After finding suitable quarters they were strolling along the bustling streets of the place simply called All-Mag'Ick today. You really could find anything you could imagine here. And even more than that.
On the main streets, as Ivan noticed soon, there were the friendly and benevolent things. The more you ventured down the side streets and into narrow alleyways, deeper into bowels of the old parts, the more sinister, darker and questionable things got.
Sighing Ivan contemplated putting a leash on Nic but threw that idea out of the figurative window about a moment afterwards. His friend was trying to embark on a way where exactly those places would be of the most interest to him and himself trying to stop him would be a bit hypocritical.
Warlocks weren't known for being benevolent or friendly and the less said about their methods, the better. Though not in character, but well, Ivan was already reasonably sure they wouldn't be finding anything on the main streets that would turn out useful. Probably.
Though, there might be some friendly fellows, but Ivan couldn't quite imagine them in that bright side of the city. Also not really being present in the daylight all that much. And throwing stones when he had been more than once eyeing some daggers which probably were cursed, well. Let's just leave it at that. They sure did look good for using in dark corners or at night.
Did Ivan sometimes imagine things to be simple? Yeah, sure, but not on the things about morals. He did know what dirty work was involved, he wasn't trying to romanticize anything. It was more of his worry that Nic with his unique talent for getting into trouble just met an unfortunate end at the wrong side, like ending up as a victim of a ritual or some such for one of those with such a desire.
Though he just couldn't shake the feeling of being watched like an interesting ingredient and for some inane reason those stares fading as if there was a predator that already had staked a claim of some kind. Really, he probably should worry more for himself, now that he thought of it, though the exact why did elude him a bit.
Unbeknownst to him a slight sheen of shadow surrounded him, clearly connected to Nic in some way, though in a form that was invisible to his eyes, just recognizable to those well versed in sensing magical energy. There was a reason nobody spared them much of a second glance after all.
Soon.
Soon.
Soon, then darkness will be able to reveal itself to master. So much energy here!
Marvelous.
But many wanting to use master.
Preposterous, we have to protect the protégé.
Nodding the blackness acknowledged that. But master's lakey as well.
Friend, he calls him friend.
He had to be marked, a show of power was necessary.
Just a little longer.
But still a good place, master could learn much.
But who would be suitable?
Giggling the blackness crept through the shadows. Let's see who we can find.
After the third day in a row of pointlessly scouring the streets up and down – heck, he had even gone into alleys at night he had been sure they would be mugged or something – Nic was about to call it quits. He had no luck in finding anything particularly useful, nobody was talking to him and whenever he tried to initiate a conversation the person about fled as fast as their legs could carry them. It also was less than unhelpful that people flinched upon seeing his milky eye and some even shrank away in terror. Many even changed their behavior when seeing him up close or had somehow heard of him from others. He hadn't been able to buy a single thing yet. Wait, that wasn't exactly right, he had managed to buy one, one single book that offered a more in-depth overview of different disciplines of magic. And that wasn't even all that useful to begin with. And even the shadier vendors, if comparatively friendly in the beginning turned brusque hostile after a few moments. It was enough to drive him up a wall.
On top of that all of them seemed to have an inkling what was up with him and his eye, but nobody spoke a word of it. Nic snorted, well, if the more popular streets were a bust, then he had to change tactics. There were some streets that the innkeeper had cautioned him of using but seems like they were about all that was left if he wanted to get anywhere. Right, off to the crooked streets and shadowy alleyways which just reeked of secrecy and taboos then. Normally that should have set all kinds of alarm bells off, but Nic wasn't really thinking of possible dangers there.
So it happened that after meeting the same reactions in those hidden away doors or counters with their wares hidden from sight that Nic stormed out in a moment of absolute frustration and left before Ivan could even contemplate following.
"Well, that could have gone better. Sorry for that, but could you tell me what's up with that?" Ivan casually started, regarding the witch or whatever she was with a piercing look. "At first he seems like your normal run of the mill costumer, the next you all treat him like he is the devil incarnate and gives him the stink eye."
The lady owning the shop took a measured look at him, as if assessing whether he should even be deigned an answer, before looking down a bit shamed. The double standard was getting a bit grating.
"Had even one of you ever entered my village back home none except him, me and the druid would have even welcomed you at all, lest with open arms or anything other than contempt. Und even I would have done that just because of him," he insinuated, his tone noticeably cool while looking around the shop nonchalantly. "An explanation would be grand."
It was suspiciously quiet before the lady finally got up and just closed the shop. She once again took a long look at Ivan before motioning him to follow.
"I will try to explain to you what is going on, though much is shrouded in mystery. You should stay a while; it will get dark soon and the streets around here are not as safe for you as they are for your friend. The mark he bears guarantees his safety better than anything else could."
Now that sounded particularly ominous. Curious though he might be, Ivan got the feeling he might have been better off not knowing what would surely follow.
Nic meanwhile was trying his hardest to turn the air blue. At first he had gotten lost and had been jostled by someone which caused him to lose his footing. In consequence of that he tumbled down a small steep path with a fissure at the end and of course he fell right into it. Just to land on a stack of bones, right in the middle of some catacombs. At least they hadn't been all that sharp and no pointy ones stabbed him anywhere. Well, his landing had at least been comparably soft, for as soft as a stack of various bones was.
Since then he had been aimlessly walking through the badly lit corridors, managed to barge in on not only one but two different rituals of a kind which had been followed by him really taking his heels – not because of the magicians but the demons they had called up as he had managed to break the salt rounds keeping them at bay. On top of that he had taken an unwilling bath in some kind of river he had fallen into three times by now that might have been fed by water from who knows where, as it stank like rotting corpses. Or a zombie after having been animated after a few months of decay. Or someone very, very unhygienic.
To sum it up, his mood was at an all-time low, he still was lost and had no inkling where an exit might be found. Just what he needed this day, really.
All of a sudden he heard a loud cracking not far behind himself. Nic swallowed but did neither stop nor waste time turning around. He did walk faster though when hearing the sound again and was of the opinion that it had come nearer. Now not only were his alarm bells ringing, but his common sense, logical understanding and that little voice in the back of his head that usually was criticizing Ivan for his stupidity were all congratulating him sarcastically of successfully pulling a stunt worthy of his friend while accusing him of proofing himself a braindead lizard's tail. It was absolute madness, now that he thought of it, that he was stumbling around in a badly lit underbelly of an unknown city. And that alone. Why? Because people treated him like he had the plague? And he had assumed nothing could happen to him? Well, pull the other one, since when was he that naive?!
Having given into the allure of blind panic he just started running, not particularly caring where to but just away from whatever danger there was. If he heard some weird rattling from the left he just turned right, if there was creepy rumbling coming from his right side, he turned left. Thanks to the dread he felt he abandoned all reason, so he did not notice how he just ran deeper into the darkness, all the while not far from him metallic scraping laughter could be heard.
Rituals are generally interesting things full of history and hidden meanings, though many details have been lost as time flew by. A long time ago symbolism didn't solely consist of painted signs but was represented by appropriate deeds. Evocations had a very different structure and a lot more warnings accompanying the instructions which usually had been handed down by word of mouth and showing what to do, however gruesome many had been. But as with all things there had first came that bit about writing the rituals down and further following that was some idiot who just had do utter, "But wait, couldn't it just work as well if we did X instead of Y and replaced this, that and that?"
And rituals with multiple phases spanning months were assigned most fitting specific dates, many steps were cut, and let's not get started on the ingredients. Soon using human blood was exchanged to animal's and even that was soon frowned upon, so people turned to using reed beet juice (until someone found something offensive to the color red).
What that did to the effectiveness one can only imagine. The phenomenon can be likened to cooking a bit. Just because they were red you wouldn't make a strawberry cheesecake with tomatoes replacing the strawberries, right?
Rituals include a lot of details and ingredients, though in our case one was about to be completed that had started with what was likened to an accident with a falling sword. The young man wasn't far from the destination after all.
Nic stumbled and screamed as his right hand grabbed the next thing in reach, which happened to be a rather hot torch. His initial scream of pain turned into one of panic as he noticed that there was no floor beneath him, and he was falling. Flailing he tried finding purchase but just managed to scrap his hands bloody on some jagged stone. Heck, he didn't want to die, not now and not here of all places!
Though thinking back to this moment Nic would often be contemplating whether it wouldn't have been better if he had. Some things get much clearer when one is older and has gained experience. Or had the unfortunate chance to see many a horror the world had to offer.
Beneath him he could hear the sound of splashing and though the smell was anything but nice, he might be luckier than expected. It seemed that the awful concoction that stunk to high heavens was about to be his salvation. The water splattered as he felt his back impact
on the slightly rippling surface. The forceful crash made him gasp, promptly noticing that he was no aquatic being and he choked on the foul fluid. His hands started burning and a creepy twilight suddenly illuminated the cavern he had landed in. As his sight was dimming and he was about to lose consciousness he heard a strange sound. It seemed to be laughter but was strangely metallic and scraping.
Finally.
The last thing he felt was something grabbing his hand with the burning sensation getting so intense he finally just blacked out.