Spirits of the Earth

Julien walked quietly across the green grass, letting the sun beat down on him. To his left was the tree line, though one could see a small river in between the trees, the water could be bearly heard. Off to the left was green grass, mountains off in the distance, a darker shade of blue compared to the sky.

Julien took a deep breath, stretching his arms above his head, and lazily yawned. The air was light, letting the sun warm the land. It was peaceful and Julien liked it. He had been working non stop for the past few months with no break, he forgot what the world was like without the blood dripping off of swords and the bright glow of gold passed between secret hands.

Though Julien still needed to work. He was heading to one of the smaller towns, maybe they had some easy jobs he could do, like, herd cow or slay a beast. The nearest town was still a few days out, but Julien could handle it, he has yet to run into any problems.

Yes...that treeline.  He didn't notice, but someone was there, someone skilled in at least keeping quiet and concealed enough while observing at a distance.  He was being followed. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mevqO4oZC00)  It was a person who had trained very hard and had a number of experiences in different ranges of combat.  This person was actually one who did jobs for others, as he did, though...perhaps under different motivations.  What we have here is a brunette woman clad in armor that looked bronze or brass in color, but was actually mythril.  It was full-body, minus a helmet, and she had a bigass sword on her back with a pair of daggers on her belt.  The sword was magical, but its effects were currently confined to itself.  More on this later.

This was a Serenian woman of not noble birth, per se, but relatively important in the grand scheme of things.  She was for-hire, but she also had responsibilities in Serendipity, especially since they were relatively close to her hometown.  This man wasn't headed there - Her home was a major mining town closer to the mountains - but the region still asked of her to help with matters.  In this case, it was a doozy.  Serenians tend to use bits of magic here-and-there to do their jobs.  It was a skill in the workplace, sometimes.  When skills suddenly stop working for a while, it usually means one thing: A Mordecai.  But...what was a Mordecai doing here?

That was her mission.  She was trailing this guy now.  It was actually quite easy.  Following the reports of where magic stopped working for a while, she could figure that those people were within the range of his power, which had a range of a quarter-mile.  She could judge her distance from him this way, being gifted herself, and get around him to better vantage points even while being out of sight range.  Now that these were these trees, it was easier to close in to find this guy.  What was he doing here?  And...curious...  Why was he not in heavy armor?  Mordecai were usually in armor because magic could not protect them in battle.  Why was this one basically hiding who he was?

For now, she followed, waiting to see if he was going somewhere to a purpose, while debating on whether to confront him directly or not.  She could only conceal herself for so long before he noticed.  Eventually, she'd run out of trees, as well.  For now, he had the next move.

Julien paused noticing something from the trees. He stopped, turning to the tree line and...

"Hell yeah!" Julien yelled running forward, sliding to a stop by the water. There was a cluster of Blackroots, he used to suck on these when he was younger, traveling along the river side. As the name suggests, they were a dark color, the inside was filled with a bitter taste, very much like coffee. Julien picked a few, quickly washing them off in the cold water, and put one in his mouth. He then sighed, laying back, and closed his eyes as he moved the root around in his mouth.

Of course, when he looked in her general direction, she backed up against a tree and waited.  He could move on, he could call out, he could investigate, he could be totally oblivious...  She heard him shout 'Hell yeah!' suddenly and run for the riverbank, basically right past her, only a few trees over.  He'd spotted some blackroot, which admittedly plenty of people in Serendipity used every now and then.  Some actually ground it up to make coffee and tea, while others took it straight from the root like he did.  Still, the sudden action, and subsequent lie-down, took her by surprise.

Uhhh...okay.  I think I can write-off any deliberate malice, at this point.

It was something she'd have to confirm, but at this point, he didn't exactly seem like trouble.  Not intentional trouble, at any rate.  He was still a Mordecai.  His effect was still to be felt, regardless of his personal motivations.  Calming down a bit, she allowed a suitable pause to follow before stepping out from concealment and towards the river.  Relaxed as he was, she decided to keep out of his sun, though she was going to have to interrupt his lie-down.  He would hear her approaching quite easily now, followed by her pleasant-if-business-like voice.

"Excuse me, but you are a Mordecai, aren't you?"

Julien opened his eyes and watched as a young woman approached him. The first thing he noticed was her weapon and armor. Though she spoke in a professional manner, she was still ready for a fight. Julien grunted, turning around so he was on his stomach.

"Yeah I am." Julien said, answering her question, not taking the Blackroot out, "Can I help you, beautiful?"

Yeah, she was good-looking, flattery can wait until later.  Right now, she was on the clock, and that meant that while he was fairly chill, she was...  Okay, she was chill too, but it was her official 'dealing with people patiently' kind of chill, while he was just sort of relaxed.  There's a difference in there, somewhere.  Though she was ready for a fight, he really wasn't, so she wasn't exactly feeling threatened.  Besides, the worst he could do was already being done, the thing with the magic.  Mordecai didn't have any other surprises, in general, because their own power would prevent that.  Nothing she couldn't be prepared for, anyhow.

"Yeah, you can tell me why you're in Serendipity.  I'm not the border patrol or anything, but people started to complain when their magic stopped working."

Magic was common in Seren lands, as stated before.  Unlike Connlaoth, where they actively suppress and control that, people snapped their fingers and lit up fireplaces all the time, or danced to make it rain, or communed with nature, or just cast the odd magic missle...though to be fair there were others who were alot more powerful, some who had even been proper wizards and warlocks.  The point was that people noticed when it was being disrupted, and that was a problem.

"You have to understand, around here, magic's a part of everyday lives, and one of the reasons we get along with Connlaoth is that we don't get in the middle of their problems and they don't cause any for us, and that includes Mordecai.  You're obviously not here on business -  No armor, no papers, no nothing - so what is it?"

Of course, the one possibility that she hadn't considered was that this guy wasn't an official Mordecai for the land of Connlaoth, but then it was common knowledge that they came from there...

"Aw honey, I'm always on the job. I travel around, er, assisting in odd jobs. And despite how much this place uses magic, most of the people here can't. Even if they did, they don't have the physical strength that most people do have." Julien, pulled at the root, spitting the excess off to the side. "And if their magic don't work and there are no jobs for me, then I leave, no need to stick around if there's no gold to be given. Besides," Julien stood, turning to the girl. "What's it matter to you."

Her eyes narrowed a bit at his reply.  Did he not understand that the reason 'most folks can't do magic' was because of him?  Most folks in Seren DID know at least something.  And as for the way he was responding to her...  Harmless flirt or trying to hard?  She really couldn't tell.  The thing that caught her attention was that he wasn't an official Mordecai, but rather a drifter with no training or anything.  It was kind of surprising that Connlaoth would let one go.  Not that it was her's or anyone's job to tell him how to live his life, but they're usually picky about that sort of thing because of their laws regarding magic.  So, what's it to her, then?

"People are complaining, basically.  I'm a Magistrate, and a sword-for-hire.  It's kind of my responsibility to get to the bottom of it.  You're lucky that you're not an official Mordecai, as that would be a breach of the agreements between nations."

He had gotten up while they were talking.  There was no sign from her that his proximity concerned her, but judging from her equipment and this fact, she was use to dealing with people who were amicable and those who were not.

"Something you're gonna have to live with is that people can't use alot of their magic when around you, and there is more magic in this country than any other.  Offering to do work for people is fine and all, but offering to do work that your ability is preventing them from otherwise doing themselves is practically extortion.  You're creating the problem to extract money from people who wouldn't need to hire you if you weren't there."

Julien shrugged. He didn't actually care about other people. All he was worried about was if there was money, and if there were extra jobs because of his ability, then it was worth it
"Ha, those idiot don't know how much more they can get paid if they do something else than be the Grand Dukes lap dogs. Besides, if me coming through here causes more jobs, than I guess I get paid more. Lucky me. I come though Serendipity every year, best time I get paid, and you or anyone else here is not going to stop me because some person can't fling magic for a day." Julien flung one hand to his head and the other pressed against his chest. "Oh no, what am I to do! I can't magically clean the house or magically lift a spoon. What is one to do for a day!" He said dramatically.

It took Julien years to realize that he was a Mordecai, by then Ekon already had him by a leash. Besides, it's not his fault that he could negate magic, like it's not ones fault that they can use magic. Julien learned that the hard way.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have business to attend to in the next town over." Julien said, walking away. "Bye, gorgeous."

Well, she kinda' figured the full impact of the problem wasn't making it through his noggin, but she didn't figure on him being rude about it.  Apparently, he did this every year, and he just had no respect for people.  Really, she could've done without that patronizing speech.  People used magic to make life easier, to bump up crop tables and cast off into the sea even if the winds are unfavorable.  It was a boon to society, and he didn't care that he was screwing that up where it wasn't wanted and taking advantage of others.  Oh no, she wasn't gonna let that slide.  So, when he started walking away, she let him get maybe ten paces away before he'd hear it.

...ssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!...

"I don't think so."

Stranger, take warning! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsK1_NS71XA)  She's taken her hand and put it on the handle of her sword.  It'd begun to sizzle and spark as she pulled it out, holding it to her side and a little behind with two hands.  At the apex of the noise, lightning was dancing all along the blade.  You don't cancel all the magic as a Mordecai.  Magical objects, for instance, still functioned.

"Maybe you missed the part where I'm for-hire.  In this case, I was asked to do something about you.  So, I think I'll whup your butt and send you packing."

She'd let him get a bit of distance because she wanted a bit of room to work.  Her sword could charge, but it was unable to project lightning right now.  The characteristics she was born with were fine, but her magic perception wasn't working, which is how she perceived that she was in his zone, by no longer being able to see the flow of energy.  Rena Goldswith had never fought a Mordecai before now, but she was suitably equipped for an unofficial one, at least.  She took a low stance briefly, to break into her running start, before launching herself up high with elven agility so she could bring her sword down heavy on him.  The flat of Spark was facing him, so it was an aim to beat and stun, not to slice and kill.  She wasn't going to kill him.  Really, she just needed to touch him with her sword, and the lightning would do the rest.

Julien watched unaffected as the girl leaped at him. Julien moved off to the side, pulling out his own sword. He quickly noticed the electricity sparking on the sword and cursed, sheathing his sword. Julien was pretty sure he couldn't block that without getting electrified, his hand twitched to reach for his other sword on his back, but he didn't wish to kill her. Yet.

"Hey, beautiful, do you always resort to violence when you don't get what you want." Julien said, rasing both hands up, getting more distance from her.

Of course, naturally, a guy like him has been attacked numerous times, so granted he wouldn't very well show if he'd been the least bit worried about a girl with a lightning sword.  But then, only idiots stand there and smirk in the face of one.  He moved, and he stopped himself from trying to strike back with his own blades.  Yeah, blades.  She saw that twitch.  Rena actually smirked at him.

"Don't you?  You're a mercenary, aren't you?"

She did not straighten up from her landing, but rather remained in her crouched position and spun with the sword close to her, then again with the weapon outstretched.  Since all of her attacks were with the intent to use the blunt sides of Spark, this would be attempting to trip him up at about the level of the knees, both times.

"And the name is Rena, 'cause flattery won't help you now."

Assuming he'd been paying close attention, Jules here might've noted a small detail that was gonna make this harder on him.  There are legends about where the people of Serendipity and Connlaoth came from, but there are other tales about Serenians hooking up with elves and producing half-human children down the lines.  Rena didn't look entirely elven, but she had somewhat pointed ears.  Definitely a bad sign.

"Only when money is involved do I ever attack back. Since I am not on the job, I'll go easy on you." Julien said, answering her question. "And of course my flattery works. I have perfect genetics." Julien winked and waited for the girl, Rene, to move. He was a flirter, though in battle it did sometimes work. If she didn't like the flattery, he could always throw insults.

"Come on now, flower. Let's see what you got."

Not only did he consider himself a lady's man, but he ultimate loved himself, as well.  Rena had to laugh at his boast.  Typical mercenary bravado.  She sighed, shaking her head.

"Spoken from the man who doesn't have a prayer in the world."

She could afford to talk that way.  He didn't seem to have any weapon that wouldn't get him shocked in battle, he had no armor while she was well armored, and his only power made any chance of magicking his way out of this basically impossible.  True, his being a Mordecai prevented her from ending this instantly with a lightning bolt, but the only thing he might have to fall back on was his skill...and that didn't rule out her own!

In fact, here was a bit of tactical thinking.  They were still relatively close to that river.  Why not...? Yeah...  Rena shot forwards, but off to his side in a manner that if he didn't want to take the flat of her sword harshly to he beltline, he'd best be practically jumping into the water.  Perfect genetics?  Well, her genetics were giving her some damn fine agility for lunges and jumps and things.  A man would be wise to keep on their toes, on that account.

Julien smiled as she moved to the side. He'll give her credit for trying to corner him, but he already had his next few steps. Julien turned and ran for the water, last minute he turned, lowering his arm to block the sword and reached out grabbing Rene's armor.

Julien felt the electricity striking his arm, though his leather armor did help block most of the damage. It wasn't the best  non-contuctor, but at least it did knock him out. Julien tighten his grip on the girl and smiled.

"Ready for a swim?" He said as he tossed both the girl and himself into the rushing water. She might be able to control the electricity above land, but within the water...

Oh crap.

Sploosh!

He had allowed himself to be struck - taking a jolt in the process - so that he could use her momentum and sling them both into the water.  It's actually fortunate for Julien that he got into the water himself, as his leather armor probably would've been on fire.  Not a conductor, as stated, but lightning tends to burn things that don't conduct it.  Well anyway, the two of them hit the water and...wait for it...no explosion of lightning!  Rena surfaced.

"Works for me."

She jumped out, planting herself in a crouch at the water's edge.  Spark had pretty much halted the electrical output as they hit the water, and she had elven agility to pull herself out of the drink quickly  Yes, she was wet, but right now her sword could not cast lightning bolts from its surface, as per the problems of a Mordecai in proximity.  It would only do what such energies did normally, once it left the blade.  For instance, if she dipped one end of Spark in the water and concentrated, lightning would arc about the water of its own accord, rather than her own willpower.  Some secondary bolts would arc back at her...and Ka-Pwing! off of her mythril armor, for the most part.  Largely, this was going to electrify the water, the water that she'd been planning to get Julien into, in the first place.

Julien was surprised that she was able to get out of the water so fast. He scrambled out on the other side and watched as the water spiked up. Julien laughed and stood, shaking his harm that was stuck. They were now on opposite sides and he wasn't going to wait for her to cross over.

While she was bent, Julien took off. If there was one thing he could do was run fast. He ducked into the trees, still heading off to the town. Maybe if he got there she wouldn't attack him, to may people. He kept quiet, using his years of training to do so.

As he was running he looked down at his harm. The leather was burnt but it was still good, though his arm was tingling. Julien looked behind him, if he continued to run then he'll reach the town eventually, and it'll cut his time in half. He already spent too much time with Rene, he was going to be late. The next time he sees that girl he'll won't hold back.

Hmmm.  He'd gotten out rather quickly himself, a little too quickly for the lightning to reach him.  He'd gotten out and he was running.  Now, she could either give chase - and probably catch him before he entered town - or she could try a different approach.  After all, this one's a big slippery.

What would dad do at a time like this?

Her father had been a clever man, even though he preferred action over strategy.  If a situation could be easily resolved with a sword, he was all over that, but sometimes that wasn't the case.  Sometimes, you needed to be smart, and then remind them after you've got them cornered that you have a sword.  Rena straightened up, but she did not give chase.  She knew where he was going.  And even if he changed plans, her plans would cover that, anyway.

She had a way to handle this that wouldn't cause an international incident, at the very least.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yahbrook was a small town.  Not a small dirt road village, but rather it was developed enough to have a paved town circle and even cobblestone roads.  It was quaint and small and quiet.  Here be a tavern, there be an inn, and over there a tavern IN an inn.  It had one of everything it needed, occasionally two in the spirit of competition.  Naturally, there were herders that worked the area, here and there.  Julien would arrive first.  And, of course, anybody with a bit of magic who felt like using it at the time would find that they could not cast.

In the inn that had a tavern, a dark-clad figure went "Hmmm.", in irritation.

It was night when Julien finally got into the town. The sign said Yahbrook. If he was correct, it was only a few miles from his destination. Julien walked straight over to the tavern with the inn inside and started to drink. His arm had started to pulse with pain and the dinks helped. After awhile he was slurring, struggling to stand straight.

"And then I as like, is that a monkey or a fox, cuz it was fucken ugly!" Julien said laughing, the other drunks did too, though no one knew why it was funny, it just was.

"What the big guy do?" Someone asked. Julien faced him and tried to look serious.

"He didn't do nothing! I just turned to him and said 'but it ain't as ugly as you!"

The tavern roared with laughter. Julien stood, still laughing and walked over to the bartender.

"Room for one." Julien said, pulling some coin out. The tender took it and fished for a key. He handed it over and Julien started to walk away but paused. "There any good work here."

"Sorry mate, only thing here is herders."

Julien sighed. "I knew that and I still asked. One more question. Is there a caravan or something heading into Whiteriver?"

"Not sure. If you find Mister Fenwick he usually heads there once a week. Haven't seen him leave yet. He's little bit out of town, heading straight for Whiteriver."

Julien nodded. "Oh."

Someone around here was blocking his magic.

Well, not all of it.  The mortal magic, mostly.  The casting of elements, the warping of minds, the...  Look, it's a bit of a list, okay?  He was something of a magus, you see.  It all started a short while ago when he felt sort of a dead zone, all of a sudden.  It bothered him, and so he tried a few spells and got nothing.  Now, there were a few times that he'd been to Connlaoth, but in a less-obvious form than now.

Oh, I do apologize.  Currently, this fellow here was dressed in the attire of some kind of evil warlock.  Seriously, it was a bit over-the-top.  Black torso armor, matching cloak-mantle with shoulder pads, leather belt with a skull emblem, leather pants and travel boots with spikes, and a ram-horned helmet that seemingly left his face obscured in shadow.  It was so shockingly out there that the innkeeper had stared him dumbfoundedly for a solid minute when he simply said 'Room, please'.  He had been afraid not to give him a room, worried that it was the black magus who brought about human misery, Garlock The Destroyer.

Funny thing...  It was.

But at the time, he had been wishing for a rest on a nice firm mattress, and so this right now was the well-rested bane of humankind.  Julien had entered while he was testing out what magic worked and what did not, before getting his attetion.  During the time he was getting drunk, Garlock had called over the innkeeper's cat, a gray female tabby.

"Mow?"

"Yes, I just want to check...  Does that man seem like he's traveled alot, recently?"

She ambled on over, took a whiff of all the men around where Garlock had been pointing, then returned.

"Row!"

"I see, yes...  I thought so, too.  Thank you."

"Merow?"

"Possibly...  I'll try not to make TOO MUCH of a mess."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And all while that was going on, Rena had entered town.  Rather than seeking Julien out, she had gone to the local scribe, written out a posting, and had it copied.  She kept the original while the scribe would keep copying, before sending over a bunch to the local message man with his messenger birds.  Rena was headed there now.  Other copies of the script were going to be put up in places in town, where people passing by would read it.  The message was to warn of a rogue Mordecai using his ability to take advantage of people, and a fairly-detailed description would follow.  She was spending a bit of coin on this out of her own pocket, but Rena wasn't in it for the money.  I mean, hell, you know where she was sending the original?  Right to the king!

Julien woke up in his bed with a large head ache. He groaned and sat up. Rubbing his face. He needed to get going, he was pretty surethat girl was here. Julien quickly got dressed and headed straight for the farm the bartender had said. The man was there, though he didn't want to hear out just yet, Julien had to pay the old man quite a lot of gold but he took Julien right to Whiteriver.


The first thing Julien noticed was a small crowd around the announcement board. In the years Julien had been here he never once saw this many people. Whiteriver was full of nobles who thought themselves better than others, the only time they would even gather together is if money was involved. Kinda like Julien.

Julien walked up, people moving out of his way. He reached up and ripped the paper down. He read it and scoffed. It was like a warrant, though there was no money involved. Julien shrugged and put it in his pouch, not really caring.

Julien continued to walk down the street. It hadn't changed since he had last been there. The streets were cobblestone, clean and bright. The buildings were tall, pale blues and pinks with white rims. Soon Julien reached the open market.

There were alot of items, jewelry, pots, books, glassware, almost everything. Julien looked at a few but he knew the one he wanted. Julien stopped by a flower stall, all still freshly picked.

"The usual?" The lady asked, pulling a bundle from be hind the counter. Julien smiled, any arrogance that was once on his face was replaced with a calming smile.

"Thank you, Deb." Julien said taking the flowers and paying her the gold.

"Anything for you, child." She said nodded. Julien nodded back and continued to walk. He head to the richer part of town. A large mansion, was at the top, a small path ran off to the side. Suddenly something stopped Julien.

"Julien!" A little girl squealed ran forward. Julien grined and bet down, his arms wide.

It is a matter of fact that Rena - who hadn't gotten drunk, sleepy, and later hungover - was able to shadow the man, figure out his destination as he began to embark, and then got there ahead of him by use of a faster horse.  By the time he'd arrived in Whiteriver, she was having some tea on a balcony overlooking the circle where people had been gathered.

What she was not aware of was that Julien had been followed by somebody else...

The fact of the matter is that Rena had thought of a way to deal with this matter without having to fight him.  The main issue was that this man was uncaringly using his Mordecai power to interfere with people, and that people would largely be unaware that he was the one causing it.  The problem inevitably fixes itself when people are aware that there is a Mordecai about and know what the hell he looks like.  It forces him to take honest work only, and that anyone who doesn't want him around would tell him to go away or they'll send for the guard.

Basically, she was 'doing something' about it, but in a different way.  Rena lost track of him after he noticed the hub-bub, but she could catch him later, assuming he didn't seek her out for interfering with his 'business'.  Definitely a solution worthy of her father.  Of course, if her message to the King had any impact, they might have Connlaoth apologizing for not noticing him sooner.  They might not do much about him for a while, but they also couldn't afford any outside pressures at this stage, what with the civil war and all.

But nevermind that, for now.  We must also address...the other thing, the one who had followed subtly and quietly in from Yahbrook, the one who was deadly and dangerous and possibly out of his mind.  That is, following along was he, the destroyer of humankind, the devastator of populous, the dreaded black magus-

"Mrooow!"

...Garlock The Destroyer?  Well...actually...yes, but...not in the form you would expect him to be in.  He came upon the scene with Julien and whoever he was with...in his natural form: A cat.  Specifically, he was a black smooth-haired feline with red eyes, yowling for attention.

"How's my Junebug?" Julien asked, picking the girl up.

"Amazing!" the girl said. She looked down and saw the cat. She squealed, and pointed. "Look it."

Julien did and wrinkled his nose. "Cats are evil. Did you know that?"

The girl giggled and shook her head. "No their not."

'Yes they are." Julien said, tickling her. She squealed and squirmed, her laughter filling the air. Julien didn't mind the notice. He knew that some people would be weary of him, but now alot more people who do need, special help now know who to look for. Julien can feel a boom in business in the future.

Hey!  You say that to an Adelan and see what you get!  Still, there may have been some comprehension there at the mention of cats being evil, because Garlock went up and rubbed against the girl's leg with a purr.  Yes...  Now that he was closer, he could smell what he tabby smelt.  This man was definitely a traveler, and since only those who were foreign to Serendipity tended to be Mordecai...

Oh yes, he's definitely it.  Now, should I lead him along for a while?  Or strike now?  Decisions, decisions...

All this thought while he was being manifestly adorable.

Julien frowned, still holding the girl. She was still laughing so she didn't notice when Julien slightly nudged the cat away. He really didn't like cats, he was more of a dog person. The girl finally noticed the flowers in Juliens hand.

"Are those for her?" She asked playing with the flowers.

"Yeah. Do you think she'll like them?"

She nodded. "Did you know she likes yellow?"

"Really, did she tell you that."

"No, silly. I felt it."  Julien smiled sadly, watching the girl mess with the flowers.

"Do you want to come with me?" Julien asked, nudging the cat away again. The girl nodded and Julien set her down. She bent down and patted the cats head.

"Good kitty." She said and stood back up, slipping her hand into Julien's.

Nudge, nudge.

Heh heh, Nope! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14)  Not moving!

Nudge, nudge, nudge.

Still not moving.

This is what it's like for a Mordecai to be around a magic-user, really.  There's this jerk interfering with your stuff and he won't go away.  He had batted at his shoe a couple times, in return, and had given his heels a pounce, as soon as he walked off, following for now.  The cat was...curious...about what he was up to.  For the moment, he wasn't going to do anything overt.  The girl sort of...reminded him of something.

Julien and the girl walked up the path, past the large mansion. On the other side was a graveyard, a black fence surround the area. The two of them walked inside and stopped by a gravestone.

It was of a white stone, a small baby statue was set next to it. Julien let go of the girls hand and bent down. He pulled out a single white rose out of the bundle, placing it next to the statue and placed the rest of the flowers next to the stone. He Daughter and stood back up. The girl looked up at Julien.

"Do you miss her?" She asked. Julien smiled sadly at her.

"Everyday."

"Do you miss them both?"

"Always."

Of course, as they got closer to it, Garlock realized where they were going.  The somber mood, growing state of woe, and the distant-yet-close feeling of the dearly departed...  They were going into a cemetary.  He followed still, but...the distance between them increased.  He knew what those two reminded him of.  An adult man...and a kind and gentle girl.  Yeah, it was reminded him of his owner, his master, his friend...

Zan...

Even a being such as he has terrible regrets.  He regretted losing the man who gave him his voice, the one he was not using right now, because he was pretending to be an ordinary cat.  Zan Goldswith was his master, and he was one of the two people he liked the most in this world.  The other was his niece, who was just a young girl, at the time...  Garlock's head hung low as he stood near a different headstone.  Then, as he heard new approaching footsteps from the other side of it, there was a voice...

"So, here's where you went."

The cat's eyes widened in shock and recognition...and then he vanished!  Rena Goldswith - Zan's niece - came into the area.  Her sword was on her back, not in her hands, and she was in a mood that suggested no intent upon violence.  Not here, not now, and certainly not with a child around.  She was going to talk, and that was all.

Julien turned and tusked at Rene. He looked down at the girl.

"She hurt me, did you know that? Julien rolled up his sleeve to show her the bandages. "Tried to stop me from seeing you."

The girl gasped and scowled at Rene. "Don't hurt Julien, you bad lady!"

Julien chuckled and ruffled her hair. There was a slamming of a door and a voice yelled out.

"Mista!" It was a nurse maid that came out of the large mansion. The girl, Mista, and Julien both looked the maid then each other.

"You should go Junebug. I still have business to take care of." Julien said, ruffling her hair again. She hugged him one last time and ran back to her house, sticking out her tounge at Rene along the way. As soon as she went into the house, Julien's face turned serious, watching Rene warily.

"What do you want?" He said, his tone flat.

She couldn't blame the girl.  She'd be defending any member of her family, just as loudly.  Probably would've liked to do something about the Silver Horde, back then, but...what can you really do when you're just a child?  Julien became serious as soon as Mista was safely away.

"What I'm not about to do is start a fight in a cemetary with a man in mourning."

She spoke plainly and honestly, maybe a bit somberly, unaware that out of both their lines of sight, there was a cat watching them carefully.


"It's weird for a Mordecai to be in here, but then you said you came this way every year.  I asked about it, just seeing if it was true.  Some people know you more than others, Julien.  That's how I knew to look here."

She lowered her head for a moment, sighing, then looked at him again earnestly.

"You can't take advantage of people.  I'm not gonna send you out of the country, but it has to be honest work, from now on.  Maybe somebody actually needs a Mordecai, maybe just a pair of strong hands, but you do it up-front, because they know now."


She had mad no moves to attack of any sort, no stance or preparedness at all.  As far as she was concerned, this was over, in her own fashion.  She'd done something about it, and she'd been more than fair about it, especially now that she had seen this.

Julien looked down at the grave than back at Rene. He felt weak, it made him mad. Someone telling him what to do, made it worse, but he knew better than to start an argument. He shrugged, walking up to Rene. Stopping next to her.

"Not going to promise anything, but I'll consider it. If it's there, then it's there. If not, then I move on. That's how I work, princess." Julien said, looking Rene in the eye.

"Which is pretty much why I evened the playing field."

She looked off to the side, then blinked as she thought she saw something...but then didn't see it there, once she looked more carefully.  Strange...  Rena turned back to him, after that.

"My dad always got requests like this alot when he was in charge, stuff that ended in 'Please, you have to do something'.  It wasn't right to leave it alone, yet it sometimes got complicated, like now.  That's why he liked to look for another angle, something that didn't really screw everyone over."

She had been ignoring his pet-naming this whole time, but now - at least - with him switching back to it, it sounded like his mood was switching back to normal.  That was something.  Things would've ended right here, but there was something else on Rena's mind.  It was actually both a personal matter AND a business matter...

"Listen uhh...  There's something I could actually use a Mordecai for, if you'll hear it out."

Julien grined, even though he didn't like Rene 100%, a job was a job.

"You know there's money involved with hiring me, gorgeous. AND I like to know what the job is before we discuss price. Wouldn't want to find out that I could have received more money in the end." He said, tilting his head.

She smiled at this, glad that they could at least talk business.

"It's a sensible approach.  I do the same, myself.  I'm a little picky about the jobs that I do.

She shifted her balance and stepped close enough to speak lower, in case of listeners.  She didn't expect listeners, but she didn't want to alarm anyone - like a little girl, say - about it.  It's just that she was unaware that she could be heard anyway...

"An innkeeper in the last town said that he might have been leasing a room to Garlock The Destroyer.  It was really weird, a dark-looking magus just sitting around.  Anyway, I've been looking for this guy a long time.  It'd really help if he couldn't access his powers when I find him.  He's probably in the area.  I will tell you that he's obviously dangerous, but you being around will remove the mortal magic he's been throwing around.  I don't know if he has worse than that.  Never actually seen 'im in action.  He's been active since I was six."

There was something in the way she said that, like it wasn't just a job, but important to her.

Julien thought about it. He normally tried sticking to stuff that were killable, though Julien doubted that this magus is a god.

"So... No killing then? I mean, I'm just double checking, sugar. Don't want to pull out the heavy stuff only to find out you needed it alive or something." Julien said, scratching the back of his head. "Also this job is a bit abnormal, so I say around 1800-2000."

She doubted that Julien would have any easier a time actually killing this guy than she would, but it was good of him to double-check on the situation, at least.  He was right about one thing, though.

"The job is abnormal, and I'll have to send for the money, 'cause I don't carry heavy amounts on the job, myself."

He could understand that, of course.  Who wants to go into battle jingling up a storm, weighed down by your profits?  An oversized pouch can be a real annoyance, plus you could always lose it, and that wouldn't do anyone any good, 'cept the thief.  Now...she would have to explain what she was after.  Personal matter, remember?

"There's something I need to confirm from him before I decide what to do, exactly.  Garlock The Destroyer first appeared when I was a child.  He destroyed a town that my uncle lived in.  I didn't think about it at the time, but later on I had to wonder why he started there.  ...and before you ask, he's not my uncle in disguise.  They buried Zan next to my parents.  But...there's something about this that may be important to me, somehow.  So yeah, no killing.  Not until we have no choice."

Farther off and still listening in, the cat lowered his head in thought.

"Of course your highness. But uh, before we continue going anywhere else, I have one last shop to make. Your welcome to follow, beautiful." Julien said walking back down the path.

Julien looked up at the mansion, a man was watching him through the window. Julien raised a hand and waved, but the man closed the curtians and was gone. Julien shrugged and continued, he was used to Sir. Kulmen coldness.

A little past town was a small brown house, a metal fence surrounded stretched out, a garden and path was inside. The path led to a small gazebo rested next to a pond, a willow tree stood behind it. Julien smiled and started for the door.

Eventually, he was going to run out of things to call her instead of using her name.  Julien had one more particular errand to make before anything else.  He didn't seem to mind her tagging along, so she just sort of shrugged and did.  No idea who it was that he'd been waving to in that window, of course, but no matter.  If this is the way he wanted to play things, then fine.  She had, honestly, felt just a tad bit guilty attacking him after hearing the kind of baggage that he had, so a little humoring seemed to be in order.  As they went along, she had no comments right now, but...Rena felt as though they were being watched.  And with his Mordecai field doing its thing, it's not as though she had any special sense telling her so.  Either she was right, or she was just a bit jumpy, knowing that Garlock The Destroyer could be around.

Which, of course, he was.  Just out of sight.  Watching...

Julien noticed that Rene seemed to be weary. He wasn't sure if it was because of him or something else. Julien pulled out a key and unlocked the house. The inside was small and cozy, there was a small table with four chairs, a green dress laid across one. Behind it was a kitchen, a set of pots hung from the ceiling alongside dried herbs.

To the other side was a China cabinet, full of odd items like a broken sword and a porcelain doll. Next to that was an end table, a picture of Julien and a long blonde haired stood side by side, flowers bloomed behind them.

"Be sure to lock the door behind you, princess." Julien said, walking over to the other side of the room, where a curtain hung from a bar connected to the two sides of the room. A large bed full of pillows rested in the back, and a start of what looks like to be a crib sat against the opposite wall, a stuffed rabbit was resting against it. Julien looked back at Rene.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home, love. There's tea in the cupboard, next to the herbs. Stronger stuff is above the China cabinet." He said waving his hands and closing the curtians behind him.

Since he had the key to it, Rena assumed that it was his, or perhaps that it was hers.  The latter seemed more likely, if Julien came here yearly.  Or perhaps, considering the mansion, the answer was that it was their home.  Such possibilities made her throat tighten up.  She didn't want to ask he probably didn't want to walk down that road.  That he invited her in at all was surprising, since it was all immensely personal.

The house was a place of losses.  She knew the feeling herself.  For years, Rena couldn't walk about her own home without feeling the same way about it.  You couldn't help but hear the phantoms, past memories of happier times when your loved ones were still alive.  Her grandparents had to feel worse, since they never left.  Caretakers to the estate, tradition demanded that they stay there and they were traditionalists.

Well, that was until she had actually spoken to her parents.  Long story.

Julien reminded her to lock the door and he would hear it get latched without a word.  He would, additionally, hear the sounds of the tea-related items being gathered and prepared.  A good cup of tea would do wonders for the body, mind, and soul, sometimes.  It couldn't hurt.  Whatever he came here to do - which, in Rena's opinion, was to reminisce and feel bad until you couldn't stand it anymore - it may as well be done with some comfort.

When Julien had reached the curtains, there'd been a black cat watching him from outside, on the grounds.  When he closed the curtains.  It was gone.  Just...vanished.

Behind the curtain, Julien took if his armor, placing his swords on the bed. He then changed out of his dirt stained clothes and changed them for black trousers and a deep red shirt. Two rings could be seen around his neck on a silver chain, Juliens arm was also wrapped up from the burns. He then reached under the bed, pulling out a jar, he opened it up and reached for his money pouch, adding coin to it, 400 to be exact. After placing it back under the bed, Julien opened the curtain and walked over to the China cabinet.

Julien reached up and felt around for a bottle. He found the neck and pulled it down, examining what the drink was before opening a cupboard and pulling out two glasses. Julien sighed and sat down at the table, placing his up and pouring himself a glass, draining it quickly.

"Always been told that I wasn't a good host, but this is about as hosty as I get." Julien said, looking at Rene. "So, baby doll. What exactly do you plan to do to get Garlock The Destroyer."

By the time he had been done, the tea was ready, as well.  Rena hadn't done anything complicated like remove her armor, because that required more time and effort, but her sword was leaning against a wall so that she could sit down, at least.  With the addition of a glass to use, she poured herself some tea.  Cups would be better, but it was hardly an issue.  Like the man said, he wasn't particularly 'hosty'.  This was more than reasonable, though, from a man she had been fighting, some hours ago.  She took a sip of her tea before answering his question.

"From what I can tell, from the things I've heard, Garlock seems to terrorize and destroy to make his mark.  He's ruined whole towns and killed many.  I even heard that he trashed the mansion of a fellow Knight of the Old Oath."

She took another drink of her drink, gesturing to herself.

"That's what I am.  Long family tradition.  Still...he just doesn't like people, it seems, so I think it would take very little to annoy him if he was just called out to fight.  I'm actually surprised he hasn't been to Zefras and the mines.  It's a large community, alot going on.  Still, though...  He was said to be around here.  He may only be putting off shooting magic because you're here."

Pause...  Rena looked at him intently, all of a sudden.

"You know, a Mordecai blocking a mage's magic - his magic - would be enough of a reason to be pissed off."

Julien stopped mid drink. He paused and set down his cup, clearing his throat. Garlock The Destroyer sounded very much like his old life, when he was with Ekon. Going to different places, getting a job that involved destruction, and leave a mark upon the town just so they knew who they were and they could do.

That's what almost happened to Whiteriver, Ekon had planned to burn half the town , scare the Mayor to submission and other things, but it didn't happen. Julien was the reason it didn't happen.

"So..." Julien said, drawing it out, "do you plan to use me as bait or something?"

Rena let a sip of her tea drag out before answering that, and when she did, it was with a smile.

"We're drawing out a guy calling himself 'The Destroyer'.  Make no mistake, Jules, we're both bait."

She wasn't going to give him some sort of false idea of what they were up against or what he plan was.  Neither of those things would help her, in the end.  Only those that could handle an honest appraisal of what she expected even should help her in such an endeavor.  She couldn't fool someone into working for her, only to be a sacrificial lamb or a patsy.  Not if they weren't the kind of dangerous person that was better off arrested or dead, anyway.  Julien was not a terrible person, it seemed.  He was only after money, in the end.  The question is...would he risk his life for it, knowing that Garlock could potentially own them, still?

"So, what are your thoughts?  Am I scaring you off or are you just crazy enough to do it?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Meawhile, the cat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBD7QAr6FQE) stood over the house, as it appeared from his realm of power.  It was correct to assume that Garlock had more to him than the powers of a pumped-up wizard.  He had torn apart such people on the first day of his awakening.  He remembered clearly...  Their screams of pain as he forced them to destroy each other, again and again, with their magic...  It was all to appease his massive rage, yet it was not enough.

Still not enough.

Never enough.

Never satisfied.

Humans...  He had lived and let live in that place, his home.  They had taken everything with their petty ways.  There was no bottom to the well of anger he knew, no means by which to quell the flames that burned and burned and burned...

As we said, the cat stood over the house.  He was not there physically, but in the realm which he dragged humans into when he wished them to hurt...for a long, long time, though little may pass in the real world.  In this place, he was as giant as he needed to be, not puny as he had been, years ago, a mere familiar studying under a humble wizard operating a pet shop.  He had been considering just how to approach this as he continued to listen to them plot.

How did it come to this, that the only one in the world who might understand him would be his hunter?  He had indeed become this Destroyer, but why was she clad in armor and wielding that sword?  He remembered...  Had his owner not told him the traditions of his family, of his brother?  Rena had been a mere child when they had met.  Why was she the head of the family now?

He would have to find out.  As much as Rena sought information from him, it would seem that he would have to seek information from her.  Perhaps this could work out...

Julien wasn't sure to cry or laugh at the name Jules. He guess it was only fair since he calls Rene everything but her name. Though the name 'princess' was really growing on him.

"Come on, gorgeous." He said, leaning back, folding his arms behind his head, "I'll do anything for money. And my sanity isn't in trial." He paused, "Yet. The only person is question is the guy your looking for. I'm assuming that you wish for us to go soon."

Julien stood, taking one last drink and walked back to his bedroom, putting on his armor and collecting his swords, making sure the rings were tucked safely beneath his shirt and armor. Julien walked back out and stood near Rene.

"We should probably want to get him outside of town. To close to the Mayor's Mansion. Plus, if he's already here, he's probably watching us and I don't want to have my house stuck in the cross fire."

She had to laugh a bit about his desire of money over sanity.  It was a boast, clearly, but it made no difference.  He was in, and whether he knew it or not, he was helping her deal with a harsh chapter in her life, the one that remained to haunt her, even after she had overcome the issue of her parents' deaths.

"That's the spirit, and no time like the present."

Rena stood up after quickly finishing her tea, pulling Spark from the wall and on returned it to her back.  He was arming and armoring up, which was always a good idea, and was back in plain view within moments, suggesting they take this out of town.

"Agreed.  He might've done.  Depending on the kind of person he is, he could make real trouble for us if we don't handle this right."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A famous actor once said 'Irony can be very ironic, at times.'.  It was a comedy, of course.  Even still, the point remains that the conversation had definitely been heard, and even as Rena and Julien were to move out  to go find him...the black magus was already making his appearance.

The middle of town was, as always, a bustle of activity.  Well, it was about to get a whole lot more active! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgpSeY9Chw)  People were suddenly shocked and blindsided by a fast-moving shadow that leapt past them, higher and higher, before standing atop a building and appearing now in the form that Garlock had been in whilst drinking in Yahbrook, the very same that had watched Julien from a nearby table.

With a sweeping gesture, Garlock extended a dozen or so shadowy tendrils all over the market square and general town circle area, slamming their spiked ends forcefully into the pavement, breaking through and cracking it wildly with their heavy impacts!  He whipped the appendages up and they flailed against several buildings, causing more damage as they retracted to again become his hands, hands which he now raised overhead.

"People of Whiteriver, BEWARE!  I am Garlock The Destroyer!  I come to say that I am...basically going over that way, should anybody ask! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha haaa!!!"

With that, he changed shape and became to leap from building to building, in the direction he had so indicated.  It would be, perhaps, the strangest thing an evil magus had ever proclaimed to a populous, and it had been done on purpose.  Those two were to find him, alright.  But while they were coming for him, he was waiting for them.  Make no mistake, this was to be the confrontation, and he would not be running from it.

When Julien stepped out of the house, closing and locking it after Rene was out as well, he didn't expect to see people rushing by. Julien took off, pulling out his sword, running to the center of town, praying that Mista wasn't  there. He stopped when he saw the scene. There was no blood, people were mostly freaked. Julien sighed in relief and sheathed his sword. Someone ran up to Julien, about to say something. Julien quickly shook his head and pointed at Rene.

"Talk to her, she's the hero."Julien said, taking a step back.

Upon first hearing and then seeing some panicked people, Rena's thoughts were 'Oh shit...  Bad to worse, already!'.  She drew her sword on a run, pulling it back behind her as she moved.  Rena's whole style of sword-fighting was more based in finesse than brute force to swing that sword around.  She didn't possess great strength, but rather allowed her speed and agility to make her the sword's counter-balance to created those deadly swings.  They came to the center of town to see it fairly-wrecked, but...strangely that was all.

This can't be right.

The area had been assaulted, yet the area was still an area.  Was Garlock truly weakened by Julien's power?  Call it morbid, but Rena had doubts that the magus had managed to strike down nobody with whatever power he had been using, not unless he were drunk at the time, maybe.  Or...perhaps it was on purpose.  Well, her answer came in the form of a guy running up to Julien, only for him to point to her, calling her the hero.

"That's not exactly untrue."

"Huh?  Really?"

"At your service.  What happened here?"

"A...a man, or demon, flew past and jumped to that roof, up there.  He said that he was Garlock The Destroyer.  I'd heard rumors of him.  He destroys all that he touches!"

Rena made a gesture with her hand, telling him to calm dow.

"Sorry.  One of those black things landed only a few feet from me."

"Pretty lucky."

A little too lucky.  Of course, Rena got it as soon as the man explained, rather perplexedly, that Garlock was blatently pointing people in the direction to follow, as though to dare them that way.  This had been clearly done for them, because he knew they were coming.

"Of course, some guards were in pursuit, but I dunno..."

"Well, I do!  C'mon!"

The last part shouted at Julien, Rena headed for the town's edge that Garlock had gone for.  Town guardsman against Garlock The Destroyer...and if they weren't otherwise equipped in ways a Mordecai couldn' touch, they were gonna be painted all over the landscape...

Julien followed. The sounds of fighting soon filled the air. A couple of guards were standing, but many were strucked down. Julien was used to seeing dead men, killed more than a few himself. Seeing this didn't effect him. Julien watched Garlock in action, seeing the magic he used. Julien scoffed and reached behind his back, grabbing the cloth that hung on a strap, unwrapping what was underneath.

A blood red sword shone bright. Immediately the air around Julien turned heavy from the strong magic that radiated off the sword. A Demon Blood Sword is dangerous to all life, with the ability to poison ones blood and kill them instantly, but painfully. He looked over at Rene, grinning.

"Don't worry princess, I won't use it unless I have to." He said winking. He looked at Garlock, "I suggest you stop fighting for a second. Looks like we got to talk." Julien called out, letting his sword tip touch the grass. As soon as the tip touch, the grass died, turning grey, spreading out in a small radias around Julien. "And no funny business."

Curious, though...  Could such a dark sword really harm such an entity?  Rather, harm wasn't the question.  It was a magic blade, so it would have some sort of effect, but the poison wasn't likely to kill him.  The two of them had come to find Garlock some distance from town, Garlock flinging them like ragdolls with shadowy tendrils.  It looked like child's play, and by that we mean children at play.  Where Julien scoffed, Rena looked worried.  This was too easy.  All of the guards should be dead if he still had command over darkness.  Julien may have wished to reassure her, but Rena would not be lowering her guard anytime soon.  So now, the Mordecai addressed Garlock The Destroyer, whose red eyes seemed to flash with amusement.

"Really?  Is it that time already?"

His tendrils of shadow casually tossed aside what he was holding onto, and he was actually telling the guards who were conscious to 'Shoo!' before laughing.  But then, he stopped.

"No, you're right.  This isn't funny at all.  Let me show you..."

"What're you-  Hey!"

Before they could stop it, the world around them changed, altered.  The guards - dead or alive - were gone.  They had been pulled into some darker place that shadowed their own world, a realm of either Garlock's own making or one that he had access to.  The magus himself was not even standing where he had been, but was about ten feet to the left on a throne of ebony marble, one leg over the other in comfort, with two shadowy red-eyed panthers on either side.

"So, let's talk."

Rena didn't know what this place was exactly, but he knew another realm when she saw it.  Thanks to a woman called Natah, she was taken the very edge of life and death to speak to her parents.  This place might've been different, but she knew one thing for sure.  Garlock having brought him here meant he had the upper hand.

"If you're fine with talking, then why bring us here?"

"You WANT to spare everyone around here, right?"

"A normal setting would be better."

"I prefer a private setting in these situations.  Alot of things may come out you don't wish to be known by others.  For instance, you two has suffered a great deal, haven't you?  I am one who benefits from carrying out revenge.  To some, I extend an offer.  You, Mordecai.  You were mourning the dead, weren't you?  And you, Rena Goldswith...  How I know you..."

"Yes, of course you do.  You were there.  Did you do it to him?  Or did somebody else?  What happened in Claris, Garlock?!"

"Do you desire vengeance, then, for those that have killed your uncle?"

"Wait..."

He didn't answer her, but...he did.  He said 'those'.

"How do you expect me to get revenge on people you've obviously killed?"

"I have ways.  How about it, Mordecai?  Suffering and damnation to the enemies who caused you pain."

Julien rolled his eyes.

"Trust me they're already dead. I know because I burned their bleeding body's and spat in the ash. I don't need someone else to do something I can do myself."

It was around five years ago. Julien still remembered it. Ekon had showed up in town with some of the others while Julien was out in tjhe other town, buying what he and his pregnant soon to be wife needed that Whiteriver could not provide. Julien came back and saw the flames of burning buildings, dead men covered the streets.

Julien saw and old friend from when he was part of the Blood Snake, the name of the mercenary gang. Julien didn't hesitate to cut him down, but before getting information from him. Ekon had returned to finish what he tried to do years before. Burn the town into submission.

Julien remembered running to the mansion if the Mayor, his fiancee's parents house. Ekon was cutting down the guards, bearly inside the mansion. The two fought but somehow Julien won. He ran up stairs to see the family was still alive, Mista was bearly a child then. And slowly the realization fell upon Julien.

He ran to the house where his family lived. The next day Abigaile Grranito and her unborn child were buried. Julien tracked down the rest of the Blood Snake and slaughtered every last one.

Julien leaned on his sword, appearing bored. "Can we get on with this. Dinner time is soon and I'll like to open a new bottle of Dwarven Ale."

The magus nodded approvingly at Julian's response about the men who caused him woe.

"Good, good...  That's how it SHOULD be."

However, he brushed off his comment about dinner.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry.  Time has no meaning here."

During this banter, Rena had been watching the two of them carefully, watching their reactions and listening to their responses.  What was this?  Garlock offering to bring harm down on people when he was bored?  No, that wasn't it, but it seemed to be at the center of things...  He destroyed people's lives, wrecked homes and towns, caused all kinds of chaos...and he tempted people into seeking revenge.  Rather, he tempted them into accepting an offer to allow him to do it.  If this was who he was, then...

"What's your price?"

"There is no price."

"You don't ask for anything?"

"You've already paid it.  I punish the cause.  I gain from that act.  That's how it works."

That seemed to confirm what she was thinking.  Rena licked her lips, and took a chance.

'I accept."

"You do?"

"My uncle was as good a man as anyone in my family.  A kinder man, a wizard running a humble pet shop.  He didn't deserve what happened to him.  If it wasn't you, then go on.  Punish whoever did it."

Garlock seemed to stare for a moment, and then he spread his arms out in an emphatic shrug.

"I already did."

This, however, did not seem to surprise Rena.  In fact, she actually smirked.

"I thought so.  But...who are you?  And why're you using the name of his cat?"

His WHAT?

Julien wrinkled his nose.

"Who names a cat Garlock the Destroyer. I would have named them Sparkle or Mr. Snuggle." He paused, "I take it back. That's what I would have named a dog. Cats are evil little creature." Julien looked over at Rene and nodded in approval. "Your uncle was right to name a cat 'Destroyer'"

Julien was actually surprised that Rene took up Garlock's offer. Maybe she wasn't a righteous as he thought she was. Yes she looks out for her fair men, but someone who is completely 'pure' in heart would have never hired someone to take the life of another, even if they deserved it. Maybe there was no such thing as righteousness. Maybe everyone had a pure heart as a toad swimming through nasty swamp water. Julien pushed the thought away. He wasn't drunk enough to get all hypothetical and whatnot.

Both Rena and Garlock looked over at Julien as he spoke up about the naming of animals.  Rena had her eyebrow arched, and Garlock...well...let's assume that he was doing the same, because both of the panthers were kind of tilting their heads in a funny way at the Mordecai.

"Actually, my uncle just called him Garlock.  The whole...Destroyer thing, I have no idea where that came from."

"I added that on, myself.  I was fairly pissed at the time.  I still am, really.  Nice bluff, by the way.  How'd you know?"

"The way you were going on about vengeance, it sounded like you already knew my uncle."

Ah, so she was just getting him to admit the reasons behind the fall of Claris.  Go figure.  Rena was a smart girl, after all.  She didn't need whatever Garlock was to take care of business.  The dark magus glanced sort of sideways at the mention of the man.

"...you could say that."

"This was always about Uncle Zan, wasn't it?  I guess I can understand the anger.  If any of the Silver Horde had survived after my parents died, I would've hunted them down, myself.  Lousy bigots..."

This seemed to gain the black figure's attention, red eyes staring for a moment.

"I see...  That explains why you're the one in armor.  We're the only ones left."

"'We'?  Who are you?  I don't have any family left, except my grandparents.  As far as I know, my uncle never had an affair, an apprentice, or anything.  He just..."

Rena voice caught in her throat, and her eyes went wide with shock.  All this power, all this death and destruction, all this time...  It all stemmed from...from just a cat...

Julien watched the two of them and felt like he wasn't supposed to be here. The two clearly had some sort of history and as much as Julien enjoyed being in a dark, creepy place with a magus named 'Garlock the Destroyer and an emotional young woman with a  lightning sword , he wanted to go home. Julien looked around the dark space and started to walk around, poking the trees and kicking around rocks.

"Let me know when your, uh, reunion? Pitty party? Er, whatever that is," Julien said, waving his hand in a circle, gesturing at the two. "is done, I'll be over here, watching silently?"

Well, to say that all this really wasn't his scene would be technically true.  They expected some kindof battle, and it turned out that it was all a setup to let the cat out of the bag.  that may've been something of a letdown for old Jules, but when the evil magus has some rather personal business with the lightning warrior, things aren't going to break down into a fight.  His words must've struck a nerve, though, because he'd find himself droppeed on his ass next to the road leading into town, all of a sudden, just basically dumped out of the realm.  A black cat sat nearby a tree, licking its paws.  It spoke in Garlock's voice.

"You know, for a man who's obviously lost in his life, you've surprisingly little respect for anybody else in the same boat.  I'm gonna go now and talk to someone I haven't in a long time, which is about all that's keeping me from crushing you and your town beneath my little paws.  Ta-ta!"

The cat vanished.  Obviously, if he wasn't interested, the creature wasn't keeping him around, right?  That being the case, it might be a while before he gets paid...or no time at all, depending on how that place actually worked, and what happened in there.

Julien blinked and sat back sighing. He decided that he didn't like the magus, and it was definitely the cat from before. Julien didn't like the fact the cat had basically stalked him. He also didn't really care what the thing said, everyone had something but one should only worry about themselves and those who are important in their lives.

Julien scratched his head and stood up. At least he could go eat and open his new bottle. Julien wrapped up his sword and placed it on his back, heading back to his house whistling.