A FIGURE STEPPED forward, tall and gaunt, draped in a dark robe that seemed to shift with the shadows. The man - if he could even be called that, had skin pale as bone, and his eyes held an unnatural glint. His head was bald, and covered in black markings.
Adrian's breath caught as he realized he'd seen this man before – but dressed in the colorful robes of a traveling merchant, with his head wrapped in a turban favored by the men of the South. That disguise was gone now, and so was the aura of harmlessness.
Now, he was wearing a robe dark as midnight, no turban, and he somehow seemed... larger. More menacing. Not to mention how distracting the snake tattoo on his bald head was.
Valtak looked down at Adrian, his expression impassive, as though he had arrived late. But the truth was underneath his nonchalant exterior, Reodok, as was his real name, was brimming with excitement.
Twenty five years he had chased the legendary treasure of the great magi, Azerok, his last mark on the world before he had disappeared, never to be seen again.
Finally, he had followed a lead to this shit hole of a continent where magic felt so suffocated, and ended up in the depressing town of Briarhold. He was certain of where the treasure was, of who had it, but he knew it would never reveal itself to him.
Everyone else who had chased it had failed because they failed to consider that the treasure had a sentience to it, and would only reveal itself to someone it deemed worthy.
Reodok was proud, but not foolish. He knew that if his theory was correct, the self righteous treasure would never consider him worthy of welding it, so he would walk right past it, and never know it was there.
So when he had spotted the boy with his odd mismatched eyes, he knew that he had found the perfect ruse to lure out the treasure. The boy was untrained, but his blood, his very bones, was magic.
He knew if anyone stood a chance of finding the treasure, it was the boy. It was also perfect that he knew nothing about magic, so he wouldn't even know what he held.
So while the boy had recruited his partners in crime, Reodok had been busy paying off one of the guards at the keep, who told him when and where the treasure would be moved.
It was so, so easy... too easy to buy the people of Briarhold. They were sinking in poverty and the Emerald Dominion could care less about the town so long as taxes were paid on time.
He had followed the boy from the moment they left the keep, ready to strike should he change course and head for anywhere else but the cabin. With the City Watch on the boy's heels, he knew he could only take his treasure once they were alone.
Twenty five years of chasing the treasure of Azerok, and finally, it will be mine! Reodok thought with glee.
Adrian's grip tightened on the figurine as he took a step back, wishing he had a weapon, anything at all. How foolish to show up at the cabin without a weapon, subject to a stranger's mercy. But this hadn't been part of his plan - nothing that had happened tonight was.
"Are you... are you a mage?" The question sounded ridiculous, even to his own ears, but it was all he could manage.
A mage. Thorne's got to me, and now, I sound crazy too. There are no mages in the Emerald Dominion. There can't be.
Reodok's lip curled, his eyes falling on the bag of gold on the floor. "You've taken payment for your services," he said, his voice low and frigid. "Now hand over my prize."
Adrian's heart hammered against his ribs, but he forced himself to stand his ground. "My friends are gone. One of them is dead, the other is... gone." The words felt empty, inadequate to describe what had happened to Jax and Thorne.
Reodok gave him nothing, no reaction, only a cold stare. He had watched everything, ready to step in only when his treasure was at stake. He could care less about anything else.
Adrian's jaw clenched. "Two lives," he hissed, anger flaring in his chest. "Two lives, for this piece of shit! What in the nine hells makes it so important?"
Reodok's mouth twitched in irritation. "It's not your place to demand answers. You were given a job that you accepted, knowing how dangerous it was. Now, hand it over, boy."
Adrian could feel his blood boiling, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles turned white. Heat rising to his irises the way it always did when he was enraged. But as usual, he forced it down, blinking rapidly until it was gone.
He was outmatched, and he knew it. One wrong move, and he might end up worse off than Thorne and Jax.
The fool is right. We knew what we were getting into. We knew it was dangerous, and still, we risked it all. I walked away with a bag of gold, so why do I feel so cheated? If he wants an ugly piece of wood, then he can have it.
Adrian took a deep breath, forced himself to ignore his conflicting emotions, and held out the figurine. The mage reached out, his fingers almost reverent as they brushed the wood - and passed through it like smoke.
A flicker of horror crossed the Reodok's face as he tried to grasp it again and again, his hands slipping right through each time.
No ... No... It can't be!
"You insipid little fool," Reodok snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you imprint my property?!"
"Imprint?" Adrian staggered back, still holding the figurine towards the mage. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Reodok sneered, his voice low and dangerous, "Don't play dumb with me. You fed it your blood and now, it's bound to you." He took a menacing step forward, and Adrian felt the weight of his presence settle like a noose around his neck.
"I didn't even know that was possible!" His voice cracked. He backed up, desperate, still holding the figurine out as if it might explain everything. "I cut myself while escaping the City Watch and the bloody thing just gobbled up my blood! I don't even know what imprinting is!"
"Then you're more of a fool than I thought," the Reodok spat, and with a flick of his wrist, lightning crackled around his fingers. The room darkened, the fires winking out as his tattoos blazed to life, swirling around his face like electric snakes.
He closed his eyes, muttering an incantation. "Bei lukai zim!"
The sheer power radiating from him grew thick and suffocating, and Adrian's stomach dropped as he realized just how out of his depth he was.
I'm going to die. I'm really going to die, and all because of a stupid piece of wood. He thought.
"Wait! Look, I'm sure we can work something out," Adrian stammered. "I'll... I'll transfer it to you, or unbind it, or whatever it takes."
Reodok's voice was cold as the grave. "It can't be undone, you foolish imp. Not by your pathetic pleas, your ignorance, or by your fear. The only way to remove an imprint is to spill the blood that bound it."
Adrian's heart pounded, his mind racing as he backed towards the door, using his hand to find the door handle behind him.
"You want your precious piece of wood? It's yours. I don't want it, and I don't care about it. I never did. I'm sure there's another way if can calm down and talk this thing out."
Mother will never forgive me for coming this far, only to die over a piece of wood!
Reodok was smiling. It was an inconvenience the boy had imprinted his treasure, but he was nothing he couldn't take care of quickly. It was only a matter of minutes before he reclaimed his property.
"The time for talking is long past. Your blood has made it yours, and for that, you will die."
Reodok's hand shot out, and Adrian saw the shimmer in the air as the spell coiled around his fist, charging and glowing like the heart of a storm. The mage unleashed it - a bolt of lightning that tore through the air, aimed straight at his chest.
Instinct took over. Adrian flung himself to the side, feeling the searing heat as the lightning smashed into the wall, splintering wood and sending shards flying.
He hit the ground hard with a roll, his shoulder slamming hard against the wooden ground, but he barely felt the pain. Scrambling to his feet, he wrenched the door open, and stumbled out into the darkness.
Better to face the City Watch than a mage with lightning at his fingertips!
An unnatural storm was picking up outside, cold biting rain pouring down in sheets, chilling his shirtless body, but Adrian didn't dare slow down. He could hear the mage's furious shout, feel the surge of his magic chasing him with hungry wrath.
He sprinted through the melting snow, mud and roots, slipping and tripping as he ran.
"Run all you like, boy!" the mage's voice echoed behind him, rising over the sound of the storm. "You can't outrun a death that's already claimed you!"
Adrian pushed himself harder, his lungs burning, legs aching. But the mage's words haunted him. He knew he couldn't keep running forever.
There was nowhere to go, no one to help. He'd taken the gold, sealed his own fate, and now he was alone in the darkness with death closing in.
The rain turned the ground slick and treacherous, but he refused to slow down. As he ran, he spotted a dense thicket up ahead, thick with low-hanging branches and tangled undergrowth. It wasn't much, but it was something - some small hope of cover.
He dove into the thicket, pulling himself deeper into the brambles, ignoring the sting as thorns clawed at his skin, drawing blood. The rain would cover his tracks, buy him some time to think of a way out of this mess.
What do I do? I'm outmatched. I have nothing. No magic, no weapon, nothing! Adrian thought.
As despair clawed at his mind, the strangest thing happened. He heard a voice inside his head, and it was not his own.
---
[BEEP BEEP BEEP]
[Sable Spire Activated ]
- "Hello Adrian. You may be outmatched, but together, we can even those odds." -