while. After that, he turned his attention towards where the girl had begun her escape - and ended, when the old man had intercepted her. What form of travel was he using? Some sort of teleportation?

There was evil emanating from that old man... the monk thought he could hear the screams of children from him, others that he might have sacrificed. Nikias didn't know if he was strong enough to kill this necromancer - he'd never fought his kind before - but perhaps he could keep this child's soul out from his grasp.

As he strode forward with purpose, staff in hand, he listened to the man's explanation. A war profiteer, it seemed - unless Thanatos was a particularly aggressive country (which he had no way of disproving), he doubted the man was truly acting in his country's interests. No, likely he was out for his own profit. Nikias felt no remorse at interfering with his plans.

This child shall be your last sacrifice, Nikias silently vowed, as he broke into a run, swinging his staff towards Nikanoru's shoulder.

[Anonymous]

The thug moved his hands away from his face and glared up at the monk, apparently unconcerned about the horrifying truths his employer just revealed. Perhaps he all ready knew, or maybe he couldn't care less. All that concerned him was beating his attacker to a bloody pulp.

"You don't know who you're messing with! I was - " Before he could even start his boast, he was easily knocked out by a blow to the head.

The girl blinked in surprise when she saw the thug go down. If she had known he was that pathetic, she would have fought back herself. And if her parents were awake when he attacked him, they would have immolated his ass.

Nikanoru sighed in disappointment when his ally was knocked unconscious. He had hoped to use him as a diversion while he escaped with his latest sacrifice, but it seemed he really was useless, after all. Escaping by himself would not be a problem thanks to his handy teleportation spell, but bringing the girl with him would be difficult. He would not allow such a powerful sacrifice to slip through the cracks.

He broke from his thoughts when he saw Nikias charging toward him, preparing to deliver a blow to his shoulder. Instead of fighting back, he dematerialized into his ethereal form like the coward he was and darted into the sky. He rematerialized at the other end of the alleyway, a profound frown on his face. "Now, now... I have no intention of fighting you. I am a scholar and a pacifist!"

[Anonymous]

Knocking out the thug was worryingly enjoyable; he tried not to take too much satisfaction from it. Righteous anger had its dark side, after all - if indulged too much, one could lose perception of what was righteous. And at any rate, his troubles were not over, not even a little bit.

The monk noted how the staff passed through the old man as he swung through his shoulder - an ethereal transformation, it seemed - and then passed through him, towards the other side of the alleyway. Out of surprise, he flinched, although he soon realized that no damage had been done to him. With one hand, he reached out to the little girl, putting it on her shoulder. She was his charge now, at least until he could get her suitable foster parents. Surely, her family was known here, among this tight-knit community.

"And a child-stealer," the young man replied acerbically to the necromancer's protest, "Among worse things. Don't believe your kind are welcomed here. And I imagine someone will have noticed your magic signature by now, if you do not leave soon." It was only logical; the man had cast his ethereal teleportation two or three times now. He glanced down at the girl for a moment, appraising her for any lasting injury. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see little flames dancing along her arms... another nonsense hallucination, or perhaps signs of her ability? "Who knew your family in this village?" he asked her quietly.

[Anonymous]

"Please! You should know that magic is not an uncommon phenomena in this town. Feats like teleportation would only draw attention from outsiders," the necromancer answered him with disinterest, his mind obviously elsewhere. With his muscle out of the picture, he needed a new way to subdue the monk and escape with the child. There were no bodies around for him to raise as zombies, and he sincerely doubted he could hold his own in a fight against him.

The child looked up at the monk, giving him a clear view of her face. She seemed to be around ten, though her eyes held the wisdom of someone much older. Her hair was a shade of dirty blonde and fell neatly down to her shoulders. "There is a woman on the east side of town that knew them fairly well. I'm sure she would look after me."

Nikanoru paused thoughtfully, trying to come up with a way to escape with the girl. It seemed they planned on departing soon, so he needed to buy more time. "Young monk, you must realize that your efforts are still pointless. You have saved the child, but at what cost? I will simply replace her with another sacrifice. And by interfering with my work now, you would be responsible for the demise of the new sacrifice. So you see, you can't stop me."

[Anonymous]

The man was speaking nonsense - trying to incite guilt within him. It would not work. Nikias was not responsible for the old man's actions... perhaps he couldn't stop him entirely, but he was not to blame for the evil of the necromancer. Taking hold of the child's hand, he glanced behind him, towards the rest of the street. If the would-be kidnapper didn't try to stop them, she'd be safe, at least for a little while.

Idly, the young man glanced at the motionless thug on the ground, somewhat glad that he hadn't given in to violence and snapped his neck. Given the necromancer's powers, that would have led to rather unpleasant circumstances... although a darker part of him hoped that he could exact proper vengeance on the big man later on. He wondered if perhaps the girl was thinking the same thing.

"I can stop you from harming this girl," Nikias replied. "And others, in this village. They will know you here, soon enough. Do you have a name?" As the disfigured monk spoke, he began stepping backward, towards the exit. He really did not want to turn his back on such a potentially dangerous foe... who knows what powers this 'pacifist' might possess.

[Anonymous]

Frowning, the necromancer realized that his mind games would not work on the young monk. When people tried to confront him from a moral standpoint, he would usually try to turn the tables on his aggressors and make them out to be the bad guys, planting seeds of doubt and guilt in their minds. This gave him more time to plan his next move, or provided him with an opportunity to make his escape. Unfortunately, it seemed this man had too strong a mind to succumb to such dirty tactics.

He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, once again lost in his thoughts. The boy raised a good point. Soon the villagers would know of his existence, be it through the actions of that troublesome monk or by discovering the remains of the two mages his henchman brutally murdered a few hours earlier. And moreover, once they discovered what he was up to, they would no doubt do whatever they could to prevent him from wreaking havoc in their village again.

That was something he could not allow. The people of this village possessed powers far greater than any of his previous sacrifices, and would be able to attract demons of extraordinary power. He could not afford to lose access to this town: he needed to witness what they were capable of summoning, not only for the sake of his wallet, but because it was his desire as a scientist.

Hearing footsteps, he forced his eyes open, and his frown deepened considerably when he saw what was going on. They were leaving. If he was going to make his move, he had to do it quickly. His reflection had given him an idea - a risky one that would prevent him from showing his face in town for quite some time, but at least he would have a chance at getting the girl. Regardless of the outcome, he would have to steer clear of La'marri for a while.

"I suppose you are right," he conceded with a disappointed sigh. "After all this work it would be such a shame to go home empty handed, but perhaps it would be best if I simply cut my losses now."

Stepping back, he raised a hand and gave the young man a friendly smile. "My name is Nikanoru. Before I depart, might I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"

The girl stood behind her savior, watching the necromancer suspiciously. She sincerely doubted he was going to let them off the hook so easily. He had to be planning something sinister.

The criminal lay motionless on the ground, still out cold. Suddenly, an expression of disgust crossed his face, and he balled his right hand into a fist, raising it high into the air. "....And some bread, too...." he grumbled in his sleep.

[Anonymous]

The young monk was clearly uncomfortable as Nikanoru approached him with an outstretched hand. What a trickster he was - first he tries to convince Nikias that this amoral behavior was 'official' business of Conlaoth (which the boy made a note of inquiring about), and then he tries to act friendly after dispatching his thug? The old man was about as trustworthy as a poisonous snake, and the monk has no wish to make himself vulnerable to his fangs. As he had this thought, his mind began hallucinating again, conjuring up fangs and snake eyes for the old man as Nikias leveled his gaze at him.

"I have been taught," he replied at length, "That it is a fool that gives his name to a wizard freely. Just like it is to look a vampire in the eye. I will tell you instead that I am a simple monk of Yoreiq - the last of my people." He gripped his staff a bit tighter, memories of the day of his departure fresh in his mind.

"And with that, I leave you, Nikanoru. Thank you for your name. I will tell the people here of it, so that they know it also." Nikias imagined that this threat was a hollow one - he had no reason to believe that 'Nikanoru' was the old man's given name, and that he could always assume another one. But still, it was all he had on him.

And now he looked down at the girl, a faraway expression on his face - as if his movements were part of a trance he was in. "Let us depart. I see no reason to linger among child killers."

[Anonymous]

Nikanoru silently listened as the monk spoke to him, a suspicious smile slowly spreading across his pale face. He knew he was not foolish enough to share his identity with him. That would have made the task of eliminating him far too simple. He doubted the monk would make a habit of interfering with his work, but as he always said, it never hurt to take extra precautions.

The time had come to make his move. If his bumbling henchman did as he was told, the bodies would still be in the house. He would not have enough time to create a powerful chimera from them, but he was sure he could whip up something strong enough to capture the girl and eliminate that meddlesome boy. Even though he did not know his true power, he doubted he would be able to contend with one of his bloodthirsty monstrosities.

And if the monk was victorious over the demon, he would always have his consolation prize.

He stepped backward once again, giving Nikias another deep bow. "A wise decision, my friend. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I hope to see you again soon. Have a nice evening."

With that, he reverted to his etherial form and, with a demonic screech, shot off into the sky above. He had to move quickly if his plan was to succeed.

The girl stared up at the sky, lips curved into a light frown. She looked up at Nikias, her eyes heavy with sorrow. "Thank you for all your help, sir. I don't know how I could ever repay you..."

[Anonymous]

Watching him go away, Nikias was very much mindful of the suspicious smile on Nikanoru's face. It was difficult to separate fact from reality when he flew off, however; first the man turned pale and ethereal like a ghost, which was easy enough to follow, but then he grew bat wings, made a loud screech, and flew off, leaving a cloud of darkness behind him. The young monk wasn't sure how much of that was real and how much of it was his mind embellishing it with redundant detail.

"I must ask you something," he spoke to the girl, his singular gaze pointed towards the sky. "Could you tell what Nikanoru just did? My vision is ... unreliable. Did he use a spell to fly away?" Undoubtedly he did, Nikias thought, but he hoped the girl - a child of wizards, from the sounds of it - could tell him more. The powers of magic were not familiar to him - or at least, not as much as magical relics were, back in the temple.

Assuming the girl replied to his initial question, Nikias decided that he had had enough of standing around. "We must go find you a caretaker," he spoke up. "I'm sure we have not seen the last of that man tonight."

[Anonymous]

The child looked up at the sky again, staring up at the dark clouds with a vacant expression on her face. Closing her eyes tightly, she began attuning herself to the magical energies that surrounded her. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and turned to the monk.

"Nikanoru used an advanced teleportation spell to make his escape. I was planning on tracking him, but I'm not experienced enough to analyze such powerful magic. However, I could tell this particular incantation was weaker than the ones he used earlier, which means he can't be far," she explained to him.

Looking back out at the street, she frowned again. She could feel something ominous brewing in the distance. An obscene amount of dark magic was being channeled into a nearby house. She looked back at her savior, eyes filled with concern. "I can feel him doing something in the distance, something dangerous.... He is planning to attack. The friend I told you about before is on the east side of town, but I doubt we could get to her without a confrontation.'

[Anonymous]

Advanced teleportation spell... Nikias would have to remember that. A powerful necromancer, for sure, and not one to trifle with, normally. The monk was slowly realizing that he'd made a powerful enemy, in only his first few weeks on the mainland; the consequences of acting virtuously, it seemed.

"Very well," he replied as the girl spoke of her suspicions that Nikanoru was not finished with them, and he knelt down to think, holding his staff up for support. "He will expect us to try and flee his wrath... or at least act defensively, try to outrun whatever plan he has. I think the only way to beat him is to outwit him." A daunting plan, for sure. He'd never engaged in battles of wits with wizards before - at least not when death or worse was on the line. But he had to try, for the girl's sake.

"How gifted are you with magic?" he asked the girl, his single glowing eye focused on her now. "I wish to spring a trap, but I am afraid that my knowledge of magic is limited. Can you turn invisible, or split into two people... something to fool the old man?"