The Trinket Didn't Work...

It took every single drop of willpower for Killian not to maul Damien right in the street. The gall. How could a single person outside of Cromwell be so single minded and irrational that they would threaten and display intent to harm when being approached by college officials? How could a single person be so dense as to claim they mean no harm while simultaneously summoning a storm and crackling with intent to kill? And if not kill, then harm. Was alluding to the leveling of a peaceful city not violent and delusional?

Did Damien even understand what garbage was coming out of his mouth? Did Damien even understand the position he was in? Did he understand how alarming his claims were? Killian was certain that he wasn't. That the parasitic relationship that Belial had was what made Damien respond so poorly to the situation. That had to be it. Reasonable considering these displays.

Killian stared at what he assumed was Belial's face. Directly into the shining orbs behind the bone mask. Belial, though intimidating, was the least reasonable of the two. A spirit elemental with a temper to match. So far, the only experiences Killian had with elementals were amicable. He had little experience, but he knew they were intensely magical beings, purely made of magical force. Not to be taken lightly.

"I do not infer that you are a pet. Again, insulting my intelligence is not going to help you. Are you not a creature? Perhaps more magically based, but a creature nevertheless. Similarly to how I, too, am a creature."

His voice was not inflecting malevolence or even indifference anymore. Though monotone and uninteresting, Killian spoke with respect. No belittling, no condescension, nothing of the sort. He spoke with authority, but not arrogance.

He really did have a difficult job. But he did put his hands down as soon as Damien had done has he requested. Once the weapon was down, proper negotiation could start.

With a minute narrowing of the eyes, he tuned Mangus into the situation. Her mental response was one of surprise, but Killian didn't flinch at the sudden loud voice in his head.

"Oh my," Magnus said. "You've got a bit of a bruiser on your hands. What happened?"

Killian filtered the whole conversation to Magnus, who hummed with concern.

"So that was what the sudden storm was."

"Yes."

"Have you de-escalated?"

"To the best of my ability. He is irrational. I want to get him to the college but he is aggressive and violent with simple questions and has little regard for civilized conversation. He is a danger to the city."

"I can see that. Invite him to the college."

"He'll deny me."

"Do it, anyway. And if he refuses, he can sleep in the streets. I'm sending James to spread the word about the threat to the inns."

"And if he rampages?"

Magnus hummed. "Let me worry about that. But make sure Cromwell doesn't cross their path. I'm interested in the elemental. It's been a long time since I've seen one constructed of spirit magic."

Killian blinked and sighed. Magnus couldn't have been serious right now. She was making him out to look like an idiot and Killian did not appreciate it. She was going to undermine him and prove Damien's point and the idea of being seen as acting in the wrong boiled his blood. But, he would do as he was told. Because of course he would.

No matter how benign Damien thought he was being, he was out of his damn mind, and Killian would personally drive him out of the city if it came down to it. He was not afraid. Damien was more of a threat than anything else, and Killian was not going to just lay down. Not for some arrogant fool who thought he could just walk into a city and do whatever he wanted. Laws were laws, and they had to be followed.

Damien at least appeared civilized. Whether he was a people-person or not.

As soon as Damien's back was turned, Killian sank into the shadows. He'd stalk unseen and unnoticed until Magnus arrived. He'd remain silent and weigh the risks as he continued. And if he had to, he would immediately appear before Jek's desk and make his request, no matter how it looked from a political stance.

Magnus, the poor woman, was not that far away. As soon as Killian had clued her in, she was on guard. Non-intimidating as she usually was, dressed in a silly looking pointed hat and an official looking cloak. She carried a bag with her containing all sorts of magical items for capture just in case Damien wanted to display again. Graham could thank her later for her service.

That, and she would have to have a serious discussion about a more informed and magical police force when she could. Something a little more immediate than Master Tinks's fanatic ramblings. Though she did have to admit that it was pretty spot on for the elf. Usually his ramblings were a result of not talking to anyone for weeks on end.

Killian led her to Damien and Belial, but she kept her distance. She didn't really stand out. And she was a much more stealthy stalker. She did like to window shop sometimes after all. And James was a fast courier. In the few places she had passed, there were signs of her distributed runes. Wards against all elemental magics. Low level, but it would buy enough time for more assertive action if Damien did go on a rampage.

He would find no hospitality in any of the inns. Magnus was an efficient worker and had already received permission from Graham to give this order despite some of the innkeepers feeling a bit on edge. The description of the person in question was unmistakable and they worried that refusal would result in lost property or worse.

Killian remained hidden, following Damien like a shadow, though not so close as to actually be in Damien's shadow.

"Magnus," Killian whispered. "Do you have experience with spirit elementals?"

"Not as much as I would like."

"What are you planning?"

"Conversation."

"Are you going to make me look like a fool for doing my job?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Killian. You did not overstep any boundaries. He's irrational. But I deal with Cromwell a lot more than you. I can reason with the unreasonable to a certain extent. If that doesn't work, we can try to contain them at the college. And if THAT doesn't work, then we drive them out. Fair?"

"I want to gather a sample of the spirit elemental," Killian replied lowly. "I want to study the properties. Especially because something like this doesn't happen that often."

"And you want to make a ward to repel them."

"That too," Killian admitted. "But not just that."


Magnus finally caught up with the two of them. Oh, stunning. She'd never seen anything quite like that. Poor elf looked tired as all hell. No wonder. He was probably cranky. Unacceptably cranky, but at least she knew how to approach. Killian made a divisive sound in her head and she did her best to pap him on the nose mentally.

It was negotiation time.

"Excuse me! Damien?" Magnus asked. "And Belial, yes? Do you mind if I interrupt for a moment? I've heard that my Deputy has been giving you a bit of trouble. Can we talk? I promise not to take up too much of your time, you look exhausted."

Another divisive sound in the back of her mind, but she closed the connection with Killian, and the sphinx remained in the shadows, passing into Magnus's without a second thought. Typical that she would start like this. How annoying.

Damien

As to be expected, they were being followed. Belial once again perched on Damien's shoulder and whispered low, "We're being followed again, and he's got company."

"Do they look like they're gonna attack?"

"No."

"Then let'em follow," Damien said flatly. "It ain't worth gettin' riled up over anymore. I'm tired, and I want a nap."

Their trip through the streets was uneventful. They had finally, finally, found someone willing to give directions to an inn without peppering them with a barrage of questions. Damien gave his thanks with a tired smile, and followed the directions to a rather small inn. The rates were, mercifully, posted outside. The elf stood outside the door, and pulled out his coin purse and began to count, moving the coins around with his fingers. He'd counted all of them, and...

He was exactly ten coins short.

Ten. Coins. Short.

"Of course," he sighed, face crestfallen and ears drooping. "The food I bought earlier...Bel, I don't have enough for a room."

"That would be your luck," Belial said with a knowing nod. "Shall I go get some coins?"

"We ain't thieves, Bel. There's an alley a way back that looks like it'd be a good place to nap." Damien gave a shrug and worked his way back through the streets. The alley was a dark place, largely empty and unused, and the stone was relatively clean, but certainly not comfortable enough to rest upon.

Staff in hand, eyes focused on the ground, Damien said, "I'm gonna try some of that summoning magic you were tryin' to teach me. I'll get some hay here and it'll be a nice place for a nap." He crouched down, and scrawled some symbols on the ground with chalk in the shape of a rectangle. "Does all this look right to you?"

Belial gave the glyphs a once over, and nodded approvingly. "Yes, everything looks air tight."

"Awesome. Fingers crossed!"

There was a bright glow, and when the magic faded there was a mound of dirt where there should have been hay, and both Belial and Damien stared, completely dumbfounded.

"Your spell should have worked. Everything was right. I don't understand this luck of yours, Damien."

Damien turned and fell back on the mound, lounging lazily atop it like it was the most comfortable thing in the world. "You know, Bel, I really don't care right now. Dirt is better than nothing. Care to keep an eye on things while I take a nap?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Belial said with a sigh, gesturing to the approaching woman with an extremely pointy hat. "Our company has decided to come say hello."

Curse this damn luck of his.

He sat up, eying Magnus with an unreadable expression, and gave a very long, very drawn out sigh. "You're not gonna leave us alone unless I say yes, are you?" He closed his eyes and sighed again. "Alright, alright. Ask away, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer everythin' to your standards, but I'll try."

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Magnus smiled. "That is a very astute observation, my friend. Fortunately for you, you always have the option of not conversing with me, but that won't exactly help you, will it? We both know that. And it's astounding you even made it this far with that attitude."

She set her bag down and squatted in front of Damien, however she was notedly nonviolent. Observations were just that. And the remnants of the spell were lingering. Seemed airtight, and would have worked otherwise, but there was a pile of dirt between Damien and the cobblestone. Which was almost funny in a sense.

"My name is Magnus Septirious. I am the Head of Security at the mage's college and you've been a naughty boy, Damien. As much as I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt, i'm afraid that I can't. But that doesn't mean we can't talk.

"Of course unless you don't want to. You always have that option, but I need to express the severity of your situation, even if you want to argue with me. Which is okay. Feel free to do so."

Killian chuffed from the shadows. This was absolutely ridiculous, but his previous divisive sounds had evaporated and though he wanted to appear physically, he was content with sitting this one out, even though there were a multitude of things he could say. It didn't matter how Damien tried to wriggle around in this situation like a pathetic fool, there was no denying his foolishness.

Magnus ignored Killian's scoff and pressed her fingers together. This was delicate. Her observations so far were less than what Killian had even though he shared the events through their mental link. But she had her concerns. Clearly Damien lacked proper magical training to any extent. And had absolutely terrible luck. It was a wonder he was able to make it so far into the city with as bad a charm as he had.

If this luck was even the result of a charm. Perhaps a curse? Nevertheless it was interesting and even without a mental link, she could feel how badly Killian wanted to study the phenomenon.

"Before you get defensive, allow me to explain. Like I said, I won't be taking too much of your time." She settled a little more. "You were being followed because you have entered the city and created an environment where the common citizen was concerned. You appear to have a demon attached to your hair, but please do not take offense that the common non-magical citizen is not as well versed in spirit elementals. Surely, you should know this. You seem like this happens pretty often."

Killian rolled his eyes. By the gods, Magnus.

"My Deputy, Killian, was alerted to your presences. Again, can't really blame him, can you? He's got a job to do because I am a very busy woman and trust that he will not make an ill informed decision. Regardless of your intentions, or how you feel people should treat you - and you are correct - please try to understand what a non-magical being thinks when they see your beautiful companion attached to you.

"I'm here to alleviate some of the stress. You look tired and I can offer you a place to sleep only at the college, unfortunately, as I don't have an actual house. Married to the job. Would you be willing? The street is no place for private conversation."

Killian tapped into Magnus's mind, venom dripping in his voice. "How noble of you."

"Hush, you."

Damien

"Pleasure to meet you, missus," Damien said with a voice so low it sounded like a grumble. His ears turned red when Magnus crouched to examine his handiwork with the spell. They probably thought him some sort of incompetent magical fool. Wasn't his fault he had bad luck. If he could, he'd get rid of it, but that meant knowing what caused it in the first place.

He listened to Magnus talk, propping his chin on his hands. She sure liked to talk a lot, and made a lot of presumptions. At least she was nicer than Killian, at least. Albeit a little patronizing. Belial, on the other hand, ate up her compliments.

"Oh, I like this one," he said, crooning. "She knows how to properly speak to someone of my standing."

"Before I accept your offer, I gotta make one thing clear," said the elf with a sigh. "I don't like bein' patronized, and I been to a lot of cities and towns. Yeah people stare, but I ain't ever been stalked and followed by authorities like I've been here. Even in human cities. Their guards left me alone, since I wasn't causin' no trouble. Just lookin' for some food to eat and a place to sleep that ain't under a tree. Now when I been followed in those places, it's by people who wanna hurt me. So, imagine from my point of view, I come to a city where I ain't doin' nothin' wrong, and I get stalked.

Yeah, I took a defensive stance, but I didn't move. I didn't make a move to attack, only defend. I don't appreciate being treated like a bad guy for being prepared to defend myself, or for just mindin' my own business."

He sighed again, and reached down to grab his staff, which he used to balance himself as he rose to stand. "I still don't trust any of you, and I gotta know that I'm free to leave your college at any time. Bel and I don't take too kindly to being imprisoned--not that I ever been in prison, mind you." The comment was barbed, and aimed at Killian, who he could sense somewhere nearby. He couldn't pinpoint where, but Damien knew he was close by. He seemed to be this woman's pet, and the irony was rich. "I also got no control over Bel. He's his own master, and does what he wants. We clear on that, missus?"

Belial gave a wave of an ethereal hand, and the pile of dirt on which Damien stood vanished, and the elf dug the pointed end of his staff into the ground to remain balanced. "He's absolutely right, you know. No one controls me. I'm only here because I have to be."

Damien gave a reaffirming nod as he said, "Now do we have your word that we can leave at any time, missus?"

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Magnus absorbed that information. Very clearly, other cities and towns were not up to security standards. Another message would likely have to be sent out by her hand. If this was the first time Damien was ever coming across a situation like this, that could only mean there was a severe lack of authority in other settlements. She wondered if there were no reports floating around because instead of just displaying his magic for show, he actually killed people and others were too afraid to retaliate. Especially non-mages.

That would be another investigation for another day. Sending Killian out that far wouldn't bode well for college defenses right now.

Needless to say, Magnus didn't trust Damien in the slightest. Killian was almost jealous of her ability to tout her diplomacy while simultaneously lying through her fucking teeth as she intended to contain Damien. Whether she was actually going to go through with it was a mystery even to Killian while he probed her mind for the scraps of information she was leaving for him. Killian would have praised her deviousness if he wasn't pissed at her for undermining him.

"Oh, I am flattered," Magnus said to Belial. "I am a curious one and I would never turn down an opportunity to learn about someone like you or your partner. I extended the highest apologies on behalf of the mage's college, and I would be honored if you would enter our facilities. In fact, I think a meal will be served by the time we get there.

"Though, if there is a specific type of food you require," again, to Belial, "it might take a little longer, but you will accommodated."

Magnus stretched as she stood. She wasn't going to need her bag after all. Good thing, too, because Graham wouldn't have liked a sinkhole in the public square.

"I assure you, Damien, you will have every freedom afforded to a magic user in this city. In fact, based on Belial's statement, I might even know a mage who could help you two. It seems you are bound to each other through some kind of advanced magic, correct? Forgive my assumptions if they are incorrect. I'm working with a limited scope.

"Killian, too, but I don't know where he's gotten off to."

Damien

Yeah, Damien didn't trust this woman. She was polite, but he could sense something about her, perhaps her own distrust of him? Why did being a mage have to be so damn complicated. But as long as they were free to leave at their discretion, Damien supposed there was no harm in tagging along to the college if it meant having a roof over his head and a soft bed under his body.

His stomach gave a gurgling rumble, and he rested a hand over his stomach. "A decent hot meal would be nice," he admitted with a sigh.

"Plus if there's really someone who can help separate us, that'd be great. I don't want to spend the rest of my life stuck to Bel. Sorry, Bel." He gave a shrug.

"None taken," replied the elemental. "The feeling is rather mutual, no matter how amusing you are." He turned his attention to Magnus and continued, "I don't need food. Like the rest of my kind I sustain myself by absorbing my element. In my case, I simply sustain myself with the latent magic present in all things around us, from the earth to the air to the very plants around us."

Damien strapped the staff to his back and gave Magnus a nod. "We'll go with you, just...no blood stuff. I don't like the sight of blood. It needs to stay inside the body, yeah?" The elf kicked at a loose stone with his boot, jostling it around a bit before stepping out of the alley. "And I might as well tell you more about how Bel an' I got stuck together, 'cause maybe it'll help you figure out who best to send us to."

"Oh, it's a good story." Belial interjected.

"So the magic I'm most skilled with is necromancy. I like raising animals--things like deer or cats or the occasional dragon. I don't like raising humanoids. Feels wrong to bother them?" He gave a shrug, not exactly wanting to get into a debate on the ethics and morality of necromancy. "And I find the remains of an elemental, real real young one, around three-hundred years ago. Anyways, the elemental had just faded out recently, since I can feel the fire magic still lingering around. So I figure, why not? I can raise a dragon, maybe I can raise an elemental, yeah?" He gave a dramatic shrug, gesturing with his hands as he said, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"A lot, apparently."

Ignoring Belial's jape, he continued, "So I cast my spell and the next thing I know I'm staring at the sky, contorted like some sort of drunken sod that can't hold his liquor, and it's bright white even though it's the dead of night. So I got this funny feelin' in my head. Not like in in my head, but, you know, in my hair? And that's when I find Belial, quite literally in my hair, and try as we might I ain't found the magic to get him out."

It was now Belial's turn to add in, "Now imagine my surprise when I'm minding my own business and suddenly I'm bound to a mortal and I can't remember much of anything except my own name and that I'm fairly certain I wasn't dead prior to this encounter. I'm still trying to figure out how he did it, because no mage, man or beast, has ever managed to contain me." This was said with a hint of ice and venom, clearly a point of contention between the two.

"I said I was sorry," Damien grumbled. "And it ain't like you're a peach, either, mister high-and-mighty."

"Only because I am."

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"That's quite the story," Magnus said thoughtfully as they made their way to the college. "I've never heard of such a thing before. Extraordinary."

Killian scoffed loudly in her head, but she pushed his mental presence out. She had to focus on Damien and Belial for now and she wasn't going to be distracted by a bitter cub. Not when she had to perfectly handle the situation. Even if it ended in failure to capture, so long as no one was hurt, that was a victory.

She did, however, chuckle at Damien's request. "I didn't think blood magic was still popular. I assure you, none of the nonsense here. The Mage's College deals with elemental magics only. Though I will admit, we have very few who deal with magic of the spiritual persuasion. If they are out in the field, I know a couple arcane mages who would be happy to look you both over. No blood."

It wasn't entirely true that the Mage's College didn't deal in blood magic, but there were no records and anybody who was unfortunate wnough to learn about it wouldn't exactly leave in the same state of which they came. She really hoped it would actually have to come down to that. She had only been given on opportunity to tap the blood mages for information - for anything - and she wasn't going to use it to figure out what Belial and Damien were.

With Magnus accompanying Damien and Belial, very few people looked at them so readily. Those who stared were mostly children who though Belial was the coolest thing they had ever seen in their young lives. Not every day you saw an elemental creature attached to hair. They pointed, but they were in awe. An elf with a cool demon thing? That was totally wicked.

So the kids say these days.

The way to the Mage's College was long winded, purposefully so Killian could gather more information from the shadows. Gait, posture, stride lengths and other such measurements. Belial was harder to measure, mostly because there wasn't a clear way to tell where Damien ended and where Belial began. Or was it the other way around?

As the bridge into the college rose under their feet, Magnus had to stop Damien.

"You've never been here before, correct?" she asked. "Because there is something you should know about new visitors to the college. Everybody has to go through it, but if you've never passed through a ward before, it might be a little jarring."

Killian appeared from behind Magnus and blinked at Damien.

"The college is protected by a special kind of ward," Killian explained. "A ward that is different from the ones around the city, even if you came through teleportation, you might have felt it. Slight pressure in the head, light feeling in the body. Some experience nausea or headaches. It's a normal process of traveling to Yfrelo."

He reached out and tapped where the ward was with a smear of magic oozing from his fingertip. A section of the ward became visible. If one looked close enough, there were tiny hexagons connected to each other that spread up and around until the area that showed disappeared into nothingness.

"The college's wards are much stronger than the city's wards. It has to deal with all manner of magical creatures and humanoids all day. To a newcomer, you'll feel like you are being pushed away, or that the ward is tearing something away from you, but that is normal. Feel free to turn around and leave."

That last bit sounded like a request. Magnus hushed him with a dismissive wave of her hand and he fell silent, eyes narrowed and lips in a thin line.

"It doesn't hurt, but if you feel dizzy, that's normal. It wears off shortly after you pass through it. Easy." She smiled warmly. "We'll get you fed as soon as you pass through."

But a little more magical information wouldn't be a bad byproduct as well. Killian was already prepared to pull what he could from the ward once Damien and Belial were out of sight.

Damien

At least the trip through the city was uneventful. Damien had waved shyly at the kids while Belial created colorful sparks of magic that danced between his hands. The elf slouched as they continued along a winding path that was in no way at all headed straight for the college. It didn't take him long to figure out why, but Damien was tired. Tired of fighting the inevitable, tired of being studied, tired of being tired.

He leaned forward to view the barrier, leaning on his staff for support. "It's beautiful," he mused to himself. "Ain't never seen a ward like it before." Of course, most other cities and towns didn't have mages running the show. It was no surprise.

He tapped at the ward to view it once more, pale blue eyes scanning it to soak up every detail visible. Passing through the ward would would give him more insight into the ward's structure, if he was lucky (ha!).

"Well, as long as it ain't gonna hurt me or Bel..." Damien gave a shrug and stood up straight. "I'm gonna hold you to the promise of a meal, though." With another shrug, he stepped forward.

Oh.

Killian wasn't lying about the ward pushing him back. It certainly wasn't the most welcome of feelings, and most definitely not a way to welcome anyone to the college. It felt rather like walking through jello, only the jello was thicker, viscous, and icy. Crackles of magic bloomed against his skin, pushing him back as he fought his way through the ward, but Damien wasn't going to give that smug prick the satisfaction of watching him get pushed out.He'd get through, even if only by his sheer stubborn willpower.

His head was throbbing now, and Damien could feel his insides churn. The elf's pale grey skin tinged green, growing clammy under the ward's influence. With a final push, he was through, and Damien took a breath of relief...

...before doubling over and dry heaving.

Were it not for his staff, which he clutched tightly with both hands, the elf might very well have collapsed on the spot. Throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea... Never again. That fucking ward was intense, and he didn't even gain any insight about it. Just his luck. But he was through. Turning around, still braced by his staff, he gave Belial a thumbs up. His hair had increased in length, and led through the ward to where Belial waited on the other side.

"You look terrible, Damien," the spirit said with what could only be described as a frown. "You're positively green."

The look he received from Damien could only be described as the face made by someone who had smelled something awful, and Belial chortled as the elf once again dry heaved. "Just watch. I'll show you how it's done."

As he moved forward, the strands of Damien's hair shortened. Belial entered the ward, and unlike the elf, he moved through it effortlessly. The ward's magic was absorbed by the elemental, creating a distorted void of emptiness directly around him. Gliding over to Damien, patting his stomach. "An unexpected meal. I hope I didn't damage your ward."

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Killian watched as Damien struggled through the ward. It seemed much less willing to let him through, curiously enough. There was some kind of tainted magical aspect about Damien, but Killian wasn't going to work that angle until later, when he had a little more time for research. The ward didn't usually repel this strongly.

But he couldn't help but feel a little smug that Damien reacted so negatively. His face didn't reflect that, but he was absolutely enjoying Damien's physical response. It was still interesting. There was something worth repelling. Good.

The ward disappearing as Belial passed through was just as interesting, if not more so. The ward faded and opened completely around Belial, leaving a hole in it's wake. The edges tapered and frayed and the visual hexagons vanished as Killian's magic faded as well. He would fix it as soon as he was able to gather information from it. No matter how small, there had to be a foreign magic mingling with the edges. The ward wasn't knitting itself back together automatically.

"It will not happen again," Killian replied. That was a promise.

Magnus grinned and approached Damien to rub his back gently. "See? Not so bad, there there."

"Magnus, will you at least explain your logic?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Killian. I have to focus on the task at hand. Gather your information and then meet me in the dining hall. Though he might want to sleep instead. The ward affected him a lot more than it was supposed to."

"There's something wrong with his internal workings as far as his magic is concerned. There is no other reason for the ward to push him back this hard."

"Interesting..."

Magnus looked at Belial carefully. "Ah, so I guess you did end up getting a meal, even if it was unexpected. Incredible. Is Damien going to be okay? He seems a bit more worse for wear. I suppose you've never come across a ward like this before, have you? Anywhere at all?"

It reminded her of her first ever encounter with a ward in general. She'd had a similar reaction, but only for the first time she'd ever passed through in her whole life. When she was a child. It was hard to believe that Damien would have never encountered a ward ever. Too unlikely even. Most settlements with any manner of dedicated mage population had some kind of protective barrier.

"Let's get you inside and to some water."

She hooked her arm with Damien's and half carried, half dragged him across the rest of the bridge. He'd probably need some water, poor thing.

Damien

"I ain't ever encountered a ward like this before, missus," Damien said with a groan as he found himself arm in arm with Magnus being dragged across the bridge. "Wards in general? Yeah, we had 'em back him when I was a kid, but usually they're not this...strong." He gave a weak gesture. "I don't often come across wards much anymore, not since gettin' kicked out of my home."

That sounded worse than he intended.

He quickly added on, "I didn't do nothin' bad, mind you. I'm a Tume. We ain't supposed to have light magic, well guess who's got light magic." His tone was flat, much like his unreadable expression. With an outstretched hand, the elf summon little orbs of light to dance around his fingers, which faded quickly in his present state. "Threw me out in the middle of the night an' told me to never come back. So I didn't. This is probably the first city we've been to in maybe fifty years? M'not much for people anymore..."

"You talk too much, Damien," cooed Belial, perching on Damien's opposite shoulder. "Shut up and rest, you big idiot."

With a nod from Damien, the spirit turned his attention once again to Magnus. "Again, I'm terribly sorry about your ward. It's hard to predict how I'll affect such things. With weaker wards I can usually slip through with no damage, but this ward felt a bit more...invasive?" He gave a shrug. "So, do tell us about your college. This is the first place like it I've ever visited."

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