A Painful Lesson

[Miro]

49th day of Winter, 513 AV

Miro lurked alone in the docks this night for a very simple reason. Life in Ravok was a free and full of reward. If one were to put in a little time and effort there were many ways to reap easy reward. The best part of the city were the people. So many of them so privileged, and so many so easily forgotten. It was the latter sort that caught the eye of the undead, for he could use them as magical subjects. Lately he had a craving for some dark magic. The kind that usually ran the cost of a human life.

This part of the docks at this time of night, it was not a safe place. This was were many of the unwanted races and those without papers came to get into trouble. It was a likely place to be attacked, but a place to easily find those who would not be missed. Surprisingly the each back alley was deserted and none made an attempt on the wizard that hobbled through. It was only a matter of time though. Not a night went by without the lurkers looking to make a quick bit of coin.

Ender scanned the scenery with great attention to detail, but it just seemed that the night was still. "Perhaps this is not the night to find anyone. Maybe for some reason they have all gathered, or even have fled. Perhaps you have been found out." The Irylid doubted the empty streets would turn out results, but the Chained One would not give up so easily. "I am sure that isn't it. There is somebody around here somewhere. They are just worthy prey in this tense hunt."

After half a bell more had passed even Miro began to have his doubts. It was not as if he minded the time lost, but more the disappointment of a failure. He had been itching to satisfy his need to dominate for a while. Maybe even to snack on his victim's flesh, if they looked juicy at least. No, the undead needed this, he had let himself lust at a chance to satisfy himself. Already he knew what magical torment he had in mind for any unlucky enough to finally be found. First Leeching to punish their soul, then Hypnotism to torment their mind, and finally the Flux to break their body. A perfect domination.

The wizard drifted from one alley to another until finally he heard something. The noise was soft at first, but grew stronger the further in he went. What made such a sound, he did not know, but his curiosity drew him in. The eerie moan drifted nearer still in an awkward echo. From around a corner burst forth its source, a woman draped in a cloak. She awkwardly stumbled toward the undead and made her way near to him. Her face was swollen from crying and cried out in a raw voice at him. The words were inaudible and the woman continued to staggered onward.

Miro had no idea what to make of this situation. It was quite the disappointment to find somebody in this state. He wanted to bring somebody who was on top of the world tumbling down to their death. This was somebody already at the bottom. They already looked torture, and it seemed as if death might be welcomed at this point. The woman was holding her cloak closed with her hand inside, but Ender noticed something. He saw blood drip from her arm, and the sheen of a blade. The Familiar felt a jolt of panic that his master picked up on. The bleeding woman jumped at Miro with a knife and attempted to stab him in the neck.

The wizard reacted quickly by focusing his Djed to cause a redirection of the Flux. He concentrated on the pathways in his legs and flowed Djed through his core and into his right arm. The surge of strength allowed him to move his hand quickly and effectively to catch the oncoming blade and halt its advance. He gripped the woman by her arm tightly as she began to push down with both hands. On her face was just desperation, and finally the wizard caught glimpse of her uncloaked arm. It was covered in wounds and blood, and it seemed that other spots of her body had suffered similar wounds.

The woman had some seemingly self-inflicted slash wounds on her wrist, and nasty tears in her flesh that could only be attributed to severe overgiving. Miro released the redirection, but with her diminished strength and small stature, the assailant could not land a strike. She dropped the blade and fell to the ground in defeat. Again the wizard heard her sob and watched as she clenched her limbs against her body in an attempt to keep her blood from escaping. If this dying woman was a wizard as well, perhaps she was worth saving then.

Miro knelt down and spoke to her in a plain voice. "You are nearly dead, huh? I wonder what kind of magic you were casting to do this to your body. That's the kind of overgiving that kills. I can try to save you, if you will reward me. You're going to teach me all you know about magic to thank me for saving you." He grinned and he looked down at the woman who attempted to stop her cries of pain. Her voice was raspy and broken, but words could barely be made out. "You can save me, and I will tell you all I know. Cutting myself isn't slowing it down anymore, I need to cut you."

The woman grabbed the knife, but Miro held her wrist down. "Please, just listen. Save me. I just need to cut you. Just a cut, it's all I need." The undead was unsettled by this, but figured that the request was simple enough. However Ender could not agree with such a request. He could not see how such a thing could save her. "Do not let her damage us. Her mind is obviously overgiven to madness." But Miro was lost to his other craving, that of power. The wizard lifted his hand, opened his robe and lifted his shirt to reveal dry flesh.

"You may cut me, but do not try anything more. I have dealt with much worse, and you have left me curious. After I save you, I want you to answer all of my questions." The woman did not hesitate to plunge her blade hilt deep into Miro. Normally this would not be such an issue, but something was wrong. A wound like this was not fatal, and though they always hurt, the amount of pain was crippling. The Chained One screamed out in a level of pain he had not felt since his death and cowered down to the write on the ground. This was unnatural, some magic he had never encountered before.

The blade was removed by the woman, though no blood poured from the wound. She collapsed back and clenched her limbs to her body and began to pant. Relief poured over her body. But still the pain left behind was torturous, but hardly fatal. Though it would not be long before her life would be forfeit again. Miro recovered from the pain inflicted on him and fixed his robe before rising back to his feet to speak again. "There, your price is paid, now you can give me what I want." But things could never be so simple. "Not yet. The deal was for you to save me. I will still die at this rate."

The Chained One was becoming frustrated at being used like this. To be led on in such a manner was something rarely dealt with by him. But he had already invested this much, and each moment that passed only furthered his interest. "You have only bought me some time with that little cut. I need to kill somebody to save my life. How I am now, I am weak, and I need to recover from my wounds. But in the time it would take me to recover, I will die. In the condition I am in, I can not kill. In order to save me, you must bring me a victim. If you do that, then you will have saved me."

It was convoluted, seemingly crazy, but Miro had come this far. "I have not even been able to find a victim to kill for myself. That is quite the favor to call in stranger. I haven't even gotten your name." The woman gave a smirk for once. "My name is Scarlett, and I can ask very nicely." The woman began to run her hand up the undead's leg, "Pretty please?" But Miro swatted at the unwanted contact and scowled. "I will do as you ask, but it had better be worth the trouble. If not you will wish you had just been left to die."

[Miro]

Miro was not sure how he was going to find somebody to be sacrificed. Let alone somebody near to the dying woman. Scarlett took a pack off and pulled from it some bandages and began to wrap her wounds. She hardly paid any mind to the undead, so he set off down the alleyway. If he wasn't going to find anyone in the back streets, he would have to find somebody on the main canal. That presented some risks, and it meant he was more likely to kill a citizen. Or a member of a powerful family.

At a time like this it was more simple to just not leave any witnesses or evidence. He would disappear from this place to his room as soon as things concluded with Scarlett. She was obviously a fool, but one with some secrets. She would get her kill, and with any luck the Chained One would find a pair wandering. He would like to have one for himself, but any more than that would have to be disposed of in the lake. A kill could also be considered a treat, were it not such a risky measure to take.

Miro made haste to the nearest canal and looked about. He saw nothing, but Ender caught glimpse of something. "Miro, there is light, a lantern. It is coming this way, it must be a Ravosalaman." Ah, it was perfect. At this time of night there was little chance of the vessel having more than one passenger. It was more likely that the wizard could hail him for a ride. So he waited until finally the boat came near and waved it over. Shock gripped his body as he saw who the Ravosalaman was.

The undead knew this man well. It was the same man who greeted him and showed him about Ravok. Who told him where he might go to get a home, to find work and so much more. This man was the one who explained how the city worked, and he was the one who showed Miro to Rhysol. This was Renzy, a true Ravokian. As sleazy as they come, and twice as greedy as most. His only problem was he was lazy. That and he liked to drink too much. He did his job well, but rarely showed any charm. Miro was going to miss him.

The Reimancer greeted with a hard chuckle at the sight of his old friend. Renzy returned the gesture and walked over to him. "Miro my boy, where do you need me to take you to?" He offered a hand to shake the wizard's, but it was met with a harsh grip. Miro began to focus on the point of contact between their skin and Leech the man of his Djed. "I am the one who will doing the taking here." He grinned as his victim fell limp and was pulled off the Ravosala and onto the undead's shoulder.

Renzy seemed to own his own Ravosala, as it was easily recognizable and could be found about the docks often. It would become apparent before long that the man was missing, but not until Miro was gone from the scene. At least he hoped so, for the sake of any possible witnesses. The Chained One managed to begin to slink back through the alleys, but at a horridly slow pace. His leg was doing him no favors here, and Renzy was fat. He was not only heavy, but uncomfortable to carry. It took a great deal of care and patience to walk back.

The trip away from Scarlett did not take all that long, perhaps five chimes. But the trip back, at the rate Miro went, he would take twenty chimes or longer. His arm hadn't the strength to spare to either leg, and Ender would do nothing to help. Instead the duo knew what the Familiar must do. He was to be on watch, to be ready to defend and kill. It was unspoken, but well understood between them. It was the best way to handle the situation. But before the duo could get through the first alleyway, Ender saw somebody turn the corner and walk toward them.

"Miro, down there, somebody is coming. Shall I change forms?" The wizard hesitated his movement and knelt to the ground. He gently released his victim to fall hard on the ground. "No, I don't think that will be necessary." The figure began to hastily close the distance of the alley while waving frantically. It was Scarlett, and her body was wrapped in reddened bandages. She grinned and gestured down at Renzy's unmoving body. "He is still alive? And I can kill him?" The woman gripped her knife anxiously with both hands and bit her lip.

"He is alive, conscious too, but just barely. He is very weak, and in pain. Too weak to talk, or even to cry out in pain. And you may kill him, if that is what it takes." Miro focused his Djed to his senses and focus them on the woman. He began to sense her aura and attune his own with it using his Djed. The Aurist suspected that when she killed the victim she would use her magic again. He would see how it worked this time, but for now all he could sense were emotions.

Scarlett did not hesitate to drop to her knees and begin to stab into the man repetitively with her knife. She giggled frantically as she dug the steel into his flesh and ripped it back out seemingly without end. Even though the victim was already Leeched by undead, this was a bit much for him. Though it that was nothing compared to what the victim felt. The undead saw just how excited she was, but even without focusing on the Ravosalaman could sense his anguish.

Renzy thrashed and screamed in pure agony and terror. Movements the Leecher had never seen one of his victims capable of, but this was something else. This was pain on another level. The Ravosalaman was a lush and a cheat, but his death was way dirtier than his life. After several stabs there was no reaction at all, but the assault continued on for a few dozen more. Scarlett's giggling was replaced by screams of pleasure and relief as the process continued on. Eventually she collapsed backwards and began to pant heavily.

Miro did not sense any hint of magic during the process, but was overwhelmed with the amount of emotion released while murdering. It came to the point where the Chained One himself was nearly deafened by the feelings and began to tremble uncontrollably. Such symptoms did not cease until the process finished and Scarlett was overcome with pure relief. At this point the Aurist lost his focus and released his concentration on Auristics. This, as always, caused a heavy mental fatigue for him.

The undead dropped to his knees and panted as well. It was not a common act for him to pant, but one not entirely forgotten. He looked up to see Scarlett grin at him. "Was it good for you too?" She giggled and rose from the ground. The woman's face was spattered with blood, as was her hair. In the back it was pale, but in the front it was stained dark. She was young, about Miro's age, but acted so wildly all the time. It was something he had mostly lost touch with long ago.

Miro rose to his feet and spoke to Scarlett. "I knew this man, but he is dead now. The canal is right there, I will dispose of his body." The murderer became angry at the comment. "No you won't! I will display his body. He is a masterpiece." Truly she was sick, the undead mused to himself. But with how hard the woman had been to please, it was best to let her have her way. "Okay, but he quick. I will not be caught because of you."

Scarlett placed her hand in the pool of Renzy's blood and flipped the man from his side onto his back and wounds. On his chest she left a bloody print of her hand and stood to admire it. The Chained One looked at the first benefactor the Defiler had given to him soaked in a pool of his own blood. Renzy had been betrayed, but that was what he taught Miro to do. Ender even felt a sense of regret, which passed to his master. In reality all the wizard thought of now was his reward.

Miro began to walk back into the depths of the alley after giving his glance. Scarlett stayed behind for a while longer in prayer, but then ran after her savior. She wrapped her arms around the wizard's and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you ever so much." The undead did not care to hear such nonsense, only now to have his questions answered. "Yes, of course, but now you must tell me all about your magic." But the remark was met by a fit of giggling.

"Oh, yes, of course I will. But I haven't even gotten your name." The woman snickered at the mockery, but the recipient was not nearly as amused. "I am Miro, an Ebonstryfe official. I am a master of magic and servant of Rhysol." He quickly flashed his apprentice badge and replaced it in his sling. "Please tell me about your magic. I need to know how you can cause so much damage with your stabs. I also need to know about your overgiving. Open wounds, a need to kill? Overgiving that severe must come from something powerful."

But Scarlett only laughed and showed the back of her hands. Deep crimson veins shone beneath the stains of blood. "I don't know anything about any magic. I don't know what overgiving means either, but I can explain the rest. I am marked by Krysus, goddess of pain and murder. But her mark of Vexation comes with a curse. Everyday I wake up with a terrible headache. To make it go away, I have to harm another person. But if I do not for an entire day, the next day I wake up with an awful pain in each of my limbs. Another day and then my body begins to split open. After that, well, I can only imagine that I die."

The Chained One was enthralled to hear such a story. Krysus huh? A goddess that the undead did not know he had been serving for all of these many years. The amount of times that he had inflicted the most brutal torture imaginable was only rivaled by the amount of human lives he had taken. He was surprised that he hadn't heard of the divine, let alone earned their attention. But with the horrid symptoms, perhaps this was for the best. "Then Krysus' mark is only a burden upon you. You are trapped by her demands. I see our situations are similar."

Again Scarlett laughed, this time quite hysterically. "No its not. Never is it a burden, just a pain. It is a gift, a reward. It's the best thing to ever happen to me. Do you know why?" The Reimancer scowled as he replied. "No, I don't." The woman grinned viciously at him. "Because it makes hurting people feel even better! It makes murder feel so much sweeter. It makes life worth living. And best of all, it makes it so nobody can mess with me." The scowl on the wizard's face grew. "How?" But the question was only met with more snickering.

The undead looked over at the woman in contempt and saw her raise her knife to his throat. She pressed its metal edge against his throat softly and whispered in his ear. "Because when I cut people it hurts. It really hurts." She pushed away from Miro and laughed. "It does not do any more damage, but because of Krysus, I can cause a ton of pain with the tiniest cut. If anybody messes with me, all I have to do is cut them once, and they will fall to their knees. Then I can kill them however I want. Sometimes I even starve myself of a good kill just to make it even better when it does come."

Miro did not quite know how to react, but could start to understand. The woman was crazy, but who was a Chained One to judge another based on religion. In fact, the rewards of Krysus did seem quite appealing. To be able to enhance pain caused to others was quite the perk. It was an obvious tribute to power, but as well to his ability to dominate. Pain was the greatest way in which he could enforce his will. And the cost of such a gift was to use it daily. Yes, the undead needed to gain the favor of the goddess. But there was still one question that lingered in his mind.

"But what of the blooded print you left on Renzy?" Scarlett smirked back at him. "Renzy, eh, that's his name? I left behind the symbol of the goddess, a bloody handprint. It is a sign that Krysus can touch anyone. That is how I show my faith. I offer the most painful murder I can, mark them with the print, and offer a prayer. I had heard in Ravok I might not get found out so quickly, but it seems that already I have given myself away." Miro did not have any more questions, and though he did not find what he looked for, he was not upset.

"I suppose that is all. Consider your debt repaid if you will just forget we ever met." A reasonable offer to give for what he had done. "Sure, but could you tell me where I might stay for the night?" For once the undead did the smiling. "Sorry, I can't. The person you should have asked, you killed instead. I am done with you now. Walk away or else I may become quite unfriendly. I am an authority in this city." Ender watched Scarlett grip her knife tensely behind his master, but she did not make a move.

Eventually the woman hid her blade and ran off. The entire experience was uncomfortable for the Familiar. "You killed Renzy, and for what, a serial killer? One who is marked by a villainous divine. She will kill again, and maybe next time it will be somebody you need. Lessomm, Nolan, Vien, all of your assets at risk. She can kill them all so easily." Miro scowled at the comments, but ignored them. "No, I made a deal to save a life, and I kept my word. It was only after that I found these things, and since she kept her word, I allowed her to live." Though the wizard dare not mention interest in obtaining the mark.

[Miro]

Miro thought hard about the way Scarlett behaved, and he thought of a time when he was much more lighthearted. He turned and yelled after the woman just as she went to turn the corner. "Hey, come back, I've changed my mind." The wizard walked back to the corpse of his once companion Renzy and knelt at its side. He placed his hand in the blood and turned just in time to watch Scarlett arrive.

She was obviously pleased with herself and had expected that she had suckered the undead. "I knew you would change your mind." The wizard grabbed the woman by the throat and began to focus on draining her Djed. Scarlett reacted by pulling her knife and attempting to stab her captor in the chest, but the knife could not pierce his robe. As he set out to do, he would make somebody suffer. Only now, not just for domination, but for Krysus as well. A bit of chaos in Ravok was not the worst offence to the Defiler, but it was one the Chained One felt guilt over.

Miro focused his Djed on his body's core and drew Djed from its many pathways into his right arm. He lifted Scarlett up and squeezed her neck as he Leeched Djed from her. His drain was weak, but she had only a little Djed to take. Finally he focused on his presence and the close proximity to his target. He expanded his aura of influence and focused on his dominance over her. The undead squeezed his victim's neck and caused a flash of pain in her body. For a brief moment she flared with a stabbing pain in her mind, and a rough grip on her fragile neck.

Though the woman tried to scream out in pain, it was held in her throat by the tight grip. By now she was getting weak, but the wizard was not done casting. He cast an emotional response of fear, a suggestion, "I'm going to die." But then the wizard released the effects of the Flux, stopped Leeching as well and he let her go. Scarlett was weak and seemingly near to collapsing, but after being released she guided her knife into the wizard's throat. The damage done was not severe or life threatening, though it was a dangerous hit to let land. However the pain was so intense he wished he could faint.

Miro collapsed to the ground and Ender released himself from his wrist and took his replicant form. The silver orb sprouted limbs and morphed into a young half Symenestra. His features would be toned down, but obviously not human. His throat was slashed open, but the wound did not bleed. As well there was a matching wound on his stomach. He began to produce as much Res as he could manage from his hands before him as a smokey white gas. But with the pain he felt, it was hard to focus.

If he needed to communicate with his master, he could do so through telepathy. But it seemed that neither of them would be talking to anyone else until they regenerated. Scarlett made a move to retrieve her weapon, but Ender intercepted her. He began to focus his casting forth on her in a powerful gust of ice and snow. The Familiar focused himself on the spell with all he could muster and pushed the woman back and caused her to turn and flee. She was not used to encountering magic and knew she was outclassed.

Miro gathered up his strength and lifted himself. He pulled the knife from his neck and tucked it into his sling. Scarlett was gone and Ender let her get away. "Why did you let her live if you thought she was such a risk?" The Irylid did not really think about it, as he was in the heat of the battle. "You had released her, so I assumed it a sign that you had plans for her alive." Miro grinned at the reply, and he could not help but to ask another question. "Could you have saved us from the damage?"

Ender knew the answer, as he had considered making a move. "Only by killing her." But his master had called her back, nearly taken her life, but then gave her mercy. The Irylid assumed that it was meant as a display of dominance. Meant as a lesson the murderer wouldn't forget. "It was not my kill to take from you. I could stop her from killing you, but I could not keep her from escaping. I am sorry master." The sun was not long to rise and they were still at the scene of a murder.

The undead had some of Renzy's blood on him, and he kept the weapon used to murder the man. There was a lot to tie him to the crime, but his claim would only be that he was already investigating it. He had a hunch who did it, and he knew just how to solve it. But for now he would go, flee from the scene. Miro made his way hastily toward his home, a building only a short walk away. "I will get revenge for this, but not in the way you might expect. I have the grandest revenge planned. There is a serial killer in Ravok, and I am going to catch them."

[Venser Rush]

Grade Awarded!

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Miro

Award :

Skills

+1 Flux
+1 Socialization
+2 Rhetoric
+1 Observation
+2 Familiary
+1 Negotiation
+1 Interrogation
+1Leeching

Lores

A Life for Knowledge: A Deal Readily Made
Krysus: Goddess of Pain and Murder
Vexation: The Mark of Krysus
Vexation: Appealing
The Bloody Hand Print: The Symbol of Krysus
Scarlett: Marked by Krysus


Miscellaneous

N/A

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Injuries to be noted, but healed in the same week, so no longer significant.

An interesting little thread. Miro's certainly a rather foolish, unhinged Chained One

He should definitely listen to Ender more often XD That familiar's a sharp one.