Doorway to Chaos

[Miro]

Rayage definitely knew how to put on a show. He told a story to go along with his display, and indeed all advice was taken to heart. Perhaps it was that the Nuit had been hiding how much he had grown. Indeed his display was impressive, and his understanding of his element was true. At first Miro forced a scowl, but it slowly turned to a smirk, and that smirk into a grin. The display was impossible not to enjoy.

By the time the Alchemist finished Miro's grin was wide and he could not help but to laugh in complete amusement. If he was physically capable, he would clap. But alas, he was not, and where gestures failed words mustn't. There were times that the undead was afraid his things might catch fire, but a smart layout prevented this. Though there were a few papers upon his desk that came close to the inferno, but not near enough it seemed.

"That is more like it Rayage! That is my apprentice, my beloved Alchemist. Your control of transmutation is indeed great. You've proven yourself well, and I am amused. So very amused. That truly did lift my spirit. Almost makes me forget the flesh torn on my arm. Not nearly, but it helps. A story and a show. How inspired. To think before I initiated you, what you were. Your soul was like water, it did not burn with passion, but burned it out. Look at you now, your soul is practically oil."

But now there was the question of what to do next. Slave for a day, master for the next. It was an odd arrangement, but one agreed to well. "Ah, I realize something," Miro said in a soft voice. "With the way my arm is, I am going to need to be able to focus on my magic, if I am to help you. You are a Hypnotist, and I am a man in need. Give me peace of mind, ease away my aches. I command it. Do this, show me you can, or else I can not help you."

[Rayage]

If Rayage was alive he would have been holding his breath as the fire burst outward. He could feel a sharp pain in his head as the high from his casting died down. The compliments from his master did not subside this nagging pain. It was one of the first signs of overgiving, and he frowned. He had gone a little too far, he knew it, his body knew it, his soul knew it. The wizard smiled faintly at the praise, but he felt exhausted. He felt like he needed to sit down, and so he took a seat by the small table which inhabited the room.

”Very well, Master,” Rayage said with a hint of hesitation to his voice. His djed was wearing thin and his body felt heavy, his head ached and he could taste metal. He couldn’t take much more of casting his djed, but then idea struck him. His djed. He could borrow djed from other places through the discipline Leeching. His hesitation faded, and he smiled, ”Miro, I am going to put you into a trance.” Rayage announced with a small smirk. It was perfect. He could put Miro in a trance and rid himself of the burden of following anymore of his ridiculous commands for the rest of the day. Once he tranced Miro he was free to recover. The plan was perfect.

Rayage from his cloak produced a scroll of his own making. It contained four focuses, with a central focus to shoot the magic from. It was a rudimentary fire scroll he had produced before he left Sahova, and it was going to be put to perfect use today. ”Rest assured, Ill care for your body and mind while you are under.” Rayage told Miro, trying to make any fears he might have about Rayage do this melt away. Though he did not have hypnotism to back up his words, he had words, and those carried power in themselves.

Unraveling the scroll Rayage placed his hand on the central focus. He wasn’t going to activate the scroll, rather, he was going to drain it of its usable djed to aid him in putting Miro into a trance. It contained four small fireballs, enough to sip upon for some hypnotism, but would it be enough? Rayage wondered, trying to calculate the amount of djed he could gain from the scroll. In the end he did not know.

He began the process of draining the scroll. He pictured in his head himself and the scroll. The scroll and him two separate entities, one of light, that of the scroll, and empty darkness, that of Rayage. He began making and constructing the connection to syphon djed from the scroll, physical contact was not enough, he needed mental clarity as well. He needed to connect with the target both mentally and physically. The physical body only acted as the bridge in which djed can leap to, while it was the mind itself that commands the djed. The physical body is only the receiver and storage for the energy, while the mind commanded it to come, to be within the wizard and without the scroll. He established this mental connection, since physical connection was already made, by picturing himself, the dark being in his mind, touching the point of light. He saw the light react to his touch, it dim a little, before he began to see the light slowly break away from its original source and come into the dark being in his head. The light would break away and fade into the darkness. The light would dim and change color from a luminous white to a dark red. The red residing in the dark being.

He kept on draining the scroll, feeling the djed physically within the parchment react to him, being torn from the magical confines of the runes and into his body. The taint tingled within his body, and felt rather heavy. It moved slowly, like mud, within the body and responded to his will sluggishly, but such things happen when working with stolen djed.

”Ready?” Rayage asked.

[Miro]

Miro was a bit hesitant to be put into a trance. It would not be the first time that Rayage had used the technique on him though. In fact, that was where the undead learned the technique, back in Sahova. With the nagging pain of the injury upon him, it seemed a fine solution. And upon seeing the Nuit drain a scroll, it reminded him of his own stash. "Alright, I consent, but a few things before I am put under. Let me give you some parting instructions."

The Chained One laid down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh. "I don't want you messing around with my mind, you hear me? If you need to borrow Djed, that scroll against my desk, it's the one from Sahova. It has plenty of Djed, more than you'll need. If you use it all, I am going to expect you're doing stuff you shouldn't." It was never wise to trust another wizard, but this was perhaps one of the few exceptions.

There were a few things to remind Rayge of doing though. "Just make sure that while I am under, I am at peace. Suggest away the pain, calm me and fill me with happiness too. Anything that makes it easy on me while I am under. And again, don't mess with my head. I promise you, you'll regret it." And there was a way to know too. He spoke aloud, "Ender, keep an eye on him."

But the fact of things was that Ender wanted Rayage dead. He would more than watch the Alchemist. The Irylid separated from his master to watch from the corner. A large scar on his body visible to those who would see. "And Rayage, I must warn you, Ender is still not a fan of you. I have but one last command before I am put into a trance. I relinquish my control of you to Ender for the rest of the day."

[Rayage]

Rayage could agree to all the commands, but the last one. He couldn’t and wouldn’t accept commands from the familiar. Though, the icy being looked just as messed as Miro, so he doubt that the being could be of any threat right now. With Miro tranced and Ender in the state he is in… it made Miro a sitting duck, the familiar unable to defend itself yet alone Miro. It looked heavily damaged as well, which was particular. Rayage would have to think about that connection, but that could be done later. Right now he had a child to put to bed.

”Very well.” Rayage said with a small but reassuring smile to Miro. Standing, hand removed from the scroll he was draining, the djed completely sucked from the paper, he dragged the chair, along with the bigger scroll Miro had pointed out to him to the foot the bed. Here he could make better contact with the wizard. In this weakened state Rayage could easily kill this monster laying before him, but he dare not. Miro was important, a threat, a bully sometimes, but important nonetheless. He still had a lot to learn from the wizard, a lot to gain from this relationship, as dysfunctional as it may be.

”Ok, Miro,” Ryage started to pull upon the djed he had stole from his own scroll, ”I need you to start to relax.” The wizard sent an emotional response of relaxation to the wizard, ”Close your eyes and let the physical world, your physical body, drift away.” Rayage told him turning the words into a subconscious suggestion. It was best to start early, but the wizard had to pause for a moment to open the larger scroll. It was the Mural Glyph they had made in Sahova. It contained much djed, and upon touching the focus that let the spidered glyphs within he could feel it radiating with an awesome power. It prickled his djed sensitive soul a moment when contact was made, hand placed firmly on the focus.

The wizard began his leeching ceremony. He began to feed off of the djed stored in the glyph, drawing it in little sips as he needed it. The wizard pictured himself as sipping on glasses of water. The water representing the djed within the scroll, taken in controlled, small amounts. He picked up a glass and put it to his imaginary lips, sipping it, he drew the djed in himself. And as he sipped he felt the djed slip from the scroll and into his body. It felt like electricity passing through his body, but it was thicker, denser… there was something unnatural about it, but he could use it for his spell casting and that was all that mattered.

”Relax.” Rayage repeated the word, ”Relax.” he affirmed again, ”Let the tension from your body go.” The wizard began to try to guide the other into a trance like state though a simple beginning meditation, ”Relax your toes.” Rayage said, ”Feel the tension of conscious control over your body go from your toes. You give them up, you let them go for now, and with it their burden on your soul.”

”Relax your feet, your heels, feel them fade away in the darkness you see before you.” Rayage said, putting his words to magical suggestion, hoping that they would be received better by a relaxing Miro. ”In this darkness,” Rayage continued, ”feel your legs go. Let them go. Release all tension and control. Just be.”

The nuit paused allowing time both for him to get a bit more djed from the scroll and for his words to sink in. The physical connection on the scroll hadn’t wavered, but his mental connection did. Reestablishing the connection, the wizard pictured the water coming into him again, from the scroll, revitalizing and restoring his body and soul of djed.

”Allow your mind to drift from your body.” Rayage said, ”Away from the physical things, from physical thoughts… Allow your torso to go, release all tension to the darkness around you and allow it to take the burden from you.”

”Focus instead on happy thoughts. Focus on Kinneas, focus on that time at the camp. Be there again.” Rayage whispered, ”In that star filled night, that cold night, with the moon out.” Rayage took more djed from the scroll to power the spell, sending a picture of the moon to Miro’s mind, a flash of an image to set the stage.

”Feel happy, and let go of your arms.” Rayage said, ”All that pain, give it to the darkness for a while. Go relive your happiest memory.”

”Release grasp on your physical body and feel it fade to the back darkness of your mind. Bring forth Kinneas, bring forth your happiness.” The suggestion came with the sweet as honey emotional response of happiness.

”Rest, Relax, and forget about the physical world.” Rayage told him, forcing the last suggestion into Miro hoping that the visualization and his magic was enough to put him into a semi-deep trance.

[Miro]

Miro listened to the words that Rayage spoke to them with his eyes fastened shut. He felt relaxation pour over him, and he did not hesitate to lull himself into the darkness of his unconscious mind. It was a rare treat to get some form of rest. He released control of his body piece by piece until he found himself in a happier place. As he mentally willed the strength of each part of his body he felt a bit lighter, until his consciousness faded entirely.

The undead slipped into a state of trance, suspended between the recesses of his subconscious mind and the triggers of the waking world to influence it. It was a peaceful place, one filled with all of his happiness and fears in balance. He seemed to float through his mind, a visitor in his own subconsciousness. As he looked around he saw memories and thoughts from a strange perspective.

To be an onlooker in his own mind was the strangest of things, but it allowed him disconnect from his body. Still he could feel the pain of his arm, but he could not move the limb. The stinging tinges of agony felt dull here as he floated aimlessly. There was just a general feeling of satisfaction that washed away much of the negativity formerly felt. This was a pleasant change, though his sunken consciousness was all but passive.

Ender however was not subject to this, and still very much aware. The pain it bothered him, but it was not like in his master. It was not the same, and instead able to be patched. The Irylid, despite their bout of overgiving, produced a slight amount of Res. He filled in his cracks and transmuted them to ice to patch them. This was quite soothing to him physically, but hardly mentally.

No, his mind would not be soothed, for Rayage was here. He was playing with the master, putting him into another trance. It was bad news. The Nuit was a nasty thing, always up to something devious. The Familiar would not let anything happen to his partner. He spoke telepathically, "Rest well Miro, for I will not let anything happen to you." The message was heard and the wizard spoke aloud, "I know Ender."

Ender was done speaking to his master though, for now he turned his attention to Rayage. "I will allow you to soothe Miro, but nothing more. After that, your work is done. I will allow you to leave for the day. You can wake him tomorrow. Just see that your job is done well. See also that you make haste to leave. I will not tolerate you lingering. Tomorrow you will arrive as the sun rises. If you try anything, I am more than capable of ending your life."

[Rayage]

”As you wish, Ender.” Rayage said his glance towards the floating orb of ice lasted only long enough to get a bit of ‘eye contact’ before he returned his gaze towards the familiars master. Hand was still firmly placed upon the scroll, physical contact made, now all that was left was the mental connection, because it was the mind that guided energy. The mind guided, and the body was the medium. It was true in magic, most of all in Leeching and other Personal disciplines. Without a mind a wizard was useless.

He would leave Miro with his final instructions, a last gift which will hopefully make Miros journey peaceful. Drawing upon the pool of djed available in the scroll the wizard began to sip upon the substance, drawing it into his body. The visualization he used this time was that of a river running into the sea. The bigger body of water, in Rayages mind, being his very being. The trickle of djed that he was collecting from the scroll was the river. The water rushed into the sea and Rayage began to draw a modest amount of the djed out of the scroll case. The mind guided the djed, the body stored it. That was the supreme relationship between mind and body within the discipline of Leeching, or so Rayage came to realize.

The trickle of energy entered his body, he could feel some djed that he could not grasp onto, that he could not steal, djed lost to him, leaking as he stole. The energy took form within his body and he called it into action, wanting to rid himself of the stolen power as soon as possible. There was a horrible rot within him caused by this corrupt djed. He readied himself and prepared to help Miro transition to an even deeper mental being instead of a physical one.

”Relax, and allow yourself to go even deeper.” The words were powered by hypnotism. The wizard conjuring up a relaxing emotion within himself so he could mold the djed after that and push it into the younger wizard. The emotional response of calmness, a certain stillness, would enter Miro, and the suggestion of ‘go even deeper’ was implanted.

”Allow time to fade away.” Rayage continued with his casting forming the words into another suggestion, ”And just be.” The wizard was building more and more upon suggestions and expectations made with his previous enchantment of the wizard.

”Look past the physical world, and let it go as it does not interest you at this moment. Look deep into yourself, deeper, and find your inner salvation, inner peace. Find within yourself that corner of your mind where you can be at peace and just be.” Rayage paused, unsure of how to go on.

”Be there, and sleep. Be there, and relax. Be there, and forget the physical troubles of your day. Be there, and learn from yourself. Allow yourself to distract yourself from the troubles of physical existence.”

”Forget pain, forget your body, and with those forgotten allow your mind to expand in inner peace. Find your sanctuary, and be. Be in peace, Miro. I know you can. You know you can.” The last words inspired with an emotional response of confidence, along with being a suggestion 'you know you can'.

”Rest there and relax.” Rayage got up looking down at Miro. This will be one of the few times Miro will ever be able to experience a ‘sleep-like’ state. Rayage silently hoped that he had lead Miro to a better spot, a better place, a more peaceful and happy state of mind. For now, Miro could forget the struggles of undeath and physical resistance. Hopefully he could also learn something from this experience.

Turning the undead moved out of the room without much more of a sly smile shot towards Ender, almost daring him to do something before completely leaving the room. He would be sure to pick up his mess, take care of the scroll, before he would wake Miro.

[Miro]

Ender watched with a keen eye, eager to finally kill Rayage. He just needed an excuse, any reason to do so. It was what he had been waiting for since first the initiation to Leeching occurred. At this time Miro's beloved 'Professor' showed his true self, a vile creature. He was a threat, likely to kill Miro when no longer the Reimancer was of any use. Likewise Ender would kill Rayage when he was of no use to Miro.

The undead on the other hand, he was lost in his mind. He was guided deeper into the realm of subconscious thought by the hypnotic voice that guided him. He did not fight it, not in the least, eager to follow these instructions. They were all that he knew, and so susceptible to influence was he in this state. All of the outside of the world faded away. It was as if time had stopped.

Everything faded away, the subconscious around him went black, and there was a peaceful silence. Any pain that he may have been feeling up until now was gone, and the wizard was free to explore his own mind. The dark surroundings began to be wash away and reveal a new setting. It was a happy place, one where he felt completely at peace. It was his inner sanctuary.

Trees sprouted up around him snow fell from the sky. There was tall grass that poked through the thin layer of snow and a frozen pond to one side. His body felt weightless here, and after each crunch of bare feet stepping down on the snow, no print was left behind. His legs worked fine, he had his left arm back too, even a heartbeat.

In his sanctuary everything was perfect. His mother was there sitting, reading a magical text. Kinneas was there too, he fished through a hole in the frozen pond. Even Rayage was here, a bit of lab equipment on the far side appeared, and he operated an Alchemy circle. For now Miro was just happy with the company of his loved ones. He merely laid back in the grass and let the snow fall on his face.

The Familiar could feel the overflown peaceful emotions from his master and was pleased. Still he did not trust Rayage in the least. At best the Nuit could follow instructions. More likely he knew better than to defy them. The Irylid watched eagerly until the Alchemist was out the door. And then waited some time longer for a potential return. One could not be too careful while their bonded wizard was helpless.

[Rayage]

41 Fall, 513 AV

The nuit arrived a bit earlier than instructed. His purpose was not to be late, and in case anything eventful happened, he would have time to get to his destination before sunrise. Darkness was fading from the land as the first morning beams of light began to break the sky.

Slightly feeling better from yesterday’s casting, but he still had a headache. The throbbing pain did not subside in the time he wished, and he was lucky that he stopped using his own djed when he did. Else, he knew that the symptoms would be much worse. He would not have been able to put Miro into a successful trance, but coming into the room after knocking first the nuit looked down at the sleeping wizard. He would most likely be unaware of the reality around him, still wrapped up in the wonder of his own mind. Rayage wondered if he had learned anything about himself, or he had just enjoyed his little vacation from the physical realm.

The seat and scroll were in the place he left them when he left, and so he took up the same position and watched the wizard for a moment. He wondered if it was the best idea to wake him this day or allow him to stay tranced for a little longer. The nuit considered his options, but in the end thought it was best to follow through on his word and release the other wizard from the confines of his own mind. Having left Miro in the state for the rest of the day he wondered if it would be as easy as last time to break the trance. To find that out, all he had to do was try. If this wouldn’t work, then he would have to guide Miro back to the physical world just like he did when he guided him to his personal inner world.

”Miro,” Rayage said, trying to get the wizards attention, ”Miro,” he repeated, ”It is time to wake up.” Rayage told him, making the last sentence a suggestion as well. ”When I count to three you will awaken from your private world and return to the physical realm, to Mizahar.” The elder wizard told him.

”One. The imagery created by your subconscious mind is fading away.” Rayage said.

”Two. You are becoming more and more conscious of the physical world. Sense of your body is returning and you can feel the bed under you.” Rayage suggested, his voice laced with hypnotic influence. The commands of ‘you can sense your body’ and ‘feel the bed under you’, were made into hypnotic suggestions cast out by the wizard.

”Three. You can open your eyes. You are fully conscious of this world, of the physical world. You feel rested and rejuvenated.” Rayage went through the procedure to wake Miro from the trance. He watched and looked down at Miro questioning if it would work or not or if he would have to try harder.

[Miro]

Ender waited all night while his master was under the effects of the trance. The damage done had healed somewhat. The added ice had done well to alleviate much of the pain, and it had seemed to adapt to his form. All night only positive feelings could be felt across his empathetic bond. It seemed that all was well for Miro. It was likely that his body's regenerative abilities had began to seal the torn flesh back together.

The undead spent the night within his sanctuary, free of the shackles of his Gnosis mark and all other taints of his mind. He could even remember his mother's face for the first time in years. He had made way over to be near to her. She smiled at him, his face uncovered by his mask and brimming with life. It brought a mix of pain and happiness to his heart to see her again.

Though thee wizard feared that he was a disappointment to her. He had taken her life, and he bowed his head in shame because of it. His mother spoke to him, her voice soft and soothing. "Do not fret over your mistakes child. I taught you that we learn best from our failures. Now look at you, such a powerful wizard. You learned all I had to teach you."

Miro looked up at her with wet eyes and a sense relief overtook his body. A weight had been lifted. He embraced his beloved mother and she faded away. The area where his former home and her corner of the field vanished. In their place was a large tree with wide branches and bright red leaves. He made his way now to Kinneas in the courtyard of Avain Manor.

The landscape was even more beautiful than he remembered. A small creek that ran through it, stone benches and pillars with fire in them. There was a ring in the center of it meant for sparring. Miro and his best friend traded a few punches and practiced martial combat just like back in the day. Kinneas was better than ever, his Flux skills finally well trained.

The wizard got knocked down to the ground and found a punch stopped just shy of his face. "You were close, but I guess my Evantia gave me the edge. Maybe next time kiddo." Kinneas always won, but as usual was a good sport. The fist opened to become instead a helping hand. The smaller combatant was pulled to his feet. "Let's go again."

The two started out easy, just tagging each other on the arm, nothing too aggressive. Every once in a while there was a brief opening and an ambitious punch was attempted and parried. Each time it happened the two shared a grin. "I don't think I'll ever beat you Kinneas," he said coyly. "You are a great fighter, so well trained and disciplined. Not like me, I could never be like you."

Kinneas laughed as he threw a few swift punches. They were slow, obvious, Miro dodged and blocked them easily. "We all have our day Miro. You're pretty good too. You train hard and try your best. We all struggle at some point, even me, but never can we give up. You don't need to be like me kid. If you keep at things the way you are, you will be so much more than I could ever be."

Kinneas began to pick up speed, throw a few quick punches with force. Miro struggled to block them and then took a powerful kick to the side. It knocked the wind from his body and broke his stance. He hunched over and took a powerful punch and staggered back. He gathered himself up and shook it off. He couldn't give up, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

The Evantia marked fighter came in and the wizard attempted to overwhelm his target with a flurry of quick punches. A combination came at Miro and he managed to block the first few but was left open for a powerful punch that came toward him. But in that moment he got brave and at the last moment decided to take the punch and threw his strongest punch in retaliation.

The two combatants struck each other hard. Kinneas with a strong punch to his opponents gut, but Miro's a bit quicker. He launched a quick and powerful uppercut to Kinneas' jaw as he leaned in for the strike. The wizard clutched his stomach, but stood his ground. Miro felt dizzy as he watched his friend rubbed his jaw with a wide grin on his face as he faded to vanish. A stone monument appeared in the center of the ring.

What was left now was Rayage, in his lab in Sahova. The familiar scenery of Lab 45E appeared around them. The Nuit was at a massive Alchemy circle. Not in a female body, but instead in a bald male, as was typical. The Alchemist spoke, Miro my boy, come, help with out here. I have grand things planned, but I can't accomplish them alone. With your help nothing is out of our reach."

Miro walked over to the ring and crossed his arms. "Alchemy isn't really my thing. I know so little about it. Only what you've shown me. I just don't get some world magics. I can't help you." Rayage scoffed at him derisively. "Magic is magic. You can learn, you need only be taught. You have watched me do this plenty of times before."

The Nuit pointed with a stern look on his face. "Sit, he said, "You can do things that I can not." The Reimancer obeyed the order. "I need you to use your Reimancy, create diamond for me." So the wizard produced his Res and focused hard to create the substance in a font slot. "Good," Rayage said in a pleased tone, "Now activate the Keystone and help me direct the current."

The two wizards bit their thumbs and pressed them down on their own Keystone and began to excite the Djed of the circle and flow it. The ring began to glow and swirl with a powerful magical current. The Alchemist nodded to his assistant and they concentrated the Djed to the center of it to flow into the target, a small creature. It seemed a cross between a frog and a hare.

The Alchemical reaction rendered it made of diamond yet able to move with fluid grace. It was a magnificent creation. "We did it!" Miro was so impressed by the feats that Alchemy could achieve. "Indeed we did. You did well, very well. World magic takes careful thought and preparation, but with patience and effort it can produce great results. You've proven yourself wrong, you make a fine wizard of world magic."

Rayage pet the Homunculus a few times with a smile before it ran off. He walked over to Miro with a kind smile on his face. "Together our great talents can produce the most wonderful results. You are a talented wizard Miro, you must never forget that. There is nothing that you can not overcome." The Nuit offered a hand to be shaken which was eagerly met. The Alchemist faded away too, and the wizard looked down to notice the creature at his feet.

Some time passed in solitude before finally the scenery began to fade. A voice called to the entranced wizard and bring his conscious mind to the surface. He became aware of his body resting on the bed, carefully positioned upon it. Finally his eyes opened and he felt as if he had waken from a long and restful sleep. His mind and body felt refreshed, but his arm still felt weak. He recalled the damage done to it.

It was common for his wounds to heal, no matter how severe they seemed to be. It often took some time, but always returned to normal, so far at least. He could feel the split flesh was beginning to form back together, but he could not be sure how much. He tested it by attempting to make a fist. The Chained One's fingers barely moved to close and it sent a jolt of pain to shock his mind. He would not be whole again for some time.

It seemed Rayage was back and some time had passed. The undead lifted himself from bed to greet the Alchemist. "Welcome back friend. I do appreciate what you did for me yesterday. You were an excellent servant, and I feel quite refreshed. As I agreed, today I will help you. Whatever you need me for, I am ready. It is a favor well earned." The wizard let out a soft chuckle. "I am eager to begin assisting you, but I am going to need a hand here and there."

[Rayage]

Rayage was glad that Miro was feeling just a bit better and was appreciative of what he had for him. Although what came next felt kind of odd to the wizard. He had taken some time to think about what he wanted Miro to do during the day which he had free, and the nuit came up with a simple request ”OK, then Miro, I want you to flash your fancy badge and get me a job at the Institute of Higher Learning.” He requested with a smile, ”We will require funds to go about our endeavors, and I intend to make sure that we will live comfortably here.” It was that simple. They were a team, and what Miro wanted Rayage wanted, and what Ray wanted so did Miro. That was their bond, the extent of their partnership. Otherwise Ray was sure that the other wizard wouldn’t have agreed to help him capture Forus.

Rayage looked Miro in the eyes, ”I want to show them how much an asset I can be to Ravok if they allow me the resources to work with.” His mind was flooding with alchemical formulas and procedures, his very body yearned to activate the circle again and excite change itself, his eyes seemed to spark with a light as he even alluded to his research, ”Miro, I want to create something invaluable. Something that the Stryfe can grow to provide their armies with enough weapons, armor, hell even metal chalices. Everyone gets two swords, three, four!” the wizard said, ”And the Stryfe supply will outweigh their demand, leading to a surplus of iron for other things.”

It seemed like the wizard was caught in a dream as he was describing this to Miro, ”I want to create a renewable resource for Rhysol. I want to create for them a plant with the properties of Iron, so perfectly blended and crafted that it would be hard telling regular iron from the earth from my creation.”

Rayage fell silent for a moment, ”That alone will take some time to complete, but if we can convince the Institute that it is worth looking into, then Im sure I can create given a couple seasons time and research.” He said.

”And while we are looking into that project I would like some of your diamond.” Rayage told him, ”I wont need it right now, but for later. If I can get the iron plant to turn out, then we can be sure to make a few more for us.” Rayage smiled, ”One of a kind plants that the Stryfe wont have access to. I want to mix your diamonds with iron, to create a whole new substance, and then bind that to the plant as well. Eventually, I want to create a substance with the durability of diamond, but the malleability of iron, and then give it life so we can produce as much of it as we need.”

Devious thoughts went through the wizards head, ”Everything from here on out, Miro,” Rayage said pulling on his djed once to form it to the words he was going to speak, ”is for us.” he said, pushing in an emotional response of companionship, a feeling of closeness which radiated from his very being, put into the very words he spoke, ”I haven’t forgotten that we are a team. No matter who or what comes this way, no matter the circumstance, Miro, I will remember your kindness and repay it with my undying loyalty.” Right there something clicked within Rayage. The words he was saying didn’t come from his churning mind, but from someplace else… His cold undead heart. The many seasons he had traveled and practiced and taught and been taught have all made a lasting impact on the wizard. He was reminded that had a friend, someone who wouldn’t die, someone who will be there as long as he was. It was there, in the small rented room, that the master wizard pledged his loyalty to the undead.