Slaying the Twisted Sisters [job/Azix]

Job Details:

Ariella wandered down the streets, her cloak drifting in the calm breeze with her wand tucked neatly up the sleeve. She had her hood back, letting her hair flow freely down her back, the necklace glimmering when it caught light. Her golden eyes were flicking back and forth. For the past few days, she had the unmistakable feeling of being followed through the streets of Remano and it had made her suspicious. As she walked, she caught the unmistakable flicker in an alley. It had become a common occurrence over the past few days and it drew her attention, though she did not turn her head to look. She did not want the person to know she knew they were following her. She calmly led he shadow down a series of streets to a quieter part of town to confirm her suspicions. When she caught the flicker again, she smirked to herself.

She waited until she had reached a dead end before spinning around just in time to see a flash of clothing disappear into a branching alley. Taking chase after the person, she realized it was either a tiny adult or a child. Though she had seen several children attempting to pick-pocket or beg for money, none were persistent enough to follow her for days. She followed the child down one alley and then the next, growling as she nearly lost the boy at an intersection. She crowed in success when she caught the boy running into a building and ran after him, throwing open the door with a triumphant shout.

“Caught you, you little brat! Why were you following me?”

[272/1500]

Azix sat upon a wooden chair in an abandoned home facing the front door. He had cast the bait and now he waited to see if the magician would take it. A few days ago he had given orders to the Grumptoes to keep an eye on Ariella, a yellow magician he had worked with previously and taken an interest in. Azix saw potential in not only the type of magoi she showed an affinity with, lightning magic, but how she wielded her spells. If she proved useful, as well as loyal, she would be an interesting ally.

Presently, he had a challenging task ahead of him, defeating the Twisted Sisters slave-traders. From the files he had read, they were indeed a twisted group but Azix had to admire their alleged methods. If it was true, they used torture to not only induce pain, but to help create a slave that would be willing to please you in any way. He had no desire to have an ally that was a husk of their true self, but the idea of humiliating enemies in such a fashion fascinated him. Azix realized that his mind was drifting towards a darker place and took some calming breaths to rid himself of those thoughts, casting them away.

The door slammed open, jarring him from his meditation he looked up to see one of Octovius' boys run in. The door bounced off the wall to close before being banged open again. A cloaked Ariella stood in the doorway and shouted out a challenge to the boy. Azix grinned from underneath his hood, peering out with his right eye at her from within the dark room, his other eye hidden behind an eye patch.

"He was following you because it was asked of him, Ariella." He said her name with a hint of amusement in his tone and slid back his hood. She would probably recognize him as Xenos, the orange magician she had met not too long ago. He gave her a friendly smile, hoping to put her at ease, "I apologize for such an entrance, I find myself fond of theatrics, I hope you don't mind. I kept an eye on you because you are a talented magician and I was interested in the kind of person you were."

He took a step forward and spread his hands, "In these times it is important to have allies you can trust at your side. It has been told that you helped a young lady deliver a missive to a certain person and protected her from people who would steal it. If that is true, I find that admirable. Your actions speak to your character. I too have a missive to carry into a dangerous lair and would like your protection." He paused, waiting for her to respond. Azix hoped he had intrigued the dark-skinned magician and that he had judged her correctly.

[486/1500 words]

Ariella's eyes grew wide when a figure stood and addressed her by name. When she saw his face, she instantly smiled while listening to his words. She remembered the magician and his fascinating shadow magic from before. His words seemed to make sense but she was still slightly cautious, not feeling comfortable having her skills scrutinized. It reminded her too much of her parents and their constant disapproval of her abilities. But when Xenos proceeded to praise her efforts with the girl, she relaxed again. He apparently found no fault with her magical skill or her personality and she found herself pleased by this.

"It was nothing, really, just a few thugs trying to bully a young woman. But I am glad to have run into you again. I haven't seen anyone wield combination magic since my brother."

She turned a small glare to the boy that had been following her before turning back to Azix.

"You may want to train your minions better. He could have been a bit less subtle, though I am not sure when he began watching me, he got sloppy the last few days. So, was there something in particular that you needed an ally for? I am always up for a job. Figuro says I should do everything I can to practice my skills, while earning my own way. So if you had something in mind, I would be happy to help!"

She hoped she did not sound too eager, but she felt that she could potentially learn a great deal from a magician more powerful than herself, with combination magic, no less. She knew that the next step for her, with a bit more practice, would be to learn a second type of magic that she could mix with her own and perhaps by examining Xenos' crafting of spells, she could get a head start on planning her own. Plus, the money would be nice. She had tucked away the money her parents had sent her off with and was living off of her own jobs now, not wanting to be reliant on the people she continually disappointed.

[627/1500]

Azix chuckled at her comment when she glared at the Grumptoes kid crouched in the corner, scared of Ariella. He gestured to the boy that he was no longer needed and he scampered out the door, avoiding the yellow magician as best he could. He continued listening to her and noted the name 'Figuro', filing it away for later. Azix was pleased to see that he had judged her correctly, she seemed eager to prove herself and he wondered the reason behind it. Was there someone important in her life that she felt inferior to, was she unsure of her potential, or was there someone in her life that belittled her?

He responded by smiling even wider, "As a matter of fact, I do have a job in mind. Have you ever heard of the Twisted Sisters?" He paused to see if she knew who they were, before explaining anyway. "They are three sisters who specialize in turning people into pleasure slaves that desire satisfying any whim of a master. They use cruel and strange methods, but they are known to create the best slaves. Other pleasure slaves sometimes will harbor resentment and murder their master after a time, but these are fully willing slaves going to insane depths to please master."

He removed the map of the Twisted Sisters' complex outside of Remano from within his cloak and handed it to Ariella. "I wish to deliver a message of death to them and strike fear in other slave traders hearts. It is important to know that this will be an incredibly dangerous job, but I feel together we should be able to handle them."

Azix folded his hands behind his back and began pacing as he spoke, his tone becoming formal as he listed off the details of the job. She wouldn't recognize it, but he was subconsciously mimicking his friend Garret's calm, professional demeanor when planning a mission. "Entering the complex is the easiest part, they don't keep guards but are reported to have hounds that alert them to intruders. After that, we have to navigate inside in the dark, I was unable to obtain a rough layout of the place. We will have to make do with staying alert and drawing a mental map along the way.

The targets are Silveus, known for poisons, Tyris, a fan of blades, and Rhyn, one rumored to control beasts. I was also unable to obtain their precise methods of combat, but that should at least paint a decent picture of what to expect. This won't be like the last job, these sisters are indeed twisted." Azix finished with a heavy sigh and looked to see if she had any questions. He hated having so many blanks in a mission, it reminded him of Li Cao, but he promised Serene he would deal take care of her competition.

After answering any questions, Azix would gather the map back in his room and gesture for her to follow. He led them to a stable where they rented a pair of horses that they would take to complex. The guards at the city gates appeared to not notice them pass as they departed Remano. After a few minutes of silence, Azix would turn to Ariella and ask her some questions.

"If you don't mind me asking, but where are you from?"

"Who taught you to manipulate magoi so well?"

"If you could change something about the world, what would it be?"

The first question was to see how she would respond to him prying into her past. The second was to stroke her ego again and see if he could get a clue as to why she showed a bit of eagerness to prove herself. The last question was to get a better judge of her character and see if her goals aligned with his. He wouldn't push for an answer and would listen, studying her reactions.

After an hour, Azix slipped the map out from within his cloak and checked some landmarks. They were close to the complex, just over the crest further up the road. He led them over the rise to stare at a multi-storied complex made of black bricks surrounded by a tall, spiked, metal fence. The air around the place felt malignant and a gloom seemed to hover over the building. They could hear loud screams of terror and pain muffled from within and Azix cast a quick glance at Ariella.

"You ready for this? Keep an eye out and be prepared for anything." He took a step forward before putting his finger to his lips, "Ah-h-h, I should warn you again. If I tell you to avert your eyes, please do so. I wouldn't want to blind your pretty eyes~" With reins in hand he led Ariella and his horse to a withered tree, tying them in a loose knot to keep the horse secured. A tall row of hedges behind the fence blocked line of sight to the horses from within the building, something Azix had noted when deciding on where to park them.

[1334/1500]

Ariella hummed as he described the details of the job, committing the details to memory as best she could. By now, she was used to memorizing mundane details, but she felt these might be more than important. His words of caution about the danger involved did nothing to dissuade her or give her reservations about helping him. She asked a couple of questions regarding what type of environment they may encounter, which he answered to the best of his ability, before following him out to the horses. His random questions were not too personal or invasive, so she answered them without hesitation, though the first question made her face tighten slightly in distaste, and the second left her face totally blank. On the third question, her face returned to its normal, playful disposition.

“I am from Magnostadt, my parents have an estate there.”

“My brother, Adius, helped with my initial training. After he left for the Academy, a string of tutors were brought in to better hone my abilities. Now, Figuro is helping to broaden my scope of understanding.”

“Hmmm, that is a tough one. I suppose if I could change one thing about the world, I would have to say I am not fond of the class system, especially where I am from. Importance based on wealth or natural talents is silly. We all have something to contribute, and we all have our downsides. More people should realize that.”

When they arrived at the stopping point, she gracefully slid from the horse, nodding when he asked if she was ready. His comment about her eyes brought a small blush to her cheeks but she ignored it and brought herself into focus, letting her wand fall into her hand in preparation. She was suddenly glad for all of the training she had done recently, after hearing the muffled screams and feeling the chilling aura of the building. This would certainly be an interesting job.

[951/1500]

Azix watched her face tighten to her first question, he was interested to learn that she was from the land of magicians and pondered if mentioning the country or her parents caused the distaste. The expressionless look as she responded to his second question gave Azix an idea of her past. She probably came from a family that held some wealth, able to afford private tutors to instruct on magic. Azix learned that her most recent teacher was the Figuro person she had mentioned earlier. He marveled at the fact that Ariella shared a common desire to get rid of the caste system. He sensed from the way she worded her answer, that someone had been belittling her, probably her parents. Though, it was still possible it was someone else in Magnostadt.

After he had made the teasing comment about her eyes, he caught a slight blush on her face. Ariella quickly recovered and Azix acted as if he hadn't noticed. He led them to a pair of rusting, iron gates and opened them, the hinges groaned in protest loudly. Azix winced at the noise but continued pushing until the space was wide enough for them to slip through.

Inside the complex's walls, a row of tall hedges sat behind blocking out the state of the yard. Rows of dead trees were spaced at two meter intervals with a path from the gate to the front door. Between each tree was a cage with dark figures inside; snarls, hisses, whines and cries poured out from them. It would be hard for anyone inside the complex not to hear the cacophony of unnatural noises. On closer inspection, Ariella would see why Azix had emphasized the word 'hounds'. In each cage was a emaciated person with spiked collars around their throat, chained to a corner of the cage. The people inside the cages were hunched over like animals, crazed expressions on their faces as if they believed they were beasts, not a trace of human intelligence in their eyes.

Azix cursed when the noises erupted from the cages, quickly he whispered a series of commands to the Rukh, making Ariella and himself Vanish from sight. After a few moments the animal slaves that could see them quieted down, those further back that began crying out because the others did, quieted down a few moments later. Azix whispered in Ariella's ear that he had made them invisible and gave her an end of his cloak to hold so she could follow. They ascended five stone stairs onto a wrap around porch and stopped in front of the door. After hesitating a second, Azix gripped the door knob and silently pushed open the door.


The inside was dimly lit by candle that hung from the ceiling and walls, casting eerie shadows about the great hall. Stairs led up from the center of the floor in front of them and branched to the left and right side of the upstairs floor. At each side of the center staircase there were stairs that led down towards the dungeons. At the top of the center staircase a woman stood with a knowing smirk on her face as the door opened. Surprise entered her features when she didn't see anyone enter inside. With a snap of her fingers, a loud buzzing noise filled the room echoing off the stone walls.


A three meter tall preying mantis beast soared downwards from the ceiling and landed on the ground with a small thud. This preying mantis looked more reptilian than insect, each forearm hosting a one meter long bladed appendage. The edge of the bladed appendage looked as if it could cut to the bone with ease. It let out a screech as it searched for signs of the intruders.

Azix tried to motion that he would handle the creature while she handled the Twisted Sister that could only be Rhyn. He didn't want to risk alerting the creature and losing the advantage so he hoped she followed his lead. Raising his staff, Azix muttered in the barest of whispers a series of commands to cast Makihige. The magoi formed a shadowy tendril at either side of him, that uncoiled up to seven meters. He extended the tendrils towards the Preying Mantis to stab into the muscles of its legs.

[190/250 magoi]

[2055/1500 words]

Spoiler:

Ari followed Xenos silently, her feature trained into a solid mask though inside, her stomach was churning at the ‘hounds’ Xenos had mention. What the women had turned these people into was an abomination. How any person could turn another human into something so… wrong was beyond her. Her fingers were white from clenching his cloak, though she did not pull on it, pulling her hood back over her face as she was led into the building. The building itself was desolate but had a haunting beauty to it. The candlelight could almost be romantic if it were not accompanied by screams of terror and pain. The noise from the dungeons became amplified when they entered the building and she fought off a shiver. In all of her time of being one of the pampered elite, never had she been exposed to something quite so gut churning.

The woman on the stairs obviously could not see them, judging by the look of surprise on her face and Ari fought back a chuckle. Now was not the appropriate time for laughter, lest it risk their cover. It would be blown soon enough, once the attacks began. She almost jumped when the insect creature flew down with a buzz, but remained silent. She still could not see Xenos to feel safe to release his cloak, her wand still tightly gripped in her other hand. She eyed the woman on the stairs, knowing she would be more effective against the further target with her lightning and could see the shadow magic from Xenos rise to strike the insect.

She imperceptibly murmured to the rukh, losing herself in her element and asking the rukh to gather and form Electric Chains as she stepped to the side of Azix, leaving him clearance to avoid them hitting each other while still staying close. She lashed out with the chain of lightning, quick as a blink, aiming for the woman’s legs. Her face brightened slightly to see the chain arc out and hit her intended target. The chain of electricity wrapped around Rhyn’s legs, paralyzing them and dropping her to the ground with a thud. Ariella was once again thankful of the training she had done, knowing her former spells would likely not be strong enough to truly assist Xenos. Wanting to ensure the woman did not cry out and draw the attention of her sisters, Ariella regained her focus and muttered to the Rukh again, this time asking for a Shock Ball, and aiming it for Rhyn’s face. Confident in the path of her spell, she turned to look at Xenos to see if he would need help with the creature buzzing about.

[Magoi 160/200]
[1400/1500]

Abilities Used:

The Preying Mantis dropped to its knees from the wounds it took from Azix's spell. The orange magician sustained Makihige sending out the two tendrils again to pierce into the creature's shoulders. Azix moved forward and unsheathed his Deviant, stabbing into the creature's chest with two quick motions. The Preying Mantis crumbled to the ground and Azix looked up to see Rhyn was defeated as well. Being a light magician, he could see through the invisibility he had weaved and saw Ariella looking over at him.

Azix started to walk towards Ariella when he realized that the screams had silenced, an unnerving silence had filled the complex. Azix dreaded what that could mean when a blur landed in front of him. Between Azix and Ariella stood a woman dressed in black leather with a long scythe in one hand, glaring at the orange magician. Azix raised his staff to summon another spell when the scythe-wielder know as Tyris began spinning the deadly weapon in her hands.

He was close to finishing commands when she lashed out with an Arc of Ecstasy, a lightning fast strike that struck the film of magoi that held his illusion. He felt it weaken from the hit and started to back up, but she lashed out again shattering the Vanish spell from around him and Ariella. He had a brief second to realize how she had noticed him, the tendrils of Makihige were wrapped around him, visible to both magicians and non-magicians alike, unlike normal strength magic spells.

Tyris was relentless as she used the momentum from the previous blow to spin the scythe around her stomach in a practiced fluid motion to slash downwards at his head. Azix had enough time to raise his Deviant to block the attack. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE KILLING RHYN!" she shouted in anger.

While Tyris was keeping Azix distracted, a figure emerged from the shadows at their side with a staff held up high. The magician, Silveus, began calling up to the Rukh to gather to cast her Soil Shorts spell. When it was ready, she shouted at Tyris to move out of the way before a plume of gas headed for Ariella and Azix.

Azix blocked another attack of the scythe before Tyris jumped away, running down the stairs into the basement. He turned to the direction he had heard Silveus in time to see the gas surround him. Some of the gas was inhaled before he managed to cover his face and within moments he felt a sharp pain in his bowels. He tried to move out but the discomfort was so strong he doubled over as his bowels released in his pants. The humiliation and disgust paralyzed him momentarily, Azix couldn't imagine continuing on in such a state.

[160/250 magoi]

Spoiler:

When the woman, Tyris, appeared in front of them, Ariella jumped back in fear. As the weapon slashed, she saw Xenos waver in and out before another blow destroyed their invisibility. Ariella scrambled back and away from the woman, a flicker of motion at the side of the room drawing her attention. The sight of a staff had her immediately on guard and she raised her wand with a plea to rukh. With a crackle and sizzle, her Electric Cage II expanded around the magician, just as the woman cast a nasty looking plume. The plume of gas collided with the cage of lightning, knocking it down but stopping the fumes from advancing, effectively stopping her attack.

Ari moved closer while whispering to the rukh, directing it to form Lightning Whip for her as she struck out. The whip struck the woman’s borg, shattering it but making Ari growl in frustration. Silveus wasted no time, casting Noxious fumes toward her. Ari did not have enough time to counter the attack and her borg reacted, keeping her from the danger of the spell but shattering to pieces. Angrily, she grumbled to the rukh, asking it for another attack, Numbing Spheres forming at the end of her wand, all of them directed at the poison magician. The attack hit home and the woman fell to the ground, allowing Ariella to turn back towards Xenos. Feeling slightly drained, but determined not to become a burden, Ariella took advantage of Tyris jumping back to cast Electric Cage I at the woman, hoping she was stupid enough to try and run through the containment field that expanded in a sphere around her.

[Magoi 110/200]
[1675/1500]

Abilities Used:

OOC: YAY! Azix didn't poop himself!

---

Azix noticed flashes of light flicker from behind Tyris aimed at something to his right. He couldn't turn his head to see what was going on with Tyris pressing on with the attack, but he assumed it was Ariella dealing with the last sister. Currently he flicked his staff towards Tyris, sending the sustained Makihige tendrils speeding at each arm. With a quick motion Tyris' scythe cleaved through the air and struck one of the tendrils down, leaving her open for the other to pierce into her upper arm. It dug into the muscle as it tore through skin before pulling back and coiling at his feet.

With a shriek of pain, Tyris reversed the grip on her scythe so the blade was held behind her and the bottom of the staff pointed towards Azix. She spun the scythe in her hands before sending it forward in a practiced jab, keeping the curved blade from her body. The scythe met Azix's Borg and the force redirected the attack, leaving a small crack where the attack had struck it.

Azix meanwhile had been preparing his newly create spell, Clear. Magoi formed a thin film of strength magic around his body, which quickly expanded outward in a dome-shape. The wave of force hit Tyris knocking her back into a wall. When the spell hit Tyris it contracted back around Azix's body before he released it. The scythe-wielding twisted sister had been knocked unconscious from the blow and Azix turned to see the last sister had been defeated as well.

Azix smiled at Arielle and gave her a bow, "I am happy to see I was correct about your talents. You are an impressive magician, Ariella. Now, let us see what is in this place."

Azix chose to go upstairs first, finding the sister's rooms and started searching through them. He found several books on torture as well as several manuscripts they had written describing their experiments and results. Azix was seriously intrigued to pour over these in detail at a later time so he found a pack to fit the books in, packed the books inside and hung it over his shoulder. The last room he visited was Silveus' where he found her research notes on Magic theory and a diary that covered her experiences with poison magic. Azix hadn't known such a thing was possible, and if it was he would need to notify Garret of the possibilities. He packed that up as well, making sure to gather any money he found.

After that, he headed to the basement to see if he could rescue any people before leaving. The dungeon was a labyrinth with many torture and holding rooms. It seemed they were organized by various stages of "education" and the purpose of the slave's training. The first hallway held rooms with slaves who were being trained as more 'hounds', all of them had been broken too far. They acted like beasts in cages and wouldn't respond to his softly spoken words.

The next few hallways were dedicated to torturing and breaking slaves, which held slaves who were traumatized but cooperative. After assuring them that the sisters were dead and they wouldn't be hurt again, they hesitantly left their cells and moved upstairs. The final hallway led to rooms where broken pleasure slaves were held and led to a giant room. The room held bondage equipment along its walls with tables, beds and oddly crafted chairs in rows. It looked to be where potential clients went to try out the 'wares' before purchasing them. When Azix tried to free the pleasure slaves they groped him and begged to please him. He tried to keep the disgust out of his eyes and reason with them, but they refused to leave, instead wanting to please the new master. Azix finally ordered that he would be pleased if they kept their hands to themselves and allowed him to move on. They quickly obeyed and he made his way out of the complex with Ariella.

The freed slaves followed them to the two horses, staring in horror at the feral humans in cages outside. Azix looked them over as he swung himself up on his horse, "You have been given freedom, I wish you the best." With that he clicked his heels into the horse's sides and moved on, ignoring their protests for help and questions of what they should do.

Spoiler:

Ariella gave a slight nod and blush at the praise, glad that she had not been a burden on the job. She followed him to search through the rooms, plucking out interesting looking trinkets and jewelry. It is not like the sisters would be returning for them and with any luck, she could sell the items. The lavish bedrooms were abandoned as they proceeded downstairs and Ariella could not hide the revulsion on her face at the feral ‘hounds’ being kept there.

As they moved through the different rooms, freeing the slaves, she grimaced at the conditions they were kept in. When they arrived at the final room, Ari could not help but let out a soft chuckle at the awkwardness Xenos displayed. Leaving the dungeons and then the house made her feel lighter by degrees and once they were on the horses, her normal playful demeanor had returned. She ignored the slaves trailing and asking for help as they rode off, turning to Xenos with an arched brow and a grin hidden behind the hood of her cloak.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take one of the trained ones back with you? They seem eager to please their new Master.”

Azix let out a chuckle at Ariella's comment, "Quite certain, my dear. I much prefer an intelligent mind that can think for itself, like yourself, than a mindless slave that foams at the mouth." He said the comment, without the intention of flirting, but to explain why he was revolted by their offers. If Ariella took at as flirtation, Azix would blush and turn away.

"Anyway, after seeing your work again, I want to offer you an opportunity to help me further. The child that had been following you before is part of my group of spies, known as the Grumptoes Squad. As you so astutely observed previously, the training of those under my officers is lacking. I am revealing this because I would like you to be a part of that team. You would assist with any jobs that may be too dangerous for them if I am too busy, as well as continue to help me. I feel I can trust you to keep my secrets and I hope you fulfill my expectations of loyalty. I hope to one day build a force to help me sweep across the world to rid the injustices like we saw back there and I would like you to be a part of that. What do you say?"

Depending on how she responded, would determine his next course of action. If she declined he would understand and let her go, with the understanding she not reveal the information he had given her. He would also keep a close eye on her to make sure she didn't plan to sell him out. If she accepted, once they arrived back in Remano he would lead her to the Grumptoes' shack to introduce her.

The shack hung off the back of a bar in an alley, deep in the poor district of town. There were a few children hiding in the shadows within range of the shack, these were harder to spot as Lavicus had been strict in his orders to them. Ever since Azix had learned how sloppy the newer members were, he had meant to train the full squad better, but hadn't had the time.

Inside the shack, Ariella would see a small room with a desk in one corner with a teenage native Remano male sitting behind it. The male would look up and smile at Azix, raising an eyebrow at Ariella. "I apologize if the place is a mess, I didn't realize there would be visitors, Miss." Lavicus' tone was polite, but there was a hint of confusion in it. Azix never had brought another to the safe house and tried his best to distance himself from them for appearance's sake.

Azix returned the smile and pointed to Ariella, "This is the girl I had Octovius' boys tailing for the past few days. She will be joining our little group as an independent party. If you have things that need attention, direct them to her, but more pressing matters you should still report to me. She may deliver messages from me as well. I believe we can trust her. She won't supercede your authority though, think of her as your security."

Lavicus nodded and pointed to a chair, offering her a seat in front of the desk. "Nice to meet you, Miss. My name is Lavicus, anything you need just let me know." He quickly explained a few locations around town where the Grumptoes hid messages in areas people wouldn't normally think to look. There were several specific directions on different areas where the city's walls had bricks that were loose and hid stashes. He briefly went over when the Grumptoes would pick up and deliver messages as well. Lavicus pulled out a map as he went over the location to help her better understand. He also instructed her on the basic hand signals to identify herself as a Grumptoes and for commands to give the kids in case she needed something.

When he was done, if Ariella didn't have any questions, Azix would clear his throat. "We should probably get going. Keep an eye around here Ariella, I'm counting on you to help protect these kids. I promised these young kids who no one else would look at, money to feed their families in return for keeping an eye on stuff for me. I don't want to see them hurt as a result of that though."

"Before you leave Xenos," Lavicus began rifling through a drawer and pulled out an object from within. "The other officers and I purchased this for you with some of our savings. It is a thank you for saving Sophie and helping us out."

Present:

Azix accepted the gift with some grateful words before looking it over. It was a gold necklace with a cross on it, a serpent wrapping around it. His fingers tingled as he held it and he felt the work of magic on it. He raised a brow at Lavicus, "This must have been expensive! Where did you get this?"

Lavicus shook his head, "It was rather cheap actually, some thief sold it hastily to me. It was grimy and smelled funny, I had to clean it up for you. I'm sorry if you aren't satisfied." He looked depressed thinking that Azix didn't like it.

Azix laughed, "I do like it Lavicus, that is not what I meant though. This is a magical item, I do not know what it does, but it is magic. Thank you for this." He clapped the boy on the shoulder before putting it on. After a whisper in his ear to keep an eye on Ariella and give him a report, he led Ariella out of the shack and into the night.

[exit]