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Mind Over Matter Ch. 01

By: tag90tag



Kai was a good liar.

"I'm a terrible liar," he mused to himself. Although he was not opposed to the use of killing, he felt deception was more effective when getting past men wielding large broadswords.

Grunts hired by the Church to defend these lower security operations where never quick-minded. This was a beneficial trait for both the Church and Kai; their employers would never have to speak about what was being guarded, and Kai had an easier time getting by them.

Kai had plenty of time to reflect on this notion as he quickly walked down the stone hall after being directed by the guard. At the same time, he considered how long he had to get to the door he needed. Another guard pacing down the hallway passed him an inquisitive look, slightly suspicious of the new face. Kai gave the man a subtle nod in response, and continued walking.

He had fifteen seconds before the two guards met. Eight seconds while they exchanged words about him. Probably a long five seconds before they realized he shouldn't be there. This left him with twenty eight seconds to get through the door ahead, which was roughly a thirty second walk away. Kai took to a jog for a few steps to compensate, turning left toward his goal.

***

Down the corridor, the two sentries conversed.

"Who was that?"

"Magic engineer. You remember the wards that were damaged a week ago? We're finally getting it repaired. I just pointed him in the direction of the Pillar."

"Oh."

A long pause followed, until the smarter of the two pointed out that the wards had been fixed two days ago. When they turned their heads down the hall, Kai was already gone.

*****

The "magic engineer" smiled to himself as he made his way to center of the complex where his objective would be held. He guessed by now the guards would have called support to the Pillar room to apprehend him, diverting personnel from the vault where he was instead heading.

Kai, in all his intuition, had no closer idea of what might have been being kept the vault than those fools protecting it. It didn't matter to him. If it was in the possession of the Church, than he would liberate it from their grasp. The most common treasures were items of magical significance, which he could take, then sell. In a unique case he had found prisoners accused of crimes of blasphemy or other, leaving him to believe that the Church would use these keeps to hold just about anything.

Although still confident in his calculated itinerary, Kai lengthen his stride down the hall to gain a few extra seconds. A good half-minute to fall back on was never a bad thing.

Eventually he reached an enchanted door, carefully inscribed with runes of protection.

Looking over his shoulder as a precaution, he removed an amethyst dagger from his dark cloak. From the edge of the blade emanated a faint purple glow, signifying its magic saturation.

The dagger whistled through the air as Kai slashed once at the door. A metallic noise much louder than that of an ordinary collision between the two materials rang out. The moment the objects touched the runes on the door flashed brightly and vanished. The blade shattered, leaving purple shards across the stone corridor. Kai discarded the hilt, and quickly made his way through the unlocked door.

*****

A few of the armored men took on a puzzled expression at the sudden, sharp sound that had travelled through the building.

"He's probably not in the Pillar room, huh?"

*****

Through the disabled door, Kai stepped into a familiarly circular room. Along the white stone walls were various runes of sealing, wards, and other kinds of magical protection. The center of the room held a large platform similar to a stage in an amphitheater. It was this that Kai was most interested in, so he strode directly to it.

The magical barrier that surrounded the platform obscured his view of the prize behind the wall of light. Caught off guard by the intensity of this keep's shield, Kai quickly calculated the costs and benefits of continuing his mission here.

He had only brought three daggers; two was all he usually needed. For some reason this room was given more resources to protect than the other facilities he had been to, and his spare daggers would not be enough to break the seal. He could just hack at it with the one he left unenchanted, but it would take another hour at least.

The power of decision was taken from him as guards burst through the door. Kai dove behind the wall of light just to avoid being immediately spotted. In such an open room, there would be no question that one of these idiots would at least have the sensibility to check beyond their current line of sight. He simply wanted the extra seconds.

Kai closed his eyes. He was quite shaken by the disruption of his plan, but was not unready to think on his toes. Inhaling deeply, he played out potential scenarios in his head.

*****

The man standing in the front of the pack slowly crept around the corner. He stood in a defensive stance, broadsword readied to parry another sword slash. He was unprepared for the small blade which sang through the air towards his neck.

The pure white of the floor was immediately painted red. The six other men were initially shocked at the speed in which their comrade fell, and then the room exploded into a flurry of movement and shouting as they rushed to kill the man in the cloak.

Kai continually paced backwards, making it more difficult for the men to attack simultaneously.

The first man raised his sword high above his head. This telegraphed his strike and Kai side-stepped the swing and stabbed at the exposed neck.

Not wasting the velocity of his lunge, he left the blade in the neck of the corpse, and dove past the body for the sword that had been dropped. Unskilled with larger weapons, had had no intention of commencing a traditional fight using the cumbersome steel. Instead, he pivoted on his foot, twisted his body, and let the sword slip from his grasp. The momentum from the turn left the blade to spin dangerously through the air in the direction of the group of armored men. The sword's hilt glanced off a shoulder plate of one of the guards, dislocating the joint under its weight and speed.

What he lacked in traditional fighting experience was made up by his knowledge of the mind. He could predict an enemy's reaction to any situation. The distraction and fear induced by a large, spinning broadsword created enough time to kill two more men. This left one crippled guard and two men just opening their eyes after flinching from the flash of steel.

Jumping again to avoid any quick counterattack, Kai strafed back to the first kill and recollected his amethyst dagger. He very rarely liked to rely on luck, but he found no other option than the one he had planned. The two remaining foes had already seen his tricks, and the adrenaline pumping through their system would have enhanced their senses.

Letting magic flow down his arm to the blade, he felt energy drain from his body and his breath became ragged. The dagger glowed with the same light as the one that had broken the seal on the door, and Kai promptly used it on the barrier. The edge shattered, and the wall of light flashed, but did not dissipate. Seeing the effects of the initial strike confirmed his suspicion that the use of his last dagger would be futile. However, he did not intend to break the seal with his dagger alone.

Kai scowled, angry at himself that his plan had come to this. For the first time, his eyes leveled with those of the men advancing towards him. The gaze that the men were met with unnerved them greatly. Kai's purple eyes were tinted purple by the magic running through his being, though the color was faded after his impromptu dagger enchantment.

*****

Kai slowly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply.

The man standing in the front of the pack slowly crept around the corner. He stood in a defensive stance, broadsword readied to parry another sword slash. He was unprepared for the small blade which sang through the air towards his neck.

The events that followed played out almost identically to Kai's near-prophetic foresight. This left him with his back to the wall of light, facing the last two armored guards. Soon came the part the Kai could not predict.

He had anticipated one final event. The two guards were quite fed up with his tricks, and swung simultaneously at him. Their swords came from both directions, threatening to cut him as scissors would paper. 

Summoning the rest of his energy, Kai responded instantly. Magic sparked from his left hand, jumping through the air and reaching the steel about to cleave him in half. Now Kai was stuck between an enchanted blade and cold steel in both in mid-swing.

Fighting against all his primal instincts to survive, he jumped straight for the blade to his left.

The very tip of the large broadsword illuminated in a purple aura collided with the magic barrier. This caused the sword to shatter just as Kai would have felt the sword rip through his midsection. He was still severely wounded by the steel shards that pierced his side, but it was nothing compared to the gruesome death he would have faced otherwise. The barrier did not survive, and disappeared in a flash of white.

Kai hit the ground hard, and was stunned for a moment. His left arm supported his weight as he reached across with his right to pull a fragment from his body. He had to get up to grab whatever prize was left exposed on the platform. The guard that was to his right had only been disoriented in the blinding light, and would be recovering his vision sooner than Kai would stop bleeding.

The prize was the final variable in Kai's plan. Optimally, it would be a weapon, and he would be able to kill the last guard. This would delay the command's notification of his infiltration, buying him time to vacate the city. More likely, it was a gold necklace he would take and leave with after escaping the guard. It was because of these probabilities that Kai was shocked at what this keep held hostage.

There on the platform laid the most beautiful woman Kai had ever seen.

She lay unconscious on the cold stone, jet black hair billowing over her shoulder. She was dress in the common white robes of the Church, and the thin fabric flowed over her form, accentuating her perfect curves. This could have not have been less helpful to Kai, but for just this moment he was stopped in his tracks entranced by the lithe figure before him.

The second man in the room was just coming back from his temporary blindness. The first thing he saw as vision returned to him was of the cloaked man kneeling to pick up a woman lying where the barrier had been. A dark stain was gradually painting the left of his cloak red.

Kai turned to look at this final obstacle. "Look at what you hold here! Would you still fight for your Church?" He waited for an answer as he slipped his arms under the woman's knees and neck.

The man had never asked questions. Following orders was his duty, but the sight before him still troubled him greatly. Unsure of what else to do, he raised his sword defensively and shouted back, "It doesn't matter what the Church chooses to hold. All I have to do is protect it."

This was the response Kai expected and he grimaced in disgust anyway. "Then you are nothing but sheep. You follow your shepherd blindly, without reason. You kept this woman here and you can't feel uncertain of your duties?"

The guard was very uncertain of himself. The only way he could assure himself his allegiance was by looking to the bodies of his murdered comrades. "You deserve to die for what you have done here," he finally decided.

"And the Church deserves to burn for all their crimes as well." Kai could not get past this man to the door behind him; at least not while carrying the woman in his arms. Furthermore, there was no longer any weapon between him and the guard.

He would have to leave her to escape. Very few instances in Kai's short life had left him so conflicted, especially when his rational mind screamed at him to drop the girl and run. For some reason, he could not bring himself to leave without her. He was stunned he could be so indecisive.

He was truly shocked when she opened her eyes.

This girl was bad for him. He found it hard to concentrate on much of anything else with her in his arms, and now he felt himself entranced by her gorgeous eyes. The color of the blue ocean shone as two discs peering right at him, locking his gaze in place.

There was no way for Kai to expect what happened next. Reaching a slender arm up around Kai's neck, she pulled herself up and drew him in for a kiss.

Kai was not in the state of mind to disagree, and he lost himself in the kiss. As their lips met, his mind clouded into a pleasant haze that addled his senses but washed away the pain of his wound.

Time stood still for a moment as the strangers kissed. When they finally pulled away, Kai instantly felt weak in the knees. Then he felt weak all over and collapsed on the ground.

As his mind slipped out of consciousness his final thoughts were not of his sudden weakness, but of the heart-stopping feel of her lips on his.

*****

Kai awoke on a bed. That was about all he could take in at the moment. As sharp as he was, clarity was not coming quickly to his mind, and even slower to his eyes.

Then next thing he noticed was the color of the ceiling above him, and then her.

She was sitting on a simple wooden chair with a mug in her hands sipping water tentatively. Her eyes looked past him, lost in thought. When she realized he was conscious, she acknowledged out loud, "You're up."

A long silence held the room captive.

Kai had come from the haze enough to realize this was his room in the inn. As he was taking in his surroundings mentally, his eyes were transfixed in the woman drinking from his cup.

She really was beautiful. Her long tresses of hair perfectly framed her kind features, which were now carrying an anxious expression. She was still dressed in the Church's simple white garb, but this did not detract from her appeal in the least. Kai quickly found her much more interesting than the room.

A torrent of questions came as he was reminded of the events before his waking here. Forcing himself to ask a single question at a time, he managed, "Who...?"

Her complexion eased a little after hearing him speak, and she answered with the same directness as the question, "Claire."

"What happened?" That seems like the most logical way to continue. She had such a pretty name.

"Where do you want me to start?"

Kai considering this for a moment, and the last thing he could remember was..."After our...After I hit the floor." It came to him at this time that she was responsible for his sleep. He immediately straightened his back against the bed post, alert now.

"We both fell to the floor. I evaded the guard and found your inn key in your pockets while looking for a weapon. It's been about an hour after we arrived here."

As Kai listened he took inventory of the various assassination tools he always kept around the room. They were always to be in reach in case of a break in, or one of the Church's bounty hunter found him again. "You evaded the guard AND carried me out of the keep with you? You were out when I found you."

"I recover quickly," she said, looking down into the mug.

"A sorceress then? Did the Church detain you for crimes?"

"I-I don't know."

"That's not an answer." It will take one second to get to the dagger under the dresser. It would then take a half-second to aim and an instant after that to travel through the air and pierce her heart. "You stole my energy."

"I saved us both with it," she confessed. She was right, but not telling the truth during her story had broken Kai's trust.

"Then what really happened?"

"The guard is dead."

"So now explain yourself," Kai pressed.

She didn't look at him when she responded, "I'm a sorceress."

Reading her, "I don't believe you."

"It shouldn't matter," she avoided. Seeing the pace that this was escalating, she rose up out of her seat to leave.

Kai rolled over the side of the bed in a flash, snatching the hidden dagger from its housing under the drawer. In an instant the blade would be through her heart.

*****

Claire sat on a simple wooden chair with a mug in her hands sipping water tentatively.

She was uncomfortable with how that scenario had played out.

"You're up," she said. 

"Who...?"

"Claire."

"What happened?"

She nervously gave the same answer as she had in her head. At this, he smiled and shook his head. "I suppose you don't owe me the truth. There's no need to lie to me either though."

The girl was visibly relieved by his response. She woke in that white room, with dead men and red blood everywhere. Kai surmised she probably could not immediately see him as a good person, just a killer.

Kai got up off his back, and shifted so he sat on the side of the bed adjacent to her. Thinking back to before his waking, he asked, "Do you greet everyone you meet like that?" He still felt the ghost of her lips on his, and the memory of its touch was the only thing that truly shone through the fogginess of his memory.

"No, it's just...I really wanted to kiss you."

"Now you're lying to both of us," he responded, exasperated.

Kai's head was filtering through the possible types of mages that would take energy from the contact. There was no way for her to have escaped with him in tow without the use of magic. However, he didn't want to linger for too long in the inn after his infiltration of the keep and he decided to leave the past for the future. He at least had no reason to distrust her for now. She was being held captive by the Church, and she had saved him after he had saved her. Exactly how she did would have to be found out later.

Rising to his feet he said, "I need to leave here. What will you do?"

She glanced down into the cup as she considered the question. "I have no place to go."

"Have you been to Daervik?" When she shook her head he continued, "Would you like to see it?"

*****

The interpretation of morality had changed since the Church had grown in power. There were very few people now who would follow every law instituted by the lords and kings, and the breaking of laws were also not as often frowned upon. So now while vandalism was still met with much objection, the robbing of a wealthy bishop was not. Crimes against the Church were vehemently persecuted, but were usually seen as disagreeable to the public. Money stolen from men like that was just a form of much needed financial redistribution.

As she walked down the dirt path, this was how Claire decided to justify travelling with this cloaked man. She probably should not have been keeping pace with the person responsible for the killing of several Church guards, but she had nothing else to do.

She was intrigued by his lifestyle, but also by Kai himself. He was extremely intelligent; that much was obvious. His cognitive ability was superhuman. The rate at which his mind processed information was incredible, and allowed him to determine things in advance in such a way that others would liken to a prophet. He was extremely observant, and also exceptionally logical. In less than a day she was convinced he was the most sensible person she would ever meet. But above all else, he was kind to her. She would have expected more of a callous nature from someone so rational, and she was deeply appreciative of his kindness.

Kai's thoughts were equally occupied by his new companion. She was smart as well, though not to the extent of Kai's foresight. He had originally offered for her to come with her so that he could found out what exactly happened that night. On the outside, he tried to be as friendly as possible to this stunning girl that had so abruptly entered his life. He wanted to keep her close for as long as it was convenient so there would be no loose ends from his visit to the keep last night. Kai found that his pleasant demeanor felt more natural than he had intended, and this unsettled him slightly.


Mind Over Matter Ch. 01



He sighed quietly, and looked behind him to check the moon. It shone brightly from just under the top of the tall trees surrounding them.

When the two left the room, the moon was high above them. Kai had thrown his things into a small enchanted bag, and they had left after leaving a few coins on the front desk. The cloth held more within its seams than the volume it occupied, although the weight of every object inside would still be felt in full. He was very pleased when he found this bag and another in an earlier infiltration.

After leaving the inn, Kai hurried across the town's market to grab some food. He was no stranger to picking locks, so the doors of the various food carts were not so difficult to open.

He did not take much, and he took care to leave the right amount gold to pay for the goods. A loaf of bread and some fruit would be enough to tie them over until they had reached the city. Daervik was only a few miles away.

Claire was quite grateful that he took this quick detour before leaving the gates of the town, and the food disappeared just a few minutes after they had hit the road.

So now here they were. Kai was putting distance between himself and the keep he had broken into, and Claire seemed happy with following along.

They mostly walked in silence. Kai was still thinking of a way to get her to tell him what had happened, but it didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it and he didn't want to press her. Claire was quite curious about Kai and she asked her own questions here and there, but she was conservative so as not to be a bother.

"So you carry no love for the Church," she ventured, "And that's why you steal from them?"

"Not quite. I have a very...specific skill set. I'm good at that and not much else, so that's how live. Although, I like to believe that my 'career' does less harm with the Church as my target. It's clear that they don't carry the interests of the people they set rules for. Plus there are many flaws in their ideology."

Claire gave a nod in understanding, and then asked, "Such as?"

"They try to unify people under a false god who will punish them if they are not compliant with His word. Those obedient to the Church's rule follow out of fear instead of morality. This creates a loss of free will and personal opinion. Then there are the consequences of their doctrine, which includes the absolution of cruel holy men, justification of their taxes, and the persecution of all demons."

Claire turned her head at the last part. Raising an eyebrow she said, "Demons shouldn't be hunted?"

As the two conversed the trail led through a clearing in the forest. Moonlight washed over their figures as they passed, a serene moment silently enjoyed by the two as Kai considered his answer.

Eventually, he looked up as if addressing the moon. "No," Kai responded, "Not simply because they are demons. They're just another form of life, same as the humans. The influence of the Church is the main source of their bad reputation. That and the actions of violent rogue groups, but that's not like humans don't have their own societal miscreants.

"People are too easily scared by their appearances," he said. Turning to look at Claire who was intently listening, he continued, "Besides, some are quite beautiful."

The clearing soon closed around them and the light dimmed above.

"...What gave me away?" The demoness was wary now, but did not stop walking alongside Kai.

"Nothing in particular," he answered, "things just fit together like a puzzle."

"Your intuition is amazing. After we kissed...I felt...I could think like you for a short while. It's incredible what you can see."

Kai no longer needed to hear what happened to the guard. She had probably done whatever he would have, had he had the power of a demon within him.

Claire was a succubus. After stealing a portion of Kai's vitality, the guard was overcome with lust. He had dropped his sword, and found it returned to him through his chest plate. He died instantly. Claire evaded the rest of the guards with Kai in her arms.

After escaping the keep, she had matched the crest on Kai's room keys with the insignia over the inn's door. She had done a bit of out-of-character snooping around the room and found the small area was filled with hidden weapons. Claire had then made her way down to the locked kitchen door behind the lobby, and went back to the room with a cup of water.

On the trail, it was a few miles to Daervik. The morning sun would meet them just as they hit the city walls.

"We'll be there soon," Kai noted. "What will you do then?"

"I'm not sure. I want to know why I was captured instead of killed...I have to look into those who found me and make sure this doesn't happen again."

"I'm always close to the Church. Maybe a keep will hold answers?"

Claire smiled. "That sounds like a date."

"What gave me away?"



Mind Over Matter Ch. 02



Daervik was a beautiful city. The place was known across the land as an exquisite travel destination, welcoming those who had saved more gold than the average townsfolk. The buildings were mostly crafted with a clean marble, which shone through the day and seemed to glow in the moonlight at night.

Perhaps even more significant than the architecture was the city's surrounding geography. The land was not flat, and many speculated that the area in which the city was built upon what was in fact a crater. Regardless of origin, the bowl-shaped land was an ideal basin for water. Daervik rested neatly alongside the western rim of Netyr Lake, the largest body of freshwater known to man. The lake itself was enclosed by an imposing mountain pass, which snaked around to cradle the east side, and also contributed the majority of its rainwater to the lake.

This was a problem for the founders of the city a few centuries ago. Water level in the lake rose faster than it was removed or evaporated. Before the city, the water would eventually rise high enough to break the soft soil around the edges of the crater and spill over the west side, creating a torrential land slide that devastated the area but reset the water in the lake. The ground was naturally replaced by the surrounding mountain sides, but at a shorter height every time. This process took several hundreds of years, but the founders had seen the water minutely rising after a few years.

Not wanting their new city under the lake, the clever men had created the Netyr Festival. The event was a competition of sorts, where mages could demonstrate their ability to manipulate water. The happenings displaced great amounts of water, and also brought in equally large amounts of income for the city.

It was morning. The two new companions had reached the west gates of the city two days into the annual, week-long festival.

Kai had a routine to follow every time he reached a new city. He was to orient himself quickly with the area, check into the local inn and set up, then observe watch patterns of the guards around his target. The last part took anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks. Claire hoped that by going along with him she could get some answers, although she probably would have been happy to go along anyway.

While Claire was sincerely concerned by the motives of the Church, she found her attention quickly shifting towards the activities of the festival. Claire purchased a map with Kai's gold as he collected the keys to their room. She asked the information desk, "What are the festivities for?"

"The Netyr Festival is one of our city's great attractions," the lady behind the desk said. She continued with scripted eloquence. "Mages with water affinities come from all over the country to showcase their skill-"

Kai interrupted with a tap on Claire's shoulder, "Here's the spare key. I'm going to look around for a bit."

"Oh! I got us a map, we should go see the crystal market here. They're stocked especially for the fest-"

"You should go put your things down in the room first."

Claire had just escaped from capture and holding in a Church keep. She had no personal belongings to deposit, and she knew from the short time she had been with Kai that this was something he would not simply overlook.

She nodded her understanding, and took the keys. "We'll meet up later?"

"The crystal market sounded interesting," he replied, then turned out the door.

Claire wasted no time herself getting up the steps to her room. Had they been followed?

*****

As soon as the inn's door closed behind him, Kai hurried into the crowded streets.

She was getting to him. Although Claire was exceptionally tame for her kind, she was still a lust demon. He had walked alongside her for longer than almost everyone else in her life, and even though her actions weren't predatory in the least, everything she did tempted his desire.

Walking on the trail, he didn't miss a detail. The white robes she wore flowed over her form, which perfectly captured her beautiful figure. She was curvaceous yet athletically slender, an incredible combination of traits most women would kill to possess.

All of her movements were elegant, and Kai often found himself entranced by the simple delicacy in her stride.

Her face was as alluring as her body. Her soft features were the idealization of innocence, but Kai didn't miss the way the moonlight shone on her smile; there was still mischief in her intelligent blue eyes. 

And then there was the kiss.

Kai's sharp mind and rational personality graced him with exceptional willpower for this kind of thing, but there was no denying his attraction. He should get away from her, but there was no way he could bring himself to do it.

Right now all he could do was take a breath and lose himself in the crowd.

Despite his predicament, he hoped he didn't overly concern Claire by his swift departure. For now he could explore the town and maybe locate the local keep, but he would budget his time and make sure he was at the crystal market soon.

Walking down the street would lead him straight to Netyr Lake. Hopeful for a brief distraction, he followed the masses down the road.

The first day of the festivities was opened-ended. Entertainers were allowed license to use the water of the lake how they wished, and the shore was always completely occupied. Dancers from all over the country would come on this day to perform, accompanied of course by their water mage partners who would manipulate the water around them. The elegance of the water coordinated wonderfully with the fluidity of the dancing, and the shows were quite a spectacle.

Kai was a day late.

Today, the real competition began. For the rest of the week, a tournament would be held directly over the lake as most novice water mages could walk on water. Water mages would combat each other until his or her opponent yielded, and the winner would be celebrated on the last day of the festival. To these competitors, the first day was largely simple exhibition which they saw as a warm-up for the trials of the week.

"...Shall be between Guierve of Adamand and Michael of Daervik," called the announcer. At the last name, his voice was replaced by the roar of the crowd. Clearly Michael was the hometown favorite.

As the proceedings went on, Kai continued along the road behind the spectators. The shore of the lake was lined with onlookers, as well as merchants selling food and souvenirs. It was a regular sporting event, and the game was about to be underway.

Kai would have been more interested, but he never forgot his business. He had counted twelve Church guards in his past twenty paces. The area was saturated by the men, but there was no way that news of a cloaked man stealing from their keep had reached the city yet. For now, he would remain anonymous.

Having had his breath of fresh air, he headed toward the market to meet Claire. The battle would start soon and he didn't wish to get water in his shoes, either.

The fight began with the summoning a geyser from the water, and the spectators were about to get very wet.

*****

Claire opened the door to their room. To her surprise, the room was empty besides the regular furniture. She had expected a note or some kind of instruction left behind by Kai; it seemed as though he hadn't been in the room yet.

She couldn't think of anything else to do but to leave for the market. She made her way back down the stairs and examined the map she had gotten.

It was a short five minute walk to her destination, a plaza area with a beautiful fountain centered inside a wide circle of merchant carts.

Kai saw her first, alerted to her presence by a rather round man doing a double take back into the crowd. There was hardly a man that wouldn't glance behind himself to caught a glimpse of her figure a second time.

Claire had a question in her expression as she met Kai by the fountain. "I had to make sure we weren't in any immediate trouble before we started walking around," Kai said.

He felt that fatal attraction again when he met her eyes. He was feeling a bit more resolved now though.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, then asked, "Have you seen the lake yet?"

"I walked by it on the way here. A tournament match was just getting started."

We should go watch while we're unoccupied," she said excitedly.

"I'll meet you down there. I want to get my bearings here, I won't be long."

She nodded again, then headed down the street towards Netyr Lake. 

"Excuse me, young man!"

Kai turned to meet the voice. He was a bit startled by the man standing uncomfortably close to him. After an awkward moment, Kai ventured, "Yes?"

"Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice you and the young lady. Could I interest you in one of my pieces?" Asked he talked, he shuffled through his sleeve and pulled out a number of necklaces. "They are pure silver, and each pendant hanging from the chain bears a stone magically blessed by the Church."

Unfortunately for the salesman, Kai was an Augmenter. His class of mage channeled magic through their bodies into objects and imbued them with special properties. He felt no magic from the "Church's blessing". Of course there was no way for the man to know about Kai, but it was his mistake to assume he would only meet water mages during the Netyr Festival.

Kai was an expert at capitalizing these kinds of advantages. He put on his best curious face and asked, "How does it work?"

"The magic blessing is a special enchantment that protects one from demons. Its touch repels them."

This was going to be even easier than he thought. "May I have a closer look?"

"Certainly," was the reply, and the salesman gave him one of the necklaces. "This is quite a deal. The price is nothing compared to the invaluable protection of the Light."

Kai gave it true magical appeal as he pretended to appreciate the craftsmanship. He felt a slight drain on his vitality, but nothing the merchant would notice. "Can you demonstrate?"

"Well, er, no. The Light will show you its power only when it is needed. Besides, there are no demons around to show you." The man seemed quite pleased with his explanation as he was handed back the necklace, newly affixed with a weak hex.

The man felt as though the silver of the chain had been resting over a fire. His immediate reaction was to drop the necklace and withdraw his hand, yelping in reflex. 

Kai held back a grin as he decided which of the possible outcomes to this situation he liked best. Eventually he decided, and spoke with mock suspicion, "...The necklace only repels demons, correct sir?"

*****

Guierve of Adamand had the upper hand. Michael was finding it very difficult to keep his footing as another short, intense wave smashed into his lower body, threatening to buckle his knees.

Michael was on the defensive for almost the whole fight. He reacted faster to the opening geyser, and directed the pillar of water toward his foe. Guierve did not move, magically nudging the water to fall to the lake around him.

Water magic was a challenging art; a great amount of finesse was required. Contrary to the belief that water flowed where the mages pleased, water usually traveled where water pleased. It took a much larger amount of energy and concentration to sharply alter the velocity of water than to guide it through a rounded, more fluid path. Its movement could be "persuaded", but the best mages knew that they were guides to the water they controlled, not masters.

It was this feeling for inertia and continuance that separated the skill of Guierve from Michael.

The hometown champion was at the peak of his youth, and possessed a wealth of vitality. The problem was that he spent took much of his energy forcing Guierve's waves back, rather than letting the water deviate slightly and counter attacking.

Kai was quite well-read, and all of these qualities were apparent to him as he walked to where Claire was watching intently.

"Hey," she said. "Finished with your excursion?"

"I'm never actually done," he admitted. "I act when I feel like I have enough information to be successful, but there's always more to learn."

"A wise answer," she said.

He smiled in appreciation of the compliment, and then reached into an inner pocket of his cloak. "I got you something."

From out of the black fabric came one of the necklaces from the Church zealot. It was on the same silver chain as all the others, and cradled a pristine sapphire at the end. It matched her eyes. 

"Oh! Wow, Kai! Thank you," Claire said in surprise. She held the blue gem up to the sun and admired the way it caught the light. Kai admired the way the blue light washed over her face. He was again captivated by her sincere features.

Claire looked back to him with a more playful smile then and said, "I suppose I shouldn't ask how you..."

"I bullied a Church guy," he said. This prompted a small laugh from Claire, who was putting the accessory around her neck.

In truth, Kai had only been with the man for a minute after he had given him the enchanted necklace. The man could not pick up the necklace off the ground, as pain shot through his fingertips every time he tried. Kai had put on his best look of worry and started turning to the nearest city guard. Not wanting to be accused of being a demon, the merchant had said he had felt a wave of the "generosity of the Church", told Kai he could keep the necklace, and hastily scurried off. They would never know, but the man would spend the next three years of his life desperately trying to exorcise the demon he was convinced had inhabited his body.

So now the necklace belonged to Claire, the accessory freed from his hex and replaced with a fairly strong protection charm.

The two had turned their attention back to the fight above the lake, although Claire still glowed with appreciation and held the magically charged sapphire in her fingers.

A few more displays of water magic from Guierve, and Michael was brought to his knees. Water-walking was meant for the feet though, and he fell through the surface. He was left treading water, completely at the mercy of Guierve. This position was one of defeat, and everyone knew it. Michael raised his hands in submission, and Guierve was announced the winner. 

The crowd erupted at the finish and the pair turned to leave. "What now?" Claire asked.

"...Concludes the morning preliminaries. Now I request that all of our victorious competitors join me on the lake." The announcer's voice rang through the crowd.

"I have to figure out the patrols for this city's keep. The Church influence is very present here, so they could be keeping watch on something valuable."

"Could I help some way?"

"Maybe, but I'll be fine on my own for now if you want to explore. You can hold onto the gold in case you need anything."

Before they parted ways again, the sun was blotted out by dark rain clouds.

Claire raised a curious eyebrow. The sky was blue a minute ago. "Is this part of their ceremony?"

"I don't know."

Kai strained his eyes to observe the expressions of those on the lake. They were just as confused as him and Claire. In addition, everyone in the audience was uneasy. For that moment, an unnatural quiet held Netyr Lake, broken only by the scattered murmurs of anxious bystanders.

"What the hell," Kai breathed.

As if on cue, a huge red ring of light flashed into existence onto the glassy surface on the lake, with the announcer at its center. Runes encompassed the outside of the circle, creating a perimeter around those standing on the water. The red signs grew brighter one after another, two seconds at a time.

Shocked cries came from the crowd as they watched from the shore. The water mages inside were frantically trying to break the ring, their torrents of water assailing the barrier.

Kai looked to Claire, hoping she would know something. This wasn't the Church's seal. Claire said, "That's a summoning circle! We need to leave, Kai."

People were rushing in all directions away from the water, terrified by what they did not understand. Kai was inclined to join them, but he was at least going to do something to help those trapped in the circle.

The runes nearly illuminated the full circle, and would be complete in eight seconds. Kai had his amethyst dagger in hand, and taking a deep breath he lined up the throw in his mind.

Just after six seconds, the blade was let through his fingers and hummed through the air toward the host of the fights.

A lot happened in the following moments.

Two seconds passed, and the circle was complete. The red light violently flashed out of existence, creating waves were it had been. All of the festival competitors then fell into the water, save for the host who was standing completely still on the water. After the flash, his skin had burnt off in an otherworldly flame. His long ceremonial robes were left untouched, and would soon only clothe a skeleton of a man after the rest of his flesh was consumed. Ash and cinder permeated the air around him.

A lich had been born.

An instant after the barrier had disappeared, Kai's dagger found its mark in the chest of the standing figure. Regardless of what you are, coming into the world with smoldering flesh and an enchanted dagger in your chest did not put a smile on your face. The skull bore a permanent semblance of a grin, but there was no humor in its eyes.

Had it been an ordinary dagger, the lich would have pulled the blade from its charred remains and went about its day. Kai's enchanted dagger reacted violently with its contact with demonic flesh, causing the blade to shatter with magical earnest. This left a heart-sized crater in the chest of the lich. Needless to say, this did not improve its mood.

The demon let out a scream to burst the ears of a banshee. The unnatural sound made all the water mages in the water reached for their ears, despite their desire to swim away as fast as possible. The noise simultaneously a shriek and a bellow; it was terrifying.

"I am Vyzal. Your city is mine, as will be your hearts," said the lich. His words were uttered in a whisper, yet there was no one inside the walls of Daervik that did not hear him.

After introducing himself to the world, he waved his arm vehemently. A cruel-looking staff materialized in his hand. The length was made of petrified wood, and held a large piece of quartz at the top. Magic swirled within the sphere, some of it leaking through the orb as a dark gray mist.

With a second wave of his arm, tendrils of black magic sailed through the air and arced towards the nearest mage swimming through the water.

"Human! Become as the demons you so hate, so that you may serve me beyond your pathetic capabilities," the lich said.

The black wisps collided with the back of the swimmer. Reia, who had won her preliminary match an hour before Guierve's victory, screamed in terror at the contact. She did not feel pain, but instead a deathly cold along her back. Had despair been tangible, Reia would characterize its touch to that feeling.

The girl choked on her cry as she writhed in the water. The blackness coalesced with her skin, enveloping her body in the cold, desolate feeling.

For a moment she sank under the water, her flailing no longer able to keep her above the surface.

Vyzal swung his staff twice more, releasing the same black magic from the quartz. The motion seemed to drain him though, and he scowled in pain of the large hole in his upper body.

After a few seconds, Reia resurfaced without a touch of black on her skin. 

She was not unchanged, however.

A thin tail flicked behind her now. There was also no expression on her face, however, and she observed the world with empty eyes.

"Your master does permit you to flee," Reia said. The tone in her voice was hollow as she addressed those fleeing the scene.




Mind Over Matter Ch. 02



Most of the mages were running from the shore now, up to only their waists in water. Just then, a riptide pulled several of them back into the lake where Vyzal's black magic was rushing to greet them.

Kai and Claire watched as two more mages were taken under. The two were quite far up one of the market streets now, but that did not stop them from turning their heads in horrified curiosity.

Guards were finally starting to come down the street now, though Kai had little faith in the success of their efforts.

The pair ran to the gates of the city and passed by dozens of citizens trying to evacuate the city. When they got there, they were met by even more people stopped by a blockade of guards.

"What's going on?" Claire couldn't see any reason to trap people in the city.

"It's the Church," Kai said darkly.

"But why? Nothing good will come of making these people stay in the city!"

As the mob began to push in towards the exit, the Church guards leveled their swords with the ground. One spoke up and said, "None shall pass these walls! The lich has corrupted the wills of our people, and we cannot allow their evil bodies to leave Daervik!"

Kai was repulsed by the explanation. "The Church wants to keep the lich in the city, not the people. They're using the possessed as an excuse. If there are no people here for Vyzal to control, he'll likely leave to another city."

"They're using all of these people as bait..."

"There's too many of them to fight," Kai said. As much as he hated the Church, he had to focus on being pragmatic. "We'll have to help them get rid of Vyzal. Stopping him quickly will minimize the amount of people he curses."

Rain was falling heavily now. The sky was so dark with clouds it could have been night.

"Claire, can you manage in a fight?"

"I can hold my own."

"Let's go back then."

*****

Vyzal's bony fingers clutched tightly around his heavy staff. He was quite drained by the summoning that allowed him this body, and the corruptive magic that he cast soon after was no small exertion.

And there was the gap in his chest as well.

He would manage this weakness for now. After all, he had a few powerful water mages doing his bidding.

He had sent the majority of them to eliminate the city officials. The host he possessed also was quite skilled in water magic himself, so he only kept one mage by his side in defense.

"Guards approach," said Guierve. He and the lich stood on the shore now watching the mayhem Vyzal's appearance had caused.

"Kill them," came the simple order.

Guierve then stepped forward. He raised his arms out to his sides slowly. The water behind him rose with his hands as he readied himself for the fight.

When the armored men stepped onto the shore, they were greeted by a rush of water. The force of impact knocked several of them back, crippling their assault. Those that were not hit discontinued their charge, as they would meet the same fate before they got close.

So intent he was on fulfilling his master's orders, Guierve did not see the fireball speeding towards him until it was too late. His torso was immediately set upon by flame, making him stagger until he fell backwards into the water behind him.

"Ah, so they have a mage among them?" Vyzal scanned the area for the source of the flame.

The Church guard stood on top of a roof readying another fireball. He knew the light from casting the spell would draw attention to his location, especially in the rain, but he had his orders.

*****

Kai and Claire saw the outline of the fire mage preparing to cast as they made their way opposite the flow of the crowd.

Daervik was better protected than he thought, but if Vyzal had that mage under his control Kai did not foresee a probable victory.

"Damn it. We have to get to him before the lich does."

The two rushed to the building, not wanting to waste a moment.

*****

The demon that was once Reia was heading towards the fire mage. The old her might have been tired by climbing the flights of stairs so quickly, however fatigue was no longer a factor in her actions; there was only compliance with her master.

It was this motivation that compelled her to reach the roof. She got there soon enough.

She was fast, but not conspicuous. As she stepped on the roof behind the fire mage, she crept as silently as she could. The heavy rain upon the smooth stone masked any sound Reia made striding across the marble, and soon she was right behind the man casting his spell.

She dashed around him when she was ready, and struck him firmly in the stomach. The mage had no time to respond, and crumpled quickly to his knees. The interrupted spell fizzled out of existence in small embers.

The stunned mage could not move to resist as Reia grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back to the stairs. As he gasped for air he feared for what was to come. It came as a shock to him when he was dropped on the ground.

Claire stood between Reia and the stairs, with Kai just a few paces behind.

Reia's tail flit irritably behind her, but her expression remained unreadable. Claire was startled by the lack of emotion on the face in front of her.

"Couldn't we have taken down Vyzal first?"

"We could have tried, but there was no guarantee of his vulnerability. We didn't know where this girl was until now, and I don't think we would have had a chance if they attacked us simultaneously. The only definite was the fire mage, and if the lich got him, there would be no chance for us."

As dire as the situation was, Kai understood the fight between Daervik and Vyzal was more tactical than violent. The lich could not seize the city with his diminished power, so the victor would be decided much like a game of chess. The fire mage was a piece Vyzal had to have.

Rain soaked the roof they stood upon. The mage was still down and would not be a factor. However, Kai peered over the edge of the roof to catch a glimpse of another water mage running up the street and into the door they came through.

Reia spotted Kai's momentary break in eye contact, and reacted instantly. With a skill she did not possess before today, she condensed the rain water behind Kai and pulled it towards her. He was knocked forward by the rush of liquid, just barely catching his fall with his hands.

Having limited the number of standing enemies to one, Reia ran at Claire before Kai could react. The water mage was sure-footed on the slippery surface of the roof, but the succubus had a natural grace about her that was hardly affected by the rain on the ground.

Claire sidestepped Reia's first jab and deflected the following hook with her arm, but was not fast enough to catch a swift kick to her midsection. Claire was knocked back along the wet roof, the air forced from her lungs.

Kai had returned to his feet and darted towards Reia. Recognizing the danger of this man when the dagger appeared in hand, Reia instinctively pulled a wall of water up in front of her. However, Kai had elected another as his target.

The fire mage's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. Fear, not pain, was the last thing he felt before Kai drove a dagger through his heart.

Vyzal's slave stood motionless for a few seconds, trying to process what she should do next. Claire was surprised by Kai's choice of action but she understood what he had done and why. When Kai did not stop running across the roof, she stopped understanding. 

"Trust me," Kai said before he grabbed her body and launched both of them from the roof. While in the air he turned his body over so he was under Claire. The two flew threw a large window in the adjacent building, Kai absorbing most of the energy from the fall into his body.

Staggering to his feet, he helped the shaken Claire stand.

"I don't know if we could beat her, but another mage was coming."

"Uh huh," managed the wide-eyed Claire.

"We should get to Vyzal now. They will probably come for us before returning to him, but we have to escape them first," explained Kai. 

After seeing Reia's reaction when Kai assassinated her target, Kai inferred the nature of the mages' obedience. It was unlikely that they would go back to their master after failing their task, at least not before eliminating the reason for their failure.

Claire had composed herself quickly, and it wasn't long before they were rushing down another flight of stairs. She asked as they ran if Kai was okay after that fall. He told her he would be fine, but the events from last night up until the present were getting to him. He could tolerate pain very well, but there was still only so much his body could take. He had been careful to land on the side of his body opposite of which had received a shower of fragmented sword shards.

He could manage a little while longer. He didn't have much of a choice.

*****

It wasn't long before the two reached the edge of the block where the streets met the lake. The scene that was revealed to them as they stepped out from the soaked streets was a mess of steel and magic. The armored men had formed a wide perimeter around the lich, who had formed a perimeter of mages around himself. Four skilled, demonic water mages fought for their master against the masses of Church and city guards under torrential rain.

Kai felt the need for subtlety was gone, but he was still considering how to approach the situation. The corrupted mages would win if the fight eventually; their unnatural resolved would not be matched. However, they were not without casualties. From around the corner he could see one mage had been dispatched. Guierve's corpse lay on the shore motionless.

From singed skin rose the black magic that had consumed him. It lingered around the body for a moment searching for life, then spiraled through the air to return to Vyzal's staff.

Vyzal felt so weak right now, and he detested having to rely so much on his new slaves to seize the city.

Kai could not see this on the lich's facial expression, for he had none. The way he clutched his staff and the rest of his body language gave it away.

The best way to get rid of a lich was to trap the demon in a magic circle. After the shell was trapped, its soul could be disposed of in a variety of ways. The problem with the undead is that they usually find a way back into the world if only their physical bodies are destroyed.

Another dagger would risk severing the soul from the body, allowing Vyzal the chance to try again. Kai didn't like loose ends, and he concluded taking the staff was the best way to mitigate the demon's power. He could let the city handle a more permanent method of punishment.

"We should just cut through to Vyzal," said Claire from behind him. "He's weak. His mages are distracted, and we have two of them still searching for us."

"I agree."

Kai took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he cleared his mind. 

*****

He saw the chaos of the sand of the lake. He saw the unexhausted water mages repel their tiring enemy. He saw Claire and himself run into the middle of it.

Kai shoved a guard of out his way as they ran toward Vyzal. Seeing a weakness in the circle, he turned toward a tall mage just finishing a spell. As water rushed to the soldiers in front of the man, Kai broke through the mass of armor to throw a dagger at him. Kai retrieved the weapon before the body fell. Claire was right behind him, and nobody stood between him and the lich.

The magic in Vyzal's staff swam violently through the quartz. As Kai dashed toward Vyzal, he knew he didn't have the strength left to protect himself. The lich's black magic shot through the air and enveloped his body immediately.

Kai lost the air in his lungs as if he had just been punched in the stomach. There was excruciating pain, one so violent that would consumed his consciousness. He lost the will to move his legs as the magic took him. He fell to the ground at Vyzal's feet.

The moments before he lost himself, he watched Claire rip the staff from Vyzal's hand. As Kai's vision faded to black, the success of his objective did not supersede the feeling of despair that pervaded his feelings.

*****

Kai shoved a guard out of his way. Against all the logic and rationality he had lived by until this point, he would assume the role of a martyr to save Claire.

Claire, the succubus he just met.

Even as he drew a knife to create an opening in Vyzal's guard, he searched his brain furiously for another way. The water mage fell to the ground, and Kai was left facing Vyzal.

The lich looked at Kai with the two holes in his skull. Then, black magic careened at him. Kai shut his eyes, not wanting to see the end of his sense of self.

The only the pain he felt was that from a forceful push. For a moment Kai did not comprehend what had happened. Then he realized he did not understand Claire as he thought he did.

Kai snapped back to his focus, and dashed through the sand towards Vyzal. The lich scowled, raising his staff to swing at Kai. The amethyst dagger in Kai's hand cut upwards to meet the limb, severing a skeletal hand at the wrist. 

The staff spun deftly through the air, breaking free from the clutches of the disembodied hand.

Time slowed down for Kai as he returned to his analytical nature.

The water mages were turning their attention to him. The guards would strike half of them down as they did. Those that evaded the steel would attempt to kill him.

Vyzal's scream tore through Daervik again, the terrifying sound unsettling even those at the city gates. He would remember Kai.

And then there was Claire, the woman who had taken Kai's place as the black magic's victim. The dark tendrils had caught her on her left shoulder blade and were spreading quickly over the rest of her body.

Tears streamed down her face as the feeling of hopelessness consumed her emotions. The succubus clawed at the sand, as if trying to find something to hold onto before the darkness pulled her away. She found no comfort in the cold, wet sand.

Kai turned to see her clutching desperately to the sapphire he had given her today.

The magic was up to her neck when Vyzal's staff hit the ground. This time, Kai gave no second thought to his actions. 

There was no need for analysis now, just pure emotion and willpower. He hoped his idea would work, and hope was all he had now. Kai scrambled towards where the evil staff lay on the ground. He had no idea what would happen, but he knew what he wanted to happen. He was an Augmenter, and there was a large quartz headstone at the top of the staff.

With all of the will and focus that Kai had developed throughout his life, he began to drain the crystal of its magic.

Normally an Augmenter can only take the magical essence from objects when the magic is stored in the object directly. This way there is a direct transfer between the material and the mage. However, Vyzal's staff shared a unique bond with its magic, so when Kai started to pull from it the staff acted like a vacuum, siphoning all of the darkness through the air and into the quartz.

It was a frightening sight; the corruption in the water mages nearby was violently wrenched from their being, the magic sailing through the air into the crystal in Kai's hands. As the magic was pulled away from them their bodies collapsed limp to the ground, dead. 

Kai couldn't have cared less about the mages falling around him. He was completely focused on taking the blackness from Claire before it consumed her completely. It hadn't yet disappeared behind her alabaster skin, and it was beginning to peel off her body. The sapphire shone with a blue light between her fingers, as if to push away the dark. Eventually, the last remnant of darkness slipped from Claire into the crystal, then into Kai.

Vyzal was livid. He was already enraged by his initial weakness. Now this boy had made him suffer the loss of his hand and seemed to be draining the energy from his staff. As the last whisper of his magic diffused into Kai's hands, he began to summon water forceful enough to break buildings.

Rain continued to fall. The armored men on the beach stood motionless but ready, not knowing what to do with the two strangers that had so suddenly entered the fray. Their appearance seemed to have been in the guards' favor, but it was unclear as to who their allegiance was held. So when Vyzal sent a rush of water so strong it tore through the plate mail of one of their own, they all fell in onto their obvious enemy.

Kai stood up. The exertion had brought him to his knees, but he did not feel anything at the moment. He was sure he would later, but for now he was numb.

What he did feel was resolute. He would take Claire away from here now, and nobody would stand in his way.

He paced over to where Claire lay on the sand, glancing sideways to see how the guards were handling Vyzal. As he walked by the men they felt a cold chill run down their back. At Kai's feet, a shadow darker than the clouds above them extended to the men. When it touched them, a base fear took over their conscious minds, eliciting a variety of reactions from the scared guards.

Vyzal, who was now trapped behind a temporary sealing circle, stared daggers into Kai as he watched the scene.

Kai pulled the hood over his head. As he passed, the shadow receded back into him and the guards blinked in confusion, as if they had just woken up.

One of them turned to Kai as he was picking up Claire and said, "Hey! Where are you going? I don't know what you did with staff just now, but you're under our custody until we can determine you're not a threat to Daervik!"

Kai carried Claire in his arms again, finding comfort in her skin against his.

"I'm leaving this city," spoke Kai. He didn't bother to face the guard before turning to walk up to the streets.

"You'll stay with us until-"

"I said I was leaving. You're afraid I'm a threat to Daervik. Your solution? Keep me inside the city? Makes more sense to let me go, doesn't it?"

"You're not the one with power here, kid!" As the guard spoke, he put his hand on Kai's shoulder to stop him and turn him around.

Now Kai turned around. The eyes that the guard saw startled him. Kai's two eyes were a bright shade of purple, almost luminous under the darkness of the clouds above. But there was something different, apart from his unique eye color. There was darkness in his eyes that caught the man by surprise. The fear returned to the guard and he froze in place.

"This woman and I just saved your city. Now I'm going to leave, and if you try to stop me again, I'll walk over there and let the real threat out of his cage." Kai spoke quietly, making the guard strain to hear him. He raised an eyebrow to make sure he was understood, and the man nodded hastily in acknowledgement. 

Kai walked straight down the street, turning heads as people shuffled to move out of his way. He had an intimidating air about him, and no one stopped him as he pushed past a guard out of the gates.

*****

Claire woke up with a dark cloak over her body.

It was raining still. She shifted around to return feeling to her limbs, and in doing so realized she was sitting with Kai. Her back rested against his chest, and she could feel his heart beat slowly inside him.

"Hi," said Kai. He shivered a little from the cold.

Kai had walked on the road for a little while after leaving Daervik, but then deviated off of the path into the forest. He would not reach another city or town soon, and fatigue wore heavily upon him.

Finding a suitable tree to stay under, he took off his cloak to drape over Claire and sat down. The grass in this area was full and not too wet, but a fire wasn't all that necessary anyway. He rested her body up against his so they could share in each other's warmth. His arms came around her in a way perhaps more meaningful than just for heat. Kai drifted to sleep eventually, and just now woke as Claire moved.




Mind Over Matter Ch. 02



"Hi," said Claire, turning her head up to look at him. She was quite content herself with his arms around her, and it was gentlemanly that he gave up his cloak for her. Then she noticed something.

Kai saw Claire's eyebrows crease into an inquisitive look. He mirrored the look as a question.

"Something about you...There's something different now," Claire responded. As she spoke she turned her body around to ease the strain in her neck.

"I'm not sure what happened. The magic was over you, and absorbing it was the only thing I thought to do," Kai explained quickly.

"Umbra," whispered Claire.

"Hm?"

"The shadow. The lich's magic? That's what it's called. And now it's yours."

"There has to be a cost."

"It's intoxicating..."

"All power is, I was thinking more alo-"

"...To me," Claire finished. Without hesitation she drew herself up on Kai's shoulders and pressed her lips against his.

For the second time, Kai loss himself in the feeling of her touch. He was not so gone as to forget what she was however. 

Kai turned his head away from her to break to kiss, but not without effort. "Claire," he warned.

"It'll be okay," she said. She placed both hands on either side of Kai's face again and continued the kiss that Kai had ended so abruptly.

Kai pressed back involuntarily before pushing her away. "Claire, what are you doing?" Kai was rapidly losing control over the situation, and more notably, himself. He held her back by her arms, and then he noticed it.

Umbra, as Claire had called it, was pooling out from Kai's hand. The shadows seemed to move of their own volition. Fluid in motion yet insubstantial to the touch, it expanded over Claire's arms as it explored her skin.

Kai pulled back his hands reflexively. To Kai's horror, the darkness kept moving on its own. At some points it curled off or ended at a rigid edge, creating a kind of intricate tattoo on her body. Claire purred as the Umbra travelled along her skin.

"Kai, it feels so good," she moaned. She was straddling his thigh now and twisting her hips to stimulate her increasingly wet sex. With nothing impeding her again, Claire resumed her assault on Kai.

Kai was about to reach for a dagger now, but he lost the rest of his will to fight in a final kiss. Closing his eyes he gave himself into the feeling that had haunted him since their first meeting. Normally he would have much more control, but inside him he knew this was something he didn't want to resist. And with Claire's lips over his, her breasts pushing into his chest, and that amazing ass rubbing against his leg, she was irresistible anyway.

When Claire felt Kai truly return the kiss, she moaned her pleasure into his mouth. 

No longer needed them to hold Kai, Claire occupied her hands with the task of stripping Kai. Kai adjusted his posture so his shirt could slip over his head, and he got to work on hastily removing Claire's garments.

Kai eventually opened his eyes as the two caught their breath. Claire's robes were lying on the grass beside them now, and Kai's eyes drank in her naked beauty.

The succubus's body was perfect. Her skin was a soft creamy tone. It contrasted beautifully with her raven hair, with billowed over her shoulders now as she sat up. They flowed over two gorgeous breasts, shaped perfectly and just the right size. Kai learned in moment that they were as soft to the touch as they looked, yet firm so as to keep their beautiful shape. Lower down her body his hand traced, fingers gliding over her flat tummy.

Kai was no longer concerned by the dark shapes that had been growing under her robes. They exposed now, and he could see that the shadow had become quite the design. Both strands had moved up off of her arms and met over her left breast. The tattoo of sorts was now centered over the mound of flesh, spiraling outwards in a variety of curving patterns. Most of these trails flowed down her, following the contours of her elegant body. They ended at different points, with the longest stopping below her navel near the waist.

As Kai's right hand traced down her body, fingers met the black mark. Whenever Kai touched it, it sent waves of pleasure through Claire. This only served to make her lower lips more wet as she hungered for satisfaction. Claire gave a whimper in need.

Kai was also quite ready, as he proved as when slipped off his dark pants. Both of them had to move to accomplish this, and so Claire lay on her back on top of her robes and Kai's cloak. Kai's length slid over Claire's folds as he leaned over her, drawing a breath from her in reaction. 

Kai was directly over Claire now. He saw Claire's face, his version of ideal beauty, smiling at him and nodding encouragingly.

Their hips joined and Claire cried out in pleasure. An intense orgasm instantly washed over her body as Kai filled her, brought upon by the burning ecstasy that was now emanating from the Umbra's mark.

Kai wasn't too far off either as they began to move in rhythm. Her heat was by far the best thing he had ever experienced in his short life, and he was determined to last as long as he could. Nevertheless, it would not be long before he was at his limit. 

Despite his predicament, Kai dearly wanted to please the girl he was with. She bit her lip and moaned as his hands explored her body, fingers tracing over the black lines on her breast that excited her so much.

Still managing to retain an iota of sense, Kai thought to break away for a moment. There was such cognitive dissonance within him he could not give his options enough thought, especially in his current state of bliss. Just before he finished Claire rolled them over so she was on top again. This put her in power and Kai knew there would be no escape now, and he really didn't think he wanted to anyway.

Putting her hands on his chest for support, the succubus raised her hips to finish the job. Plunging down on Kai as fast as she could, she screamed as she came again.

This was too much for Kai and he let loose his seed inside of her, relishing in the feeling only her body could provide.

As Kai's vision gave out, he saw the wings release from Claire's back. She collapsed on top of him, and Kai slipped again into darkness.



Mind Over Matter Ch. 03



Kai felt good. He was alive, and his head was clear. The cool air gave refreshed his senses and he could think with a calm lucidity that had become lost to him in the recent days. He did not miss noticing that he woke up before Claire, meaning that the divine perfection that was her body rested peacefully over him.

Looking up, he saw it had stopped raining. It was also night again, although he wasn't sure how late it was. Deciding it was time to get up, Kai gently rolled over to lay Claire on her back, over her robes. As he collected his pants, Kai took in the three newest additions to Claire's body.  

Succubus wings now protruded from her shoulder blades. They were bat-like in shape, yet leathery to the touch. Kai worried this might be a problem in the future if Claire would further interact with humans. The tail was something he hadn't seen before. It was a long, thin appendage, the same raven color as her hair. The tail looked smooth all throughout its length, and ended in a half-arrow shape so it resembled a point with a triangle tip facing backwards like a barb.

The mark was the last thing he observed. Now that his mind was calm and he actually had a chance to look at it, Kai found its intricate patterns to be quite elegant. Umbra had left a permanent stain on her skin, and Claire's reaction to it when she woke up was a mystery to Kai. She did not seem worried about the shadows earlier, but she was not thinking especially clearly either.

Kai would have questions when she woke up, but for now he had to focus on what to do next. There was the matter of the notoriety he would be beginning to acquire throughout the Church for his actions, something he wasn't sure about how to respond to. Currently, he would have to address the more pressing matter of real shelter and food.

Kai took another look at the sleeping Claire and sighed. He draped his cloak over her again, and began to think things through.

*****

Daervik was struggling to recover from the disaster of Vyzal's appearance. There was no physical damage to the city, but several guards had been killed, as well as all of the water mages the demon had corrupted. After Kai drained the power from Vyzal's staff, the demonic water mages fell to the ground dead.

Humans were societally adverse to all demons. Those faithful to the Church were no different, and one would not have to argue hard that their hatred burned even brighter. There wasn't really a reason for the contempt; it just seemed natural for the ugly, savage imps and goblins to have no place in a world controlled by humans. And the contempt spread to all beings arbitrarily classified as demons by the Church, even when said beings had less of a relation to true hellspawn than a house cat.

Nobody questioned these notions; it was just the way things were. That was the power of the Church's influence.

The Netyr Festival had been cancelled, of course. It had been decided it be was prudent that there should be discussion over how to react to recent events. Galleon had a strong sense of duty, but it was still to his dismay that he was appointed to preside over the meeting the first thing next morning.

*****

Kai sat deep in thought, and only noticed Claire had woken up after she had wrapped her arms around him, her cleavage pressing into Kai's back.

"Hello," said Claire with a smile. She spoke softly into Kai's ear, hot breath enticing his senses, slowly leaning further into him so she could kiss him. Kai turned his head away at the last moment, however. He turned his whole body around to so his back wasn't to her.

"Claire, we should talk a little," he said plainly. When Claire's expression turned to one of worry, he quickly clarified. "It's not like that. I just want to understand."

"Oh," she said as her look softened. "Well, you can ask me anything."

"I appreciate that," said Kai. He took a moment to consider where to start, and the wings that were folded behind the succubus in front of him suggested a starting point.

"You have wings now, or were they always there?"

"How much do you know of my kind?"

"Only what I've read, which isn't much. I'm actually surprised I'm alive right now."

"You...were my first. I was a lesser succubus before, but you've changed me, Kai. Wings and a tail are the symbol of a fully-fledged demon. For my kind, our first feeding is usually the catalyst for this, but we can choose freely to take the life inside us or not. Your seed is enough."

"You don't have horns," Kai observed.

"That's a myth," Claire laughed softly.

"Ah," Kai said. After pausing to think for a moment, he restarted, "Thank you."

"Hm?" Claire tilted her head in question.

"For not killing me."

She smiled at this and gave a slow, single nod. "I wouldn't do that to you, Kai." She glanced at the intricate black markings on her front-left side as she spoke. Her fingers idly traced around the curves of the design while she admired the pattern.

"It doesn't bother you? You called it Umbra?"

"Yes. It's a manifestation of dark magic some strong demons are able to create. It's quite rare, and very potent. It comes in a lot of forms, so there's not much else I can tell you. The power's master decides its potential."

"So what are these markings?"

"I don't know. Judging by Vyzal's use of the Umbra before, I think I could be bound to you in some way."

"That's not what I wanted," Kai said.

"Yes it is, Kai. It's what I want to. I tasted your desire earlier," she blushed. "It was very flattering."

The warm-blooded part of Kai melted as the beautiful demon's complexion flushed a soft tone of red. The side of Kai that lived by logos was beginning to understand now.  

Umbra would be an extension of himself. He remembered now. The unnatural terror he induced in those he wanted out of his way, the pleasure he desperately wanted to give Claire.

He was an Augmenter, one who could channel magic through himself into other things. Now he had new, stronger magic that could affect living things. The possibilities were already consuming his mind.

As he processed these thoughts, he let the magic rise from inside of him. From the center of his left palm came a darkness that seemed to suck light from around it. What he could only describe as a shadow turned to gas rose from his hand.

He glanced up from the magic to see Claire watching in wonder. He collapsed his fingers quickly to form a fist, and the Umbra dissipated like suffocated fire.

There would be another time.

"It's still pretty early in the night. We should be able to get to a town from here. I don't want anyone from Daervik finding us."

"Why not? You saved their city."

"My lifestyle doesn't allow for very much attention. I have to keep my anonymity or the Church will eventually catch up to me, and you as well," Kai explained. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this."

"It was my choice to come with you," Claire said comfortingly. She then added quietly, "I'd follow you anywhere."

*****

Seeing all of the seats in the conference hall filled, Galleon sighed and called the meeting to order. 

He sat at the end of a long, rectangular table and waited as the attention of the room shifted to him.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Lady Carren, Miss Vaers," he acknowledged the two women in the room.

"We're here today to discuss matters concerning our city. We will begin by elaborating upon the events that transpired yesterday after the Netyr Festival match between Guierve and Michael so that we all may have a better understanding of the situation. From there the table will direct the conversation at its discretion, until we are satisfied with our view of the future. My name is Galleon Deven, a knight of the Holy Church. Would anyone like to begin?"

"I've heard it went like this," started a thin, rich-looking man as he leaned forward like a seasoned storyteller. The slim, black jacket he adorned looked to be made of a very expensive material, and he had a clean-shaven goatee. The man was the portrait of middle-aged wealth, if not a little skinny.

Galleon was a bit annoyed by this destruction of the formal setting he had tried to open the conference in.

"The last preliminary fight finishes, and all the victors are asked to walk onto the lake so they could be presented to the city as a whole. Then a huge red ring appears and suddenly we have a lich on our hands."

"Thank you, Matteus," said Galleon, who raised his hand to stop the words. "Summoned lichs need a host; what do we know of the announcer?"

An hour passed as people chimed into the talks, sharing what they knew.

"The woman was touched by the darkness, but the man picked up the demon's staff and drew all the magic back through it into himself. One man in my party tried to stop him, but he was...persuaded not to," said Galleon.

"So then perhaps he could have had a part in the summoning! Allow a lich to breach our walls and force us to retaliate ourselves. Once we had it surrounded, he comes and steals its power. We have a separate report of a man that threw a dagger right before the lich was summoned. This must be the same person, which would also confirm his pre-knowledge of Vyzal's arrival."

"Everyone saw the lich coming, though. The dagger just tells us our cloaked man is a skilled thrower."

"Our fire mage was left on the roof with a fatal knife wound, no? So it's fair to assume he is not on our side."

"And this cloaked man and his companion just walked out of our gates? Nobody tried to stop them?"

It was Lady Carren's turn to speak up. "Nobody wanted to. I was in the crowd by the gates. He was...very intimidating. The air around him felt dangerous."

"Magic?"

"I think so. Nobody said a word as he walked by. The whole event was too unnatural. A man persuades a guard against his arrest, then he simply walks out of the city with a beautiful girl in his arms? It may have even been the lich's magic at work."

"We must find this man. Do you remember his features?"

"To an extent," was the reply.

"Good. Work with an artist so we can publicize his image. A bounty should be placed over his head, dead or alive," other members of the room began to speak again.

"Just alive," Galleon resolved. "We are still unsure of his motives, and I'm not about to be responsible for killing an innocent man, regardless of our questions."

"So that handles part of the situation of our cloaked man and the girl," he continued, "but what of Vyzal? What shall we do with him?"

"What shall we do with him? It should be destroyed immediately! The demon is responsible for the corruption and death of several mages, and should be disposed of as soon as we leave this room!"

"No."

"No?"

"No," repeated the young woman named Arianna Vaers.

Everyone turned their head to look at the woman who had not uttered a word until then. She looked young, not over thirty, and spoke with a quiet voice which had an inflection that demanded the attention of its listeners. She was a beautiful girl with sharp features, but nobody had taken much notice of her until she had opened her mouth. Now the whole room waited for her to continue.

"The Church has plans for the lich. Move him to the keep, and we will take the appropriate actions."

Matteus was slightly angered by this and asked, "Are you saying that Daervik can't take care of its own problems?"

"Are questioning the authority of the Church?"

"Nobody is insinuating anything," Galleon cut in. "Miss Vaers and her company will take Vyzal, unless there is a greater objection."

It was a rhetorical question, of course. No one would stand up to the power of the Church.

"Good," said Arianna. She stood then and said, "That is all I came for. Have the lich moved as soon as possible."

With that she left the room, leaving a stunned conference and a bemused Galleon.

*****

Compared to their morning arrival in Daervik, the small, undistinguished town that they came across during the night was quite plain. The pair spotted the village's torchlight from a short while away, and subsequently found the path leading through the trees and into the town.

To Kai's relief, Claire could hide her demonic features at will. The process was instant and happened without any outward discomfort from Claire. Her wings and tail just disappeared, along with the Umbra that marked her otherwise flawless skin.

Tired, their first order of business was to get a room at the inn and rest. The cheery innkeeper was strangely energetic and was enthusiastic in giving them a room, especially considering the late hour. It was closer to dawn the previous day's dusk.

For the second time that night, Kai and Claire slept in each other's embrace. It was one of the best periods of rest Kai had ever felt, and he and Claire woke up in the morning feeling refreshed. After a warm meal at the inn's bar, the two were ready for the day.

Leaving the gold on the table, Claire took notice of the amount of gold they had remaining and mentioned it to Kai.

Kai was constantly aware of the poor state of his purse. For their stay at the town inn and food for two mouths, he had about enough gold to last for a week at most. He was down on gold before rescuing Claire from the keep she was being held in. Not that given the chance he would opt out of having Claire in his life, of course. The problem was he was a few meals away from being bankrupt.

This town was just too small to attract the attention of the Church, so there would be no keep. Kai would avoid doing menial tasks for a petty salary until it was absolutely necessary. The tavern was always a good source of information, so perhaps he could find satisfactory work there. It became their next destination.

Upon stepping through the door, Kai drew three curious glances from the one occupied table, but nobody spent more than a moment considering the fresh face before returning to their drinks. Things were much different when Claire stepped through the door. The morning drunks were left with wide eyes as the dark haired beauty walked by.

"I guess I'd better get used to that," sighed Kai.

Claire planted a light kiss on Kai's cheek in response, much to the dismay of the other men.

The two took a seat at the bar where they were met promptly by two tall beer glasses. The grizzly man behind the counter asked then, "So what brings two new outsiders through here? It wouldn't be the beer, would it?"

Kai wasn't very into the common practice of addling one's senses with alcohol, but he still knew to take a drink when it was offered. "No reason in particular," said Kai after a nod in thanks and a drink. "We were just passing through the woods and thought we'd stop by for a little while. Maybe earn a little gold before moving on. This is a very cozy town you've got here."

"This beautiful girl is with you?"

"Claire," Claire answered. "Yes, I travelling with Kai."

"Name's Adel. Nice to meet you both. Well then, if you need anything else just call for Lisa over there. She'll get you what you need."

With that, Adel pushed through the door in the back. 

Not a minute passed before the sound of a heavy glass hitting a table rang out from behind them. Shortly after, a man took a seat at the bar next to Claire.

"You didn't say you were with tha' guy, did you?" He gestured at Kai as he would to a dead rat in the street.

Kai glanced sideways toward him, sizing up the man. He stood taller than Kai, and had more raw muscle than him too. However, while Kai was not built as large as him, the cloaked man was still very much in shape and would make up for any lack of pure strength in fighting prowess.

On second thought, he was overanalyzing. Kai wouldn't need to throw any punches.

"Yes, I did. And right now I'd like to share a drink with just him," replied Claire coolly. 

"Well I think you could do better," said the man. Rejection wasn't much of an option for him, as his two friends watched him from their table.

"I don't see anyone else in the room that would be better," Claire said back.

"Knock it off, Samuel," said Lisa. She was familiar with his personality, the pretty blonde having been victim to his advances on multiple occasions. Lisa didn't want this to go any further, especially because he was antagonizing new customers.

"We're jus' talkin', Lisa," he growled.

"Nobody here wants to hear you talk. Go sit down with your two grunts now. If you want to bother Claire again, talk to me first," Kai said. He spoke evenly and dangerously calmly, but his point was delivered clearly to Samuel.

Samuel stood up now. He had been waiting for Kai to talk; he was itching for an excuse to fight.

"What ya say to me?"

"I just wanted you to know how pretty I think you'd look in a dress," Kai said.

This caught Claire off guard a bit. She really hadn't seen Kai like that before. She loved his calm, kind nature, but she couldn't deny being a little turned on by the aggression. Lisa didn't want a brawl in the bar, but she couldn't help raising her eyebrows at the remark.

Samuel, on the other hand, had heard enough. He took four steps forward to slam his palm threateningly in front of Kai, leaning in and snarling.

Kai had already thought through his options and their ramifications, and he had decided he should deal with Samuel to deter him from causing trouble in the future. He brought the beer glass to his lips for a final taste of the liquor before it was inevitably wasted.

"Oh. Did you want some?" asked Kai innocently. He swished the glass in front of Samuel's face, provoking an angered reaction.

Samuel knocked the glass from Kai's hand. As the arm extended in front of Kai's face, a hand shot forward to grab Samuel's wrist. Kai forced the caught arm to continue its momentum far longer than intended, and Samuel was soon at Kai's mercy while Kai held his arm twisted behind him. The glass shattered on the ground shortly after.

The oaf squealed in pain. Kai was still in his seat and had hardly moved, but he was in complete control over the situation. He was causing excruciating pain. This would be enough, he had thought before. But now, while he still had the wrist in his grasp, he thought again.

There was absolutely no doubt in Kai's mind he could break his wrist.

This wasn't Samuel first offense. No, he seemed to have a reputation in the bar. He should be taught a greater lesson. Kai would be happy to teach it. It would be quick and easy.

This hand could be this man's livelihood. What if he couldn't work after this? Sure this guy was a jerk, but did he need to go that far? No, he didn't.

Samuel's cry in pain subsided as his right arm was allowed to twist back into a more natural state. His buddies in the back were relieved. They were all the more startled when the quiet was replaced by a scream in agony. Bone snapped as Kai smashed their friend's wrist against the wooden bar.

He didn't have to, but he did. There was something disturbingly satisfying in the action.

He was no stranger to murder, but that was always impartial. No names, no recognition. If there was someone in his way he would cut them down as was necessary, but this time he made a conscious decision to take an extra step.

As the pained man clutched his broken wrist, the two men in the back got up from their seats and quickly moved to help Samuel. They had no idea about how to go about mending broken bones however, so one of them ran out to find the local health mage while the other stayed with Samuel.

In a fit of rage, the injured man took a wild swing at Kai with his good arm. The attack was deflected, and Kai caught the arm and twisted it at the wrist just as he had with the other side.

Samuel looked into Kai's eyes for the first time. They were a bright purple, brimming with magic. That was uncommon, but not something one wouldn't see through their town once in a while.




Mind Over Matter Ch. 03



There was more, however. A darkness was in his eyes. If the light caught it just right, in the few seconds that Samuel looked into Kai's threatening eyes he saw glimpses of black. A ring, or maybe a streak somewhere. It was an unnatural, deep-seated darkness that did not belong in any man's gaze.

So paralyzed was Samuel that he did not notice the deathly chill that was running up his left arm. When he finally looked down, he saw the same all-consuming darkness seething from Kai's hand where his wrist was held. It was traveling towards his shoulder.

Fear took over and superseded pain.  The man snapped out of his haze and began to flail about wildly. Kai let go this time. As the contact between Kai's hand and Samuel's wrist was broken, the Umbra receded back to Kai.

"What magic is that?!" Samuel demanded to know.

"You should leave," Kai said, moving from his chair. Taking two steps forward sent the terrified customer straight out the door. Lisa would have been upset, but she was willing to make an exception if this stranger put Samuel in his place. The two others stumbled out to follow their friend.

Kai blinked, as if their exit woke up him up from a reverie. As if just realizing what he had done, he turned and quickly apologized to Lisa.

"No, you were just defending her. He needed to be put in his place for once," Lisa sighed. "I do want to know what kind of magic that was though. This town only has a few skilled mages, and the last time they had a quarrel it destroyed two buildings."

"It's not my intention to raze your town," Kai began. Lisa was certainly attractive, and he felt his heart beat through his chest. He observed that the two facts weren't related though. Kai noticed this disjointed pattern in his thought process, and then suddenly felt weak. The strength sapped straight out of his legs, and his knees collapsed.

Claire caught him before he hit the floor. Her alarmed eyes asked a question.

Kai took a few deep breaths. He looked to his side to nod at Claire, letting her know he was okay. Behind her he saw the broken glass and beer on the floor.

He looked up then at the startled Lisa. "I can clean that up," he offered.

*****

Arianna Vaers looked at the wall of light in front of her, imaging the lich that stood behind the veil of magic. Four magic engineers stood apprehensively behind her. 

"Can you diminish the wall so that we may converse?" Arianna inquired. The mages knew better than to mistake her orders as questions, and they stepped up to the platform to follow through.

The strong light in the room dimmed slightly as the engineers raised their hands and focused on weakening the barrier. As the wall became more transparent, everyone began to see the looming figure trapped inside.

Vyzal's eyes were fixated on Arianna. Even while suck behind the wall, the demon was a foreboding presence to be near. Unnerved, one of the mages still had the sense to nod to Arianna to confirm it was done.

They breathed heavily at the exertion of keeping the magic in a lowered state. It fought back with invisible force, much like a pressed spring would struggle to decompress.

After acknowledging the mage, she returned the lich's stare.

After a silent moment she began, "Can you hear me?"

"Burn, human," was Vyzal's response. His voice was muffled slightly by the barrier, but the sound of his voice still grated against their ears. The spite was apparent in his speech.

"You're terribly weak, aren't you? From what I've heard, it took two humans to stop you."

"I could rip the soul from your body."

"Explain to me how you could manage that."

The demon had no answer to this, and continued to stare daggers through the thin magic veil separating them. The four engineers held the barrier but were less than pleased they were tasked with helping Ms. Vaers. She herself did not break eye contact with Vyzal.

"Why are you speaking to me?"

"We have very little use for weak demons. Your contribution to the Light was supposed to have been greater. Now instead of the monstrous power of a lich we were expecting, we've trapped a skeleton not competent enough to fend off two humans," stated Arianna. She held an even tone, but some frustration was apparent in her voice.

Nobody in the keep knew what she was referring to but her.

"The Church...We were aware of his coming to Daervik?" asked one of the mages. As understanding dawned in their minds, their eyes widen with shock.

"Not you, us," responded Arianna. She made it clear that "us" excluded everyone in the room but her. 

Removing a dagger from its sheath, the young woman took the lich's place as the most feared creature in the room. Her eyes followed the steel as it was pulled from the leather, and then looked up at the mage who had spoken.

"Please lower the rest of the barrier," she requested.

"I can't just..."

The dagger was driven through his heart before he could finish his sentence.

The remaining mages were no longer able to support the wall of light by themselves, and the magic seal began to waver.

"W-Why?" asked an engineer. His voice was strained from the effort of trying to sustain the barrier separating humans and demon. As much as they struggled to contain the lich, it would take the effort of four mages to hold the wall. The light held itself when it was rooted to the platform, but it was too unstable in its diminished state.

Cold crept along their skin, raising hairs, indicating the some presence of the demon was slipping through. They would not hold off the lich. A mage looked at another in resignation and spoke his final words, "Light guide us."

With that, he allowed the inevitable to happen. The wall fell, and the engineers dropped to their knees in exhaustion. The room darkened as the sole light source in the room disappeared.

Only the light from behind the door allowed them to see, and their eyes strained to see through the dark.

The moment Vyzal was no longer trapped, the creeping cold in the room became a deathly chill. The heartbeat of the mages rose as the temperature fell.

One turned to look up and saw a hooded skull peering back at him. It would be the last thing he ever.

Vyzal's skeletal hand forcefully grasped the face of his victim, causing blood to pool from every point that his bony fingers pierced his skin. The engineer barely had time to scream before he violently combusted, briefly bathing the room in the orange light cast by large flames.

The brief period of vision gave Arianna enough time to push her dagger through Vyzal to the hilt.

*****

"Usually work here isn't too bad for me. Not all the regulars are like him, and most of the time I enjoy it here. My dream is to study art in a big city like Zyndale though, but for now it's just dream," Lisa said.

Lisa had forgotten all about the fight-if you could call it one-and was grossly engaged in conversation with the mysterious new couple. She quickly found they were just as good talking to as looking at. And she loved looking at them.

Working behind the bar of the tavern had given Lisa experience with many different kinds of people, and she thought herself a good judge of character for it. The two sitting in front of her were unique.

The girl was striking. Lisa could not remember seeing anyone else more beautiful. If she were to guess, she would probably put her between twenty and thirty years old, but there was something in her dazzling blue eyes that spoke of experience and intelligence. Lisa, outgoing by trade, found that even she had trouble making a sentence when those gorgeous eyes looked her way. Fortunately, Claire's gaze usually defaulted to Kai. He's a lucky guy, Lisa thought to herself. She could see by the way Claire looked at him that there was true compassion between them.

Lisa found the young man very attractive. He was fit and handsome, and there was something about his smile that welcomed her to tell Kai all of her secrets. In the back of her mind she knew that she should be wary of his amount of charisma, but that same charm made her ignore the warning. She did notice, however, was that he always gave a tiny pause before he spoke to her. It was hardly noticeable, and definitely not enough to interrupt the flow of the conversation, but it gave her the impression that he chose his words carefully. He was considerate, if not a little enigmatic.

"Zyndale? I grew up in that city," said Kai. "Maybe once you're ready to leave this town Claire and I could show you around."

Lisa laughed at this. "No way. I already owe you for getting rid of Sam."

"Maybe you could help us out and we could call it even?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since we're traveling, we have no steady source of gold. We actually came in looking for work," he explained.

"Oh, I see. Well, I don't think there's much to do around here though. This place is so small everyone just about does what we need. You could ask Adel. He might know better than me."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" inquired Claire.

"Soon, I'd guess. He's rarely out of the bar."

"We can wait, then," Kai responded. Looking to his side he noticed Claire had finished her glass. "How much will this be? We'll pay for the broken glass too."

Lisa told them the price and Claire gave her the gold. Their fingers touched for moment as the coins traded ownership, and Lisa felt a trace of pleasure run up her arm. It was just a subtle glow, but it left the suggestion of greater things. Lisa let out an involuntary sigh, and her soft lips parted slightly. When their hands finally drew away from what was, in actuality, a very brief time, Lisa's head was pleasantly fuzzy and she seemed reluctant to return her arm to her side.

Kai didn't miss many of the details. He looked at Claire with a curious glance and received a mischievous smile in return, a form of silent communication that had developed quickly between them. Kai could only shake his head and smile back.

After returning to casual conversation for a few minutes with a dazed Lisa, Adel walked back in, nearly stepping on a shard of glass they had missed picking up. He bent down to pick it up, but kept his head up to observe the rest of the room.

"There's broken glass on the ground and Sam's gone," Adel stated. He looked down the bar at Kai. "I'm assuming you're the culprit?"

"You're right. I'm sor-"

"You're not bruised. Must've been quick. Nice job," complimented Adel. He put a strong hand on Kai's shoulder as a form of congratulation.

Damn, Kai liked this guy.

"Did they pay yet?" Adel asked Lisa.

"They did."

"Give them their gold back. We can call it a reward bounty."

Lisa was about to return their money, but Kai raised his hand to stop her. "We were actually hoping to earn some money before we passed through."

"You're looking for work? Not much around here for a young couple like yourselves."

"It doesn't have to be conventional. There are no bandits running through your town?"

"A mercenary, are you?"

"We're just travelers."

"Right. Well, we don't have any human trouble outside of some local delinquents."

"You have nonhuman trouble, then?" Kai asked.

"We have a small guild here that takes care of the more dangerous parts of the forest," Adel explained, "but lately there's been a mark that's been giving them trouble. I've had two of them come here last week and drown themselves in beer to mourn a friend. I'm sure they could pay to have an extra sword the next time they're on the hunt."

"Adel, they're probably not even much older than me," said Lisa, clearly concerned he had suggested demon hunting as a source for income.

"Look in his eyes, Lisa. Is that the look of an incompetent man?"

Kai turned to look at her. His piercing purple eyes made her immediately regret what she said.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I meant no offense!" she hastily apologized.

"None taken. We appreciate the concern," Kai assured her. "Thank you for the help. We'll come back some time."

"Sure," replied Adel, who set about cleaning glasses for the next customers.

"It was nice talking with you, Lisa," said Claire as the two stood up to leave.

Adel and Lisa watched as the pair left bar. When they finally were clear of the door, the barkeep glanced sideways at Lisa. He groaned.

"Claire was all over him, Lisa."

"I know," she sighed.

*****

"She was all over you, Kai," Claire said.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"She was pretty. I bet she'd be fun to share a bed with."

Kai blinked. 

"There's the guild," he said.

As they pushed through the door, four pairs of eyes turned to them. Their owners were in various stages of preparation for the next hunt.

The building was a modest wood structure, fitting in perfectly with the rest of the tiny village. The first floor was a single room divided and furnished to accommodate the needs of the individual guild member. A staircase in the corner indicated a second story, bur Kai guessed by the size of the building it couldn't be used for anything more than storage.

"Who are you?" a man asked. He was short and a little stocky, holding an oaken staff that stood slightly taller than him. His eyes glowed with a dim orange light, a magical gaze.

"My name is Kai, and this is Claire. We were passing through your town trying to find temporary work."

"This is a hunter's guild. There's no work for you two here." He clicked the bottom of the staff against the floor on the ground to punctuate his point. A few orange sparks flew briefly from the end of the hard oak.

"We heard you could use some help."

"What could you do for us?"

Kai stepped a little closer to the man, just close enough so the mage could recognize the purple glow from his eyes.

"This party needs no more magic," the mage insisted.

"We're more use to you than a few spells."

"Just the same."

"Let them come," a hooded man interrupted. "If they truly can aid us, they will and we can compensate them. If not, then we will not have lost anything."

Neither Kai nor Claire could see the man's face. A simple brown cloak hid his features. A quiver was slung across his shoulders, and he held a massive long bow in his right hand.

"That sounds fair to me," said the group's only woman. She was tall, and kept an equally tall sword at her side.

"Good! Six is better than four, which is worse than five!" exclaimed the last of the hunting party.

The peculiar man had a foreign complexion which was somewhat noticeable in his speech. His clothes had more pockets on them than he could probably manage to fill. He sat in front of a desk with a plethora of random uprooted plants and ropes and vials.

"Then the majority will have you aid us," the woman stepped forward. "I'm Michelle. The short one is Rob, our archer goes by Arrow, and the one over there is Gull."

Gull looked up from his intense fascination with a flower petal. 

"What do you know of forest demons?" he asked. The petal had vanished from sight, and Gull was now chewing intently.

"I know of them, but not to fine detail. She'll know more than me," Kai said, indicating Claire with his thumb.

"So you're the smart one?" Gull asked.

"No, Kai is," was the answer.

"Beautiful, smart, and modest. Who are you?" Arrow inquired.

"Claire, right?" Michelle said.

He knew that. He was asking for more. "Claire...?"

Claire caught this, but that didn't mean she wanted to tell this stranger anymore. "Claire," she repeated.

Kai had been drawn to Gull's eclectic collection during the exchange.

"Botany is my specialty," Gull explained. He offered Kai a petal, which, after Kai politely declined to take, Gull promptly began chewing on. "Our little village in surrounded by green things. It just makes sense to take advantage of what's around us, right?"

"You're right," Kai agreed. Then, noticing the amount of material that was being packed, he said, "It looks like you're preparing for more than a single day in the field. Could you fill me in on our mark?"

"You're quite observant. It's true, not a single day; a double day. One day out, one night out, one day back. There's some kind of hound out there. Bigger than you or me, and weighs more than you and me. It hunts at night, and we were...less than prepared the last time we saw it. Bad information."

"We heard you lost a comrade."

"You heard true."

"I'm sorry."

Gull only nodded, accepting the sympathy of this cloaked stranger. He felt he could trust this one.

"You should leave and prepare for tomorrow. We leave tomorrow."

There was less confidence in the other side of the room as Kai walked back to return to Claire.

"It was with trust that I vouched for you to join this group. Surely you can tell us about yourself in return," pressed Arrow.

"A trusting man wouldn't ask so many questions," Claire countered. "Why are you so curious?"

"I want to know about the woman who carries no weapon, yet wishes to join a hunting party."

Claire conceded he had a point there.

"Do you cast spells without a staff?" Rob joined in.

"You need to know that we've come to earn some honest coin," Kai interjected. "That involves supporting you four in the field in any way we can, but that doesn't entitle you to know more about us than we want you to know. Claire's just being cautious. If you don't want our help that will always be your choice, but I think you both understand there are things people would rather keep to themselves. Especially you, Arrow." He looked both Rob and Arrow in the eye as he let his words sink in.

"Fair enough," the mage reluctantly said, clicking his staff against the floor before turning away. He mumbled something bitterly in the direction of Michelle, who happened to be watching with interest from her corner.

"Especially me?" Arrow questioned. He faced Kai directly, almost to challenge his words by stance alone. 

Kai looked at the other man's hood, right where Arrow's eyes were. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arrow run his thumb along the pads of his fingers.

A nervous habit. "Especially you."

"Why is that?"

"Do they know?"

A startled expression crossed Arrow's face, though Kai could only see some of his features bend. How did he know? After some hesitation, "They do. I hunt with them, therefore I trust them with the knowledge of what I am. Does this affect our trust, stranger?"

As Arrow asked the last question he drew away the hood covering his face, revealing a clean face and notably pointed ears. Arrow's face was without a doubt that of an elf.

"It doesn't," Kai said. He held out his hand for Arrow to take. "Your people do not deserve the persecution of the Church. She wears their garb, but not out of love."

Arrow accepted the handshake. "Bring some food and something to catch food with. We will meet here at sunrise tomorrow."

*****

Galleon sighed in exhaustion as he watched the old men and women slowly clear out of the room. He looked forward to a quiet room and a hot meal.

Pushing his chair backwards as he stood, he felt the back leg of the chair bump into something.

...Did he see Matteus leave?

"I'd like to speak a bit further about these matters, Galleon."

No. No he did not. Galleon finished standing and reluctantly turned to face his favorite man.

"Matteus, that was a long conference and I'd really like to-"

"I have knowledge that one of the Church keeps was stolen from."

"What?"

"I was told just before this exciting meeting, in fact. Two figures left the keep, then the town. They left a bloody trail, as I've been told. That, among other things."

"And these are the same people as the ones on the lake?"

"I can't say for sure, but the theft of a keep is worthy of your attention, isn't it?"

Galleon shook his head. "Why didn't this information rise while we were in conference?"




Mind Over Matter Ch. 03



"Because I was choosing a partner."

"You were what?"

"You and I are much more capable of investigating this than their collective rabble," he waved dismissively at the door.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'd say that finding this slippery pair would be harder if all we're going to do is put up posters. What happens if some townsfolk find this pair? They're going to arrest them? I don't think so."

"So you want to chase after them, and you want to drag me along with you."

"Well, I was hoping to phrase it more cordially, but yes."

"No."

"Yes," Matteus reaffirmed. "This isn't a shady mission; you may send a message asking for the Church's approval. I have no doubt they will not decline such a respected knight. If you won't, then I can send a message detailing my endeavors and request you join me."

Galleon couldn't believe it, and it showed plainly on his face.

"Oh, don't look so down, it'll be fun!" Matteus stood a little taller after seeing that he had won. "Besides we're doing good, and that's why we're here aren't we?"

Galleon could hardly stand the triumphant smile that was spread wide across his new partner's face.

"See you tomorrow morning?" offered Matteus.

*****

Kai felt better, finally having been able to restore some structure to his life. In just a few hours, he had become familiar with the village, and had an idea of how the next two days should play out. After a light lunch, he and Claire had lazily enjoyed each other's company in the trees just outside of the town.

"How did you know?" Claire had asked.

"Know what?"

"That Arrow was an elf."

"I didn't know until you did. He revealed that to the both of us."

Realization dawned on Claire's mind, and again she was astounded by the intuition of the man she had so recently met, and was already so keenly devoted to. He read Arrow and baited a response from him.

"So what now?" she asked.

"Now, I need to get a few things for tomorrow. It looks like there's still about an hour of sunlight left, so I want to take care of things before dark."

"I'd like to go thank Adel and Lisa again."

Kai nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay, I'll see you back at the inn then?"

Claire gave her beautiful smile in place of a yes, and Kai's heart skipped a beat.

Before the two split up they brought each other into a loving kiss, which turned quickly into a lascivious embrace when Claire's hand traced down Kai's chest and into his pants.

"Come prepared," whispered Claire hotly into Kai's ear. She turned then and innocently headed back off to the bar. Kai looked over his shoulder embarrassed, and breathed a sigh of relief when there was no one in sight.

He would definitely have to make sure she took responsibility for his spike in libido.

*****

Arianna waited impatiently by the street corner she had elected to meet the messenger at. Bored, she could not resist taking another look at magic dagger she had been entrusted with. Carefully drawing the dagger from its leather sheathe, she took the time to appreciate the way the quartz caught the afternoon sun.

The crystal was hardly practical for use against an armored foe, but it was long before man had begun to make steel into sword that they had found magic was more at home in minerals and gems than the ugly metals that were the staple of every soldier's weapon. No, an Augmented set of knives was the kind of jewelry that belonged with this woman. Beautiful and deadly, just like me, she thought.

It couldn't be seen in the sun, but the quartz shone with its own light now. A special dagger given to Arianna for her mission in Daervik, she had to return it to those in power within the Church now that it had performed its task.

Careful to never touch the crystal, she slid it back into its sheath. The messenger had come on horse.

"Miss Vaers?" inquired the man. He put his hand out to accept what he had been sent to receive.

She nodded and asked, "Where is it off to now?"

She placed the precious weapon into the outstretched hand.

"Some small town near here."

"The succubus or the vampire next?"

"I only deliver."

"Then be on your way," Arianna said irritably.

The horseman rode off then, carrying the blade with the essence of a lich.

*****

Lisa was behind the bar cleaning up when Claire returned.

"Closing already?"

"Oh, Claire! Hi," Lisa said. "Yeah, Adel and I have pretty much got the town's drinking schedule down. We clean up earlier today because we don't really expect anyone. Are you here for another drink? Is Kai with you?" she added hopefully.

"No," she laughed, "I just wanted to stop by and thank you again for the help. The guild has agreed to let us go with them tomorrow."

"Oh, that's good news."

"Yeah," Claire agreed. "I'm glad Kai was there. He really smoothed things over."

"You're a lucky girl, Claire."

"Lisa, you're a pretty girl! You couldn't possibly have trouble finding someone."

"I do, though; Kai is already taken," she pouted jokingly.

The two shared a good-natured laugh. Lisa wished then that Claire lived in town. They would have been such good friends.

It was then Claire noticed Adel's absence.

"We clean up on different days. We figured it was just better for only one of us to stay so someone could go home earlier."

"You seem close."

"Yeah, he's like a father to me. He's so good at tending the bar I think he could handle it all by himself. I'm convinced he's letting me keep this job because he knows I need the work."

"Nothing wrong with a pretty face to bring customers, either."

Lisa blushed at the compliment, and picked up the last dirty beer glass. Once she had finished cleaning it, she kept it in her hand and picked up another washed glass.

"Are you free for the day?" Lisa asked.

"Kai's getting everything together for tomorrow."

Lisa smiled and filled the two glasses with golden ale. After walking around the bar, she gave a glass to Claire and they both took a seat next to each other.

"It's been so long since I've had a girl to really talk to," Lisa said.

"I hope Kai won't feel too left out," Claire said. After clinked their glasses together and taking a long drink, she spoke for both of their sakes, "Well, I'm sure he's having fun."

*****

Kai was so horny it took all of his patience to remain focused enough to collect the food and supplies he'd need for the next two days. The one thing on his mind besides that was the hurricane of salacious ideas of things he would do to Claire once he got his hands on her.

"I'll need twine for tonight as well," he told the merchant.

The old man raised his white eyebrows in shock.

"Tomorrow! I'll need it for tomorrow as well," Kai corrected quickly.

The merchant gave him a suspicious look. Kai was embarrassed.

This is so much fun, he thought bitterly.

*****

The air in the bar was rife with the aphrodisiac aura of the succubus. Claire and Lisa were both unaware that the former was corrupting their surroundings with her presence. Its own presence was innocuous, and Lisa's mind interpreted it as a faint, unidentifiable, yet sweet smell. Neither woman consciously noticed it was there. Nevertheless, it was taking effect on Lisa.

The human's body was certainly heating up. Claire had done quite a good job of sneakily closing the gap between her and Lisa. Their arms brushed each other anytime one of them moved, and their legs occasionally bumped when one turned to face the other.

She knew Claire was beautiful when she first saw her, but now that Lisa could see her up close she recognized that her new best friend was downright hot. In every way, the succubus exuded sexuality. From the way her hair cascaded over her to the way she folded her legs, she was enticing model of perfection. She deserved Kai.

Ugh, Kai. She wanted him between her legs so badly right now.

"Lisa?"

Claire's voice snapped her out of her brief daze.

"Huh? Sorry, Claire. What did you say?"

"Have you had too much?" Claire laughed accusingly.

"No no no, I'm fine," Lisa explained, "I just blanked for a second."

"Something you need to tell me?" Claire asked. The demon leaned in closer to prove her concern. She placed her gently on Lisa's thigh for support. "There's something you want to say."

Wow, she was really close. Her lips look so soft...

"Oh, no. Well, I don't know. I guess I'm just jealous of you and Kai. Not you two specifically, but just what you have, you know? I never really realized how much I've wanted someone special in my life until you showed up this morning. I've had a few flings, but no one really serious that I could rely on. I mean, Adel takes care of me and all, but-"

"It's not the same," Claire finished.

Lisa was distraught from the sudden emotional outburst. All of her feelings had suddenly risen to the surface at once, catalyzed by her body's bothered state. She was drunk, too.

When Claire put her arms around her she finally calmed down.

"Lisa..." Claire began. She had never had to comfort someone like this before; she didn't know what to say. Instead, she continued to hug her new friend as she sobbed into her shoulder, soothingly rubbing her back.

"Lisa, you'll find someone. You're still young."

"I just...want someone to take care of me. I have to deal with people like Samuel so often, and you and Kai seem so happy, and..."

"Lisa, we can take care of you," Claire said.

"...What?" Lisa asked, confused.

"We can make you feel better, Kai and I," Claire continued. Her comforting hand on Lisa's leg massaged the skin slowly.

"I don't understand..."

"You don't have to be lonely tonight, Lisa," Claire spoke softly. Her voice had lowered in pitch as well, and was becoming much more sultry in tone. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't have to be lonely...Kai thinks you're very pretty."

That name got her full attention.

"Kai...said that?"

"No," Claire admitted, which was met with look of clear disappointment from Lisa. She went on, "But I know he thinks so."

"He thinks you're pretty too, though. He thinks you're beautiful. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you," Lisa shot back.

This wasn't working. Claire decided it was time for a new approach.

"Lisa, do you think I'm beautiful?" Claire asked.

Her hand was at Lisa's hips now.

"What?" Lisa asked, confused again. She wiped away her tears on one arm and answered, "Yes, of course I do."

"How beautiful?"

Claire's hand continued upward, fingers delicately tracing over the side of Lisa's thin waist.

"Very beautiful," Lisa said slowly.

"So why do you only care about Kai?" Claire said with sadness. She leaned in further as she asked.

The two could feel each other's breath now. Lisa was heavily under her influence now, made like putty with the help of the alcohol she had consumed.

"I-I do care about you, Claire," Lisa managed. It was becoming harder for her to talk as she became more and more entranced by how astoundingly beautiful her friend was.

Her best friend. Her beautiful best friend.

"How...much?" Claire asked very slowly. She was so close now that her last syllable brushed the very edges of their lips against each other.

Lisa inhaled sharply when their lips touched, then froze in place.

Claire didn't breathe at all, wondering if she had just made the whole thing crumble apart. For an endless moment the two just looked at each other in silence.

Lisa crushed her lips against Claire's, and the succubus knew she had won. She would eventually get them back to her shared room with Kai, but she could spare a minute battling Lisa's tongue.

*****

Kai squinted his eyes to see the last sliver of sun barely peeking out from the top of the horizon. He hoped Claire was done chatting with Lisa. He doubted she would go back to the bar to thank them and leave right after.

Kai was glad Claire had fit it with people so easily, but then noticed that he didn't really have reason to worry about her. He didn't know how she lived before she met him. She could have lived with people all her life. He berated himself for dehumanizing Claire that way. 

With no one on the street with him, he let Umbra seethe from his left hand where he found he could best control the newfound magic. Releasing it from inside of him then felt like bringing forth happiness, rage, lust, and several other intense emotions through his hand. He found the more he concentrated, the more he could channel a specific emotion. The one on his mind currently was desire, and it aggressively pushed out most of the other feelings Kai felt he would be able to tap into.

It felt powerful. The experience was foreign; if asked to describe it he would coin it as a physical catharsis. It did not expel the emotions however, but bring them to the surface, amplified and malleable.

Umbra was a very strong magic indeed. It was hard to control when unleashed, so he would have to keep working with it to find the best way to make it tame.

Thanks to Claire though, right now Kai had another part of him that was hard to control when unleashed. Luckily, he knew exactly what the best way to make it tame was.

Kai was pulling his black cloak from his shoulders before he was halfway into the inn.

*****

The two shared an impassioned kiss as Claire pressed her body hungrily into Lisa. The pretty human was pinned against the door, unable to escape from the lusty embrace she had no desire to leave. Both pairs of hands roamed over the other body wanting more and more contact with skin.

The succubus was so good. The taste of her lips, the feel of her skin, the intoxicatingly sweet smell of her hair. Lisa wanted more, needed more of her, and Claire was more than happy to oblige.

Neither woman had done this sort of thing before, but it was with the sexual instinct that could only be possessed by a succubus that Claire fiercely took the lead. It was Lisa who had to break from their fiery kiss, raising her head away from Claire's in an attempt to catch her breath. Claire moved her attention to Lisa's exposed neck instead and resumed kissing, leaving the human to helplessly moan in anticipation of more.

Though she never took time to consciously think about it, Lisa felt patches of pleasure every time those wonderful, soft, succubus lips blessed her skin. It was a foreign sensation, like warmth that spread along her body like ripples in a pond. The more excited Lisa became, the more intense the feeling. She desperately needed her whole body to be wrapped in this feeling.

Claire unlocked the door and pushed quickly through it into her room. Two candles in the corner flickered gently, which had been lit considerately by the innkeeper. The key fell to the floor without a second's thought. Without the door to lean on Lisa took a step backwards to prevent herself from falling, but the mischievous demon took advantage of the momentum to playfully push Lisa further. Surprised and off balance, the blonde girl stumbled until she fell onto the bed. 

Claire quickly joined her, crawling on all fours so her face was directly above Lisa's. Raven hair fell around Lisa's head so that all she could see was Claire's perfect features. Beautiful, sexy, and hungry, her gaze promised pleasure she could never experience elsewhere.

Lisa closed her eyes as the luscious lips fell onto her, and she was again lost in the feel of Claire's silky skin. Her sense of time took a backseat to her sense of touch. The next time she opened her eyes, the demon woman was pulling Lisa's last piece of clothing away from her feet.

Now that Lisa was completely vulnerable, Claire kissed her way up the inside of her prey's leg to her target. The human was breathless as she waited for the contact she desperately needed.

Claire fulfilled this desire.

Lisa bit her lip hard to reduce a scream to a very loud moan. She would die now to have this pleasure be the last thing she felt in life. The succubus had never done this before, but she was a natural. They all were.

Lisa arched her back as passion consumed her. She shut her eyes again to the experience. What was this? She just kept feeling better and better, past the point that she would normally have climaxed. How far could it go? She would lose her mind.

Claire gave a sultry moan and parted from her meal. Lisa opened her eyes in curiosity. Despite how overwhelmed she was, she gave a whimper as the euphoric contact was broken off.

Claire was gone. Lisa was lying on her back, naked, defenseless, and ridiculously horny as she took in the demonic body that was now presented gloriously above her. She saw the wings, tail, and Umbra. The demon's eyes looked absolutely predatory.

Claire sat on top of Lisa with her knees at Lisa's hips, and legs folded to the side. Her palms rested on either side of Lisa's flat stomach, moving to caress the skin. Her tail slid maddeningly slowly between the human's legs, rubbing against her clit and keeping her at the peak of sensitivity.

Lisa was lost in an internal war. She was unable to decide whether it was more important to get off the bed as fast as possible, or to get off as fast as possible. The demon made it no easier to think as her tail continued to slide up and down. The rest of Claire did nothing else but look intently into Lisa's eyes, waiting for what she would do.

Lisa's arms wrapped aggressively around Claire's neck, and the two locked in a kiss again.

"More," panted Lisa. "I...don't...I just need more."

Despite returning Lisa's kiss with fevered willingness, Claire did no more to help push Lisa over the edge. The demon tail simply continued to slide teasingly over and over again, and the human had to do something to extinguish the fire between her legs. 

Frustrated, Lisa's hands broke almost angrily away from Claire so that she could attend to her own body. Claire would not allow this, and grabbed her by the wrists to hold her hands away from her soaked pussy. Wings folded around the two of them completing the trap. All the while the tail paced itself perfectly to hold Lisa just on the edge of the breaking point.

Short moans escaped from Lisa. Under Claire's hold, there was nothing she could do. She was reduced to whimpering, begging for that last bit of stimulation she needed.

"Lisa, what is it?" Claire asked innocently.

"I...I want you. I need you! Claire let me come, please! I can't take this anymore!"

It was then that Kai pushed through the door.

"Claire, we need to-" he started. The scene in front of him stopped him.

"He's here, Lisa," Claire whispered.

"Claire, what is this...?" Kai tried to begin again.

Wings unfurled to reveal two gloriously naked bodies. Lisa, now free, was frozen in place as she found herself sitting on a bed in front of the object of her desire, while wrapped in his lover's embrace.

Claire looked at both of them as they stared stupidly at each other, not knowing what to do. Moving behind Lisa on the bed, she made it quite clear what she meant to happen in the next moment. With her tail, she pulled Lisa's right leg straight and away from her left, giving a clear view of her wet folds to Kai. With the fingers of her right hand, she spread out the labia to expose the entrance. Her left hand snaked under Lisa's arm to fondle a breast, and just to make sure things were set in motion, she gave a long, lecherous lick from the base of Lisa's neck to her chin.

The scene on the bed was any man's greatest wet dream. Claire looked expectantly at Kai now. Why wasn't he...?

Claire noticed then Kai's left hand had curled into a fist, and was shaking as he tried to stop the Umbra from surfacing...

Unfortunately, Lisa had one thing on her mind at this point, and after everything Claire had put her through up until now, she was going to get it. She was still just on the edge, and now that Claire's tail was gone, she needed something to replace it.




Mind Over Matter Ch. 04



No leaf made a sound in the still air of the forest. Moonlight struggled to reach the damp ground under the thick foliage, and the scarce light that was cast let the eye see little more than the silhouettes of old branches. Everyone handled the forest night differently.

Rob was tense, and held his staff tightly and close to his body. Although he was no stranger to things standing above him, the mage could not help feeling small against the tall, imposing shadows around him.

Gull was anxious. Not long ago he would have enjoyed the sight of the woods at night, but that was before life had shown him what it does to the unaware. He missed his old friend, but did not wish to share his fate.

"Don't hold your breath, Rob," advised Michelle. She kept a hand over her sword for comfort. It was often her role to be a strong figure for the two. "Arrow will hear anything come before you. Don't strain your senses."

The elf stood stoically against a large trunk, with keen eyes closed. Though it was elven nature to be less easily excited compared to humans, he understood the danger around him. Determination helped to keep him composed. He would hear the beast come and avenge his human comrade.

Claire lacked the human fear of the dark, and could see well enough at night. While she was not oblivious to the fact that the mark they were hunting posed a threat, if Kai was calm then she trusted she could be as well.

Kai gave no outward sign of fear. He was unmoving as he waited patiently against a tree. With the hood of his cloak pulled over his head, his face was hidden and his figure was hardly discernible from the tree. Had the party been able to see his expression, it would not have given them the impression of a nervous man. Kai had the whole day to talk to the small hunting guild, and was satisfied with what he had learned.

An ambush seemed to be the safest route, as predatory creatures worry less than prey.

"Did you hear that?" Claire asked.

"Yes," Arrow responded, quickly taking the longbow off of his shoulder. It was not unnoticed by him that Claire heard what no else had. "That direction."

The rest of the group turned to look in the direction indicated by Arrow, and readied themselves for what might come through the trees. 

Arrow did not ready his bow.

"It's not moving toward here," he said, relaxing his posture.

"Does it sound like what we're waiting for?" asked Michelle.

"The situation is much different now."

One by one, heads turned to Kai. Sighing internally, he quietly pushed his weight off of the tree and started moving silently toward the direction indicated by Arrow. The rest of the party followed behind.

With practiced carefulness, Kai stepped through the darkness without a sound. It didn't take long before he heard what Arrow and Claire must have. As the group drew closer, it became more apparent that the noises were voices.

Kai, ahead of the group, was the first to notice their garb. 

"Arrow," he whispered, "pull up your hood."

Kai's eyes narrowed as he watched a trio of Church men carrying steel weapons pass in front of him. One held a staff that emitted a dim white light, and the two others kept the standard swords of the Church knight around their waist.

Kai held his palm out behind him in the universal sign for stop. Claire and the rest took a spot behind their nearest tree.

The light seemed to wane further as the Church group moved away. The one holding the staff paused. "Not this way," the man said.

The staff's light intensified as the mage turned slowly towards the six in hiding. White rays illuminated the forest around them. Kai was stuck an equal distance between them and the guild.

"Have Gull speak first," Kai whispered. The humans present could not hear him. "There are only the four of you."

Arrow motioned to Gull to go forward. Gull gave a questioning face and pointed a finger at himself, to which Arrow sternly nodded.

"Hello?" Gull said nervously, stepping out from behind his tree. When he was not immediately attacked, Arrow, Rob, and Michelle followed suit. Claire remained behind.

"What's your business here?" asked one of the swordsmen.

"We're on a hunt for a beast that's caused trouble for our village."

"A demon hound?"

"Something of the like."

"Then our goals are the same. We should work together and be home twice as fast."

Gull opened his mouth to speak, but was unsure of what to say. Instead, he turned around for help. There would be trouble if they found out Arrow wasn't human.

"Of course," said the elf. "This will be safer for both parties if we cooperate."

"Good. The Light will guide us."

The light glowed brighter or dimmed as the Church mage turned. Kai watched the shadows around him elongate and shrink. The spell cast upon the head of the staff was being used to find demons. Since his flight from Daervik, he would prefer to not leave more dead Churchmen in his wake. However, Claire was the closest demon.

The staff's light shined intensely against Claire's tree. The mage, recognizing this, began to stride in the new direction. 

"Is there no other way to find the beast?" inquired Arrow.

The mage continued to follow the light. "What do you mean?" 

"We had encountered it once before. We thought it best to not alert it of our being here this time."

The mage stopped. "How did you intend to find it without a similar spell?"

Arrow could not answer this, so he let the mage continue. Claire watched as the light danced around her and the footsteps of the others grew louder. Kai would know exactly what to do, but she was alone now and she would be seen shortly. She decided the best thing to do was to face them and not be caught around the corner.

Kai crouched in the shadows, ready.

A beautiful woman in white appeared before the hunting party, fully exposed to the staff's light. Everyone was startled. Claire winced against the brightness of the staff's light.

The Church knights were left stunned for longer than the others, so the mage asked first, "What are you doing here, woman?"

None of her demonic features were visible. Were they not ready to accept this beauty was a demon?

"Here, come with us," one knight offered hesitantly. "We can take you back home, you're not safe."

Unbelievable, thought Kai. He relaxed his grip on the dagger.

"Thank you, kind knight," Claire said shyly, to the silent delight of the man. She took a step toward them.

The light grew stronger as the succubus approached.

The mage noticed this change and yelled, "Stop!" 

Kai reaffirmed his grip.

"What are you?"

"What do you mean?" Turning to the knight that had spoken for help she said, "I would like to go home." Her voice and expression was one of distress. The knight was caught in indecision between the sway of Claire's pleading eyes and his superior's will.

The guild party remained silent, at loss for an action to take. The mage stepped forward, pointed his staff accusingly at Claire.

"This magic finds demons." The light brightened further as he shortened the distance between him and her. He stopped only when she had turned her head away from the harsh light.

One knight drew his sword, and upon seeing his comrade the other followed suit.

The light didn't stop growing, though neither Claire nor the mage moved again. The area around them appeared as if it was now the day. This struck the mage as unusual. Had Claire not been distracted, she would have heard the heavy sound of paws swiftly approaching.

Arrow heard it coming, but Kai was the first to react. The hellhound burst through the trees, dangerously intent on destroying the source of the light. The beast was twice the size of a bear, coated in a black fur that seemed to warp the air around it with heat. Kai's first dagger throw missed in underestimation of its speed. They were supposed to surprise it. Now how would they kill it? 

Claire jumped to the ground away to safety, though the mage was not so lucky. The force of the hound's tackle was enough to crush the bones of the man, and his cries of pain were quickly silenced after.

Blood in its jaws now, the beast turned to the knights. One managed to slash the side of its left leg while the other was attacked. Neither man survived much longer.

The hellhound howled ferociously in victory over the dead men, then returned its sight to the mage's staff, still shining bright on the ground.

Michelle used the distraction to lunge at its other left leg. She quickly moved behind the nearest tree to dodge the retaliation. Large pieces of bark flew away from the swipe of its good paw.

Michelle wouldn't avoid their mark for long, and it was a quick bolt of magical force that deterred its next attack. Rob almost regretted it when it turned to face him with blood-red eyes. An arrow caught it in the side and it refocused its attention again.

"Thank you!" Rob yelled.

Arrow ran swiftly between the trees, gracefully navigating the roots that would cause his death if he were to trip. The hellhound was close behind.

"It's your turn to contribute, isn't it Gull?!" Arrow exclaimed to the air.

Kai ran to catch up to Arrow, struggling to keep up with the elf's pace. Claire was right beside him.

A vicious claw caught Arrow first. The rake dug deep against his back, shredding the cloth over him before it was stained with blood. Arrow lost his footing and rolled roughly to the ground.

Luckily, that had satisfied the hellhound for now. It turned to deal with the rest of the party. Kai was the closest one, and he dashed for cover behind the nearest tree.

This had all turned bad so fast. It was obvious now that the group he had followed was completely unprepared. How arrogant could they be to think they could have handled something like this? What the group told Kai was a clear underestimation of the level of threat this beast posed. They were so intent on revenge they didn't stop to think. And of course the Church had once again created problems for his life.

Claire watched with growing fear as Kai stood in the shadow of the tree as the beast moved closer. Umbra pooled invisible around his hand and his arm, invisible in the darkness. 

He hated the Church; its rules, its greed, its lies. The Church had ruined his life. The Church still had more to pay for. 

Umbra seethed angrily about now, reflecting the wrath of its owner.

The hellhound was near now, dashing towards him. "Kai!" screamed Claire. The sound of her voice finally snapped him into motion, and he made a quick move dodging away from the tree a giant claw had felled.

For a brief moment, Kai's purple eyes met the red pupils of the beast. As the Umbra flowed from his body, the hellhound caught a glimpse of the infinite black that surrounded the arm of its prey. Kai recognized something in its eyes he had seen so many times previous: fear. The hellhound was stunned.

Claire saw the opening and moved fast to take it. Kai saw her move and Augmented two daggers. He tossed one to her and threw the other himself; these would pierce the hide with ease. Just as the hound blinked out of its daze, a dagger cut straight into its side. Claire's dagger was quick to follow, and as she drove the dagger into its neck she pulled down sharply to rend as much as she could.

Gull, had been waiting for an opportunity and finally found it with the feral creature reeling in pain and confusion. Turning around his tree a few feet away, he threw a fist of a dark green powder. On contact with the demon's fur the powder sizzled loudly over the howl of pain from the mark. The powder flashed a bright green, and when the light faded a second after large burn marks were left behind.

The hellhound turned again to retaliate. Michelle appeared just in time to slash at its injured hind leg. This time the blade severed the limb. Rob was close behind to deliver a powerful blast of magic. 

The beast would not turn to run, choosing rather to attempt one more kill before its death. It was no longer able to stand however, and fell with a loud thud. It swung a paw pathetically towards Rob who jumped quickly back away. Michelle raised her sword to finally grant their fallen friend vengeance.

Kai was already kneeling beside Arrow. "I'm going to roll you over. I need to see your back," he explained.

"Don't touch me," was the curt response. "All of my blood is already in the ground."

Kai ignored him and gently turned the elf onto his stomach. Arrow was almost right; the red pool that was left under his back was very large.

Kai yelled in the direction of the slain hellhound to call the attention of his party. 

"I can't do much," he said to Arrow. 

"Such inspiring words to hear before my death."

"Don't be dramatic; you'll live."

Kai took out an amethyst dagger. Augmenting it with a healing spell, he pressed the flat side of the blade against the largest wounds. The magic caused Arrow's blood platelets to accelerate, scabbing the wound to stop further blood loss. Tissue repair was beyond Kai's ability.

Kai fell back, drained. They guild had run over now, and could take care of him better. Claire knelt by Kai, concerned. Her presence was soothing.

Kai didn't move for a second to have a moment just looking up at her worried blue eyes. She was so beautiful.

"What was that magic?" Rob asked, snapping him out of his daze.

"Just a small healing spell," Kai said.

"You know I meant the black magic. Michelle and I, we both saw it while we caught up. That's dark stuff. And strong too, powerful enough to make intimidate a hellhound."

"Rob..." Michelle cautioned.

"Arrow wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think he would have if it turned out we'd be chasing demons with demons." The elf in question had slipped into unconsciousness on the forest bed.

Rob lowered the head of his staff to point toward the two. Kai sat up slowly.

"Does it matter?"

"You're a demon, Kai?" Gull asked worriedly.

"That wasn't a confession. But does it matter?" Kai asked again. "We've done nothing but aid you for a fair pay."

"Demons will be the end of this world," Rob said.

"Have we not shown ourselves to be exceptions to your rule?"

Rob said nothing in response but did not lower his staff. Kai felt the anger and frustration begin to build up under his skin. He struggled to keep the Umbra below the surface and not escalate the situation further.

"Explain the mage's light shining on Claire," Rob demanded.

"So you couldn't answer the other question, could you?" noted Kai.

Orange magic sparked from Rob's staff. "Explain!" 

"The hellhound jumped out from behind Claire. Of course the light was shining in her direction. Why are you choosing to fight me over this instead of tending to Arrow?"

Rob wasn't ready to accept the quick response; he didn't expect an explanation and it caught him off guard. When he faltered, Michelle hit the staff out of his hand.

"Why are you doing this?!" she yelled angrily.

"If we saw something from below wandering this forest with twisted horns and a bloodstained battle axe, would we pay it no mind?"

"I don't see their horns!"

"No, you saw worse! That magic is darkness incarnate and-"

"We'll be leaving now if our business is done." Kai was back on his feet.

"You're not getting paid unless you come back with us. Our gold is back at the guild," Rob said.

"Be sure to tend to Arrow," Kai said to Michelle and Gull. Michelle nodded her thanks.

As Kai turned to leave, Rob turned toward his staff in the dirt. Michelle gave him a warning glance, preventing another confrontation. 

Kai felt the eyes of the hunting guild watch as he and Claire disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

"Kai," Claire spoke softly, "I want to see if the Churchmen had anything important on them."

That's right. He had almost forgotten that Claire was with him to learn about her capture. He was deluding himself by thinking that the succubus stayed with him solely out of affection. He was unsure of the prospect that the men would have anything of relevance on them, but he wanted their futures to continue on parallel paths.

"We need coin even more now, too," Claire added.

"Our share is right here." Kai pulled back the cloak around his hip just far enough to reveal and small black bag.

"Rob isn't going to be happy at all," Claire said. She laughed silently, amused by Kai's preemptive actions winning again. 

Kai retrieved his two daggers from the demon carcass. Magic had aided their journey into the thick hide, and he struggled to pull the drained crystal back out.

Having made it back to what remained of the trio of Churchmen, Kai and Claire knelt by the bodies to see what they could find. The weapons were obviously of value, but too obvious to be useful. They could not be sold without raising the question of how they came into the pair's possession. A faint light shone a little ways away, indicating where the mage's staff lay. Without a caster to sustain the spell, the illuminated crystal would soon fade out. Kai drained the small remainder of its power and went to return to Claire.

Claire's search was a little more fruitful. There were a few silver coins on one of the knights, and the bloody mage's corpse kept a torn note on its person. The note described a large demon attacking workers in the forest. A crude map was drawn on the torn paper, with a circle over trees to the left of what appeared to be buildings. 

"I think we're close to another city," Claire said, handing the map to Kai. He had a more difficult time making out the ink in the sparse light of the forest, but he saw enough to agree with Claire's guess.

"Daelor. There's a keep there," Kai recalled.

*****

"Matteus. Where are going?"

"Sir Galleon Deven, which village, town, or city is the closest patch of civilization to our current spot along this dreary dirt road?"

"We should come across a village in a few hours. I'm not aware of its name."

"And what is nearest there?"

"The city of Daelor should be to the east of the surrounding forest."

"Wonderful! We head there. I've heard a great number of compliments praising their food," said Matteus cheerily.

"This isn't a vacation, Matteus. We must find this man, and we will be looking through the village whether or not you enjoy their food."

"My friend, that is what the rabble at the conference would have come up with and I chose you to avoid such manner of people and thinking. If he is at the village, the rabble will find him. If he is not at the village, he may be at Daelor where we will have the opportunity to find him. If he is not at Daelor, then he is away from any possible patch of civilization near us and cannot do harm to any large number of people."

Galleon closed his eyes in exasperation, but did not argue.

"You'll love the food."

*****

"We should stop here for now," said Kai.

The sun would grace the horizon in a few hours. They could continue to the city, but would have to spend the day recovering anyway. It mattered not to Kai where he slept, and he could see Claire's eyes struggling to remain open.

Having left any sort of path before dusk fell, they could rest where they stood. Claire nodded in agreement, and found a suitable tree to lie against. She looked up at Kai expectantly. After pulling off his black cloak he sat to her right. They enjoyed each other's warmth as Kai adjusted into a comfortable position and covered them in all that his cloak could manage.

The eerie silence of the forest was different now. It put them on an island away from everything else around them, and neither Kai nor Claire regarded this notion negatively. Isolation was not foreign to man nor demon, and having someone to share heat with in the quiet night was special to both.

Kai watched the beautiful succubus's chest rise and fall slowly while she rested. She would shift occasionally, brushing up against Kai and nuzzling into his neck. She was perfection.




Mind Over Matter Ch. 04



The few peaceful moments Kai enjoyed with Claire filled him with a feeling of contentment he seldom experienced anymore. He never wanted to leave her, and he dreaded the thought that she may leave him should their paths diverge.

Though a bit unsettled now, Kai was still tired. Just looking down at the lithe form resting on him was soothing, and it was only a few minutes before sleep was ready to welcome him into its arms.

*****

Kai opened his eyes to the feeling of soft lips against his. It was still night. Claire's arms were around his neck as she kissed him tenderly. His eyes closed again to allow his others senses to overcome him. Her lips were soft and warm and comforting. He had no desire to break free of the lock around his neck.

There was so much for him to appreciate. Her intoxicating smell and her smooth skin was familiar now, but just as captivating. The feel of kissing her was different this time however. As Kai move his hands to slowly come around her back, he melted against the passion the succubus conveyed through her touch. It was slow and tender...and loving?

By the time the two finally separated to look into the other's eyes, Kai was wide awake. Claire only smiled sweetly, and gently tilted Kai's head to the side with her hand. He was then taken by the wave of pleasure that cascaded out from where Claire kissed his neck.

Without stopping, she reached to pull off the cloak over Kai's shoulders. Through the haze in his mind Kai was able to recognize she may have trouble with the rest of his clothes, and sat up to help her. He was promptly held down by a firm hand. Claire stopped her advances to look right into his eyes. Kai relaxed back against the tree in submission.

Satisfied, she let a small smile show in victory. Placing her right hand on the neck of Kai's shirt, she slid the open palm down his chest. Kai watched as the fabric appeared to burn away, flameless, behind her slender fingers. She returned to kissing his neck as her hand neared his hips, returning Kai's attention to her. Claire began to leave kisses down the front of his body while the remains of his top disintegrated behind him.

Kai couldn't feel the cold air. His senses could only accommodate Claire. There was no feeling-no world-outside of him and her. There was only the feel of her perfect skin, the lingering taste of her lips, her smell, exquisite curves, and the sound her breath against him. Any discomfort Kai may have felt against the tough bark of the tree was nonexistent. 

Claire had reached his hips. She grinned at him with a confidence that caught Kai off guard. The demon pulled at the waist of his pants now, exposing his desire. Claire took a moment to admire her prize, before gripping the base and sending a wave of pleasure up through Kai.

She had him, and they both knew it. Her attention ignited his lust like nothing else. He had laid with women before, all very attractive in their own way. Kai would trade the sum of his time with them for a minute with Claire. For all of his brilliance and all of his will, he was a slave to her desires. Claire did not rush this moment.

Slowly—excruciatingly so—she began to move her hand up and down. Kai desperately wanted her to increase her torturous pace, but did not move in fear of her stopping altogether.

She looked at him again. Her dazzling blue eyes bore right into him. She was in absolute control. Having seen this understanding in her lover, she rewarded him. Hot breath came over Kai's member as Claire's mouth moved closer. Slowly, she ran her tongue lasciviously up the length of his cock. When she reached the top, her lips pursed into a kiss that engulfed the head in delicious, pleasurable warmth. Without looking down, she continued to take the rest of Kai into her mouth. Kai found euphoria as he slid inside her and into her throat.

When she finally reached the base, Claire purred in satisfaction. The delightful vibrations in her throat were almost too much for Kai to handle. Claire was encouraged when Kai let out a moan of his own, pleased she could elicit proof of her talent. The feeling of sliding out of Claire was just as incredible.

Claire would go on to repeat this motion again and again, with the same deliberate slowness. It was only a few minutes before Kai felt he could no longer hold back. Claire, sensing this, drew her head back.

The succubus got up to place her knees on the outside of Kai's thighs. Dazzling blue eyes came level with striking purple eyes. Without looking down, Claire brought Kai's right hand to her breast. Kai hadn't noticed her discard her clothes. As soon as he touched the soft skin, the Umbra mark appeared along with her black wings and tail. They took nothing away from her beauty.

Kai's member was torturously trapped between his body and Claire's very wet folds. She raised herself up to tease the head, rolling her hips but not letting Kai slip in any farther than she wanted him to.

When it was clear Kai could not take a second more, Claire lifted her hips completely away. Her tail lightly wrapped around his length to hold him directly upright. Smiling devilishly, she leaned it to move towards Kai's ear, kissing his cheek along the way.

"You're mine," she whispered, before suddenly plunging her hips to join Kai in ecstasy.

*****

Kai jolted up from the tree, temporarily blinded while his eyes struggled to adjust to the morning light.

Kai looked around quickly to reorient himself. His sudden movement had woken up Claire, who had shifted to rest against his chest.

The tree was hard against his back. As Kai slowly sat up Claire pulled lightly at his shirt for attention.

"How was your sleep?" she asked.

"It was..." Kai couldn't help but notice the twinkle in her eye.

"Let's get to the city," Claire said. She held a wide smile.

"Okay," Kai agreed after a second.

*****

"I am curious, what do you do this for?" Matteus inquired.

"What do you mean?" Galleon asked back.

"Well, your job certainly seems like a lot of work and you don't seem like the kind of man to take simple pleasure in it."

*****

Claire looked at Kai as he considered his answer.

"The Church destroyed my previous life. I owe them a debt..."

*****

"...A debt of gratitude. The Church saved my life and gave me a purpose."

"Ah, I wonder what great deed has our magnanimous Church done to deserve the loyalty of the noble Galleon! So now you live to serve the Light and defend its followers, is that it?"

*****

"That's why you take from keeps then? It gives you small retribution and the means to continue living."

"Yes."

"Is that what you want? To continue living?"

Kai was caught again by the sudden probing question, and then surprised by his willingness to answer.

"I can't simply die."

"You live in contempt of the Church and seek revenge. You poke and prod at the beast but lack the means to be more than a nuisance. This must wear at you; to live every day and to achieve your goals and yet not accomplish anything at all. You throw yourself at their swords because your life isn't precious to you," Claire said. She paused to settle her thoughts and make sure the pieces had fallen correctly into their place in the puzzle.

"And that's why you saved me on the beach," she concluded, piercing blue eyes looking right into Kai. When he turned to look at her, she frightfully considered she had spoken too much.

"I'm sorry, Kai! I'm grateful of course, I didn't mean-"

"No," Kai interrupted. He stopped walking and Claire did as well.

"I think you may be partly right. I don't believe my life is precious, perhaps. Maybe I'm secretly hoping for danger to grant me death, but that's not why I saved you on the beach."

Claire was only a listener now, intent to hear the reason for his sacrifice.

"No, life is precious," Kai amended. He continued slowly, "I didn't try to save you because I didn't value my life. I tried to save you because I valued yours more."

Claire stood in silence, shocked by Kai's admission and unsure of the breadth of its significance. She could tell by Kai's eyes that he was too.

They were close, they both knew that. Their mutual attraction was obvious and both persons found much to be appreciated below the surface. Physical intimacy was inevitable because of Claire's nature. For all of the speed in which their affection had risen, to what extent had it grown?

Furthermore, what was her purpose? She was a demon in a human world, chasing answers for her capture. How would she find what she was looking for? What would she do if she did?

"Daelor is close," Kai said, motioning back towards the path.

Claire's eyes snapped back up from the sapphire pendant resting between her breasts, Kai's beautiful gift to her.

"Come on, you can admire yourself later," Kai smiled.

*****

"Save your questions for another time."

"And waste this delightfully crisp forest air? It truly does feel great in the lungs," Matteus said. He drew an exaggerated breath to accentuate his point, and then went on. "You're quite interesting, you know. If the Church really was as inspiring as it claimed, all of our knights should be as valorous as you, shouldn't they? They aren't unfortunately, but I suppose that their lackluster traits only makes your armor shine brighter. So something must have happened to you. I just need to find out what it is."

"Could I trade an answer for an hour of quiet?" Galleon suggested.

"No no, I'm having too much fun now. Although, I would very much appreciate you telling me if I am able to ascertain the correct answer. Hmm...Saved your life and gave you a purpose. Were you a smith bored with crafting weapons for others, desiring deeply to wield a sword and shield for yourself before the Church recognized your potential?"

"I was in Zyndale seven years ago."

Galleon earned his hour of quiet.