This can only end well

[Anonymous]

It was nice to have some quiet time, his rather overpaid guards off doing whatever it was they did out in the woods. Mikhail didn't really care and he was glad to use the time to look over his notes. He had several vials of very interesting new blood to send out to his father as soon as they reached civilization.

His arm though...

Mikhail's delicate fingers lightly felt along the shoulder. It was newish, so it hadn't started t rot, but it was only a matter of time. He couldn't seem to keep up the connection. If there was more time, he would have gone and talked to the Necromancer's of Thanatos, but the blood gathering outweighed his own vanity and comfort.

He pulled out a vial, studying it in the light. He had been working on and testing a new combination. He was trying to make it so he could combine water and lightening and use it to devastating effects. A number of experiments in the woods hadn't gone well. He could get one or the other and once he managed both magics, but not together.

He must be using the wrong creatures. He needed to try that nymphs blood, see if that worked. Flipping open his notebook, he made some notes there, totally absorbed in his work.

[Tally]

"Preparing a spell?"

The voice sounded from behind Mikhail, and hailed from a somewhat scrawny, somewhat short youth, white hair all mussed and the dust of travel clinging to his boots, his coat.  He smiled, too friendly, anticipating.  He was wending his way through the brush and into the camp.

[Anonymous]

"In a manner of speaking." It wasn't magic, not really, but it was close enough for most and Mikhail found magic much easier to explain than science. The boy was good looking, if somewhat strange around the edges.

Cocking his head, Mikhail studied him, "You are rather far out. What brings you here?"

[Tally]

"Profit," he said.  He pulled the spellblade from his belt with a flourish and kept coming.  "And knowledge."

He could have gone through the trouble of an ambush, but he craved the fight.  It might mean the escape of his quarry, but that was the price of pleasure.

[Anonymous]

Fuck.

Mikhail glanced around, as if hoping Cade or Syrae might suddenly show up to save him. When that didn't happen, he locked eyes on the man with the sword, hand reaching up to the vials of blood he kept, "Profit, hmmm? Well, maybe I can help with that."

[Tally]

Raven flashed a bright grin.  "I am sure that you can!"

A burst of light and he disappeared.  He reappeared in another brief, blinding flare next to Mikhail and brought the hilt of the long dagger down on the man's wrist.

[Anonymous]

Mikhail screamed, fingers fumbling against the blood vials, pain shooting up his arm. He curled forward and tried to roll away from the crazy man. This wasn't good, not good at all. Not against a mage, unprepared and alone. Where the devil were his bodyguards?!

[Tally]

Raven grabbed Mikhail by the hair and punched him in the throat with a closed fist.  Not enough to collapse his windpipe if Raven's estimation of his own force was accurate, and how could it not be?  He wanted him down, not dead..  This was turning out to be less a challenge than he'd hoped for.

[Anonymous]

Mikhail gurgled and clawed at his throat, forgetting everything but trying to get air into his lungs again. He had never been much of a fighter, not without magical blood flowing through his veins. He gave a few feeble twists to try and get free, but he was rather down for the count with his windpipe cutting off air flow.

[Tally]

"That's it?"  Raven shook his head.  Maybe he should have tried his luck with the two warriors.  Would have garnered more fun than this for certain, risky or not.  He pulled out a roped and pulled Mikhail's hands behind his back to bind him.  Mages and their troublesome gestures.

[Anonymous]

Mikhail gave another gasping cough, struggling to free his hands from the ropes, his voice rough, "L-let me go. I can pa-" He had to stop, another coughing fit over taking him. This wasn't good. He wanted to stall at least, in the hopes his useless body guards might return in time.

[Tally]

"You can what?  Pay?"  He gave the ropes a good yank, made sure they were nice and uncomfortable.  "I could take coin off any merchant on the roads if I had need of that."

He hadn't exactly planned this, not with any real effort.  He'd heard of the mages disappearing, and he'd seen this one and wondered how far it might take him in the affair.  It was an impulse, and he'd only tailed them long enough to be sure he wouldn't encounter the warriors.

He had an inkling of where they needed to go, but first he pulled open Mikhail's coat to get a look at the vials there.  It was far from his own craft from the look of it.  He'd have to take a better estimation of these.

[Anonymous]

Mikhail squirmed, furious that the man was touching his vials. Those were important. Worth more than anything else Mikhail owned. Thankfully, he had sent off the really important ones, but still, these were his collection.

"Don't touch those! Those are too important for some thug like you."

[Tally]

"I'm sure."  He lifted one out to get a look at it.  It made little sense to him, so he replaced it.  They might be of use later, but only once he had some time to devote more attention to them.

Raven stood, and drew Mikhail up with him.  He felt his emergent point, holding strong about five or so miles north, secure from curious eyes in the cover of a cave.  "Why haven't you called for help?"

He'd prepared for that, but he was curious.  Did Mikahil think he could take him?

[Anonymous]

Mikhail stared at the man like he was an idiot, his voice still raspy, "Because you punched me in the throat."

[Tally]

"Oh!  Ha, right."  Raven slapped himself on the forehead.  "That would do it, wouldn't it?  Gods, I need to pay more attention."

He snapped the invisible tether line and they disappeared from Mikhail's camp.  Seconds later and five miles away, they incarnated again at his emergent point.  A brilliant flash of white light and there they were, a horse all packed up and ready for them.

Not that Mikhail would need it.  He'd be walking.

[Anonymous]

Mikhail gave a startled squeal at the magic, blinking and disoriented. He gave a wheezing gasp, getting very alarmed now that they had teleported. He had little faith his bodyguards ability to track them across magic, though, Cade would most likely give it his best when he realized Mikhail still had all the money.

His voice was still horse when he spoke again, "Where are you taking me? What do you want you crazy asshole?"

[Tally]

Raven stood still a moment, let his body reorient itself.  He tugged Mikhail over to the horse.

"I told you already.  Weren't you listening?"  He got another rope out, but he'd botched things up already, tied Mikhail's hands behind him instead of in front.

He sighed and yanked Mikhail around to unbind him.  "Kindly don't give me any trouble so we can get through this quickly."

[Anonymous]

Mikhail shook his head, "No, not really you didn't."

He didn't try to get away, he knew there was no point and getting injured would just make it harder to try and run later. His voice was still rough and when he realized what the man wanted to do, his eyes widened slightly, "You want me to walk? That isn't going to work very well."