The Stolen Phylactery

"And now... The incanters and target," Severos said. "Oh, you never told me the book's title. What is it?" he asked Jace.

Jace did not answer. Severos turned around and froze. He saw him the same time he felt him. The dark shadows that pulled from the corners to "Jace" came with the tangible feeling of dread that he cloaked himself in.

"The Mortith," answered Shade. He flexed his hands, shadow blades pooling into smokey existence. "Now you will-"

"Fulmen!" Responded Severos, thrusting his hand forward with a clawed gesture. Lightning suddenly streaked from his hand and struck Shade in the chest. Backwards the dark spectre fell, door slamming open as Severos turned and scrambled for his wand. Fingers closed around the hawthorne as Shade coalesced back inside.

This time, Shade moved fast with his blades. Severos barely moved out of the way, feeling the air swish above from the blades. He called forth his will again, this time focusing the Weave into the wand. "Protege me a malitia!" Severos incanted.

The blades slipped forward again as Severos brought his wand upwards as if to parry. The spell wrapped tightly around him as the blades met thin wood. A grey-white flash at impact signified that he had casted successfully, even as the pinprick of pain from the impact flared in his head.

"Smart. You are decent, that I give you, you are no match for the darkness," Shade remarked.

"You can not have it," Severos said to him, his voice an anger that was not his own. "None can have it! It is mine! MINE!"

He felt a haze go over him as he feared himself. But the need to protect the book had turned to a jealous need for it. He was the only one to have it!

Shade decided he had to end it quickly if he was to claim the book, lest this wizard summon more powerful spells. He slashed at Severos again, this time allowing his power into his blows. He could see the pain he was causing him as he whittled down the shield spell.

Severos had a spell ready, planning on transmuting him. But Shade proved his ability to fight and his power against Severos. Young Aven suffered the blows and felt his will waning with each heavy strike, pinpricks of pain growing in size. Finally, Shade broke his guard; the flash of the shield spell was slightly brighter as it failed. Shade summoned up as much shadows as he could before seizing the mage and throwing him against the wall. Books spilled from a shelf as Severos raised his wand.

"No," Shade simply said. He batted the wand out of his hand and threw him again. Severos reeled, slamming onto the dirt floor. He crawled forward, battered, as he reached out to the spot of dirt that the Mortith hid under. "Mine... It is my burden... Mine!"

"Not anymore," Shade spoke, allowing the shadows to bleed down over the mage. He made sure he did not kill him. So much of himself was in the young man and the bitch priest that summoned him did not need to know that he lived. With a curious look to the ground, he used the shadows to raise the chest that lay hidden. It dismissed the spells with a stabbing into the lock.

The power inside surprised even Shade. Something definitely was in this book. He was careful to not touch it as the shadows levitated it into a waiting satchel. He left the mage then, content with his accomplishment.

((Some Time Later))

Reise threw a bucket of cold creek water onto Severos, causing the young mage to bolt upright from the shock.

“Where’s the book!?”

The moment Severos failed to immediately answer, Riese heaved the second bucket upon him with a torrential splash. “Who did you let take it?! What possible reason could you have for showing the thing to a stranger?!” Reise glanced at Orla and saw she was trying to follow his line of reasoning. “Yeah, it's the only thing that makes any sense here. But it baffles me why Severos would do something so boneheadedly stupid.”

Sputtering and gasping, Severos looked up at Reise with eyes dulled by incomprehension. This time Reise didn’t demand an answer nor wait for a response before assaulting him with the third bucket, the force of the water sending Severos falling onto his side on the wet floor, shivering from the cold.

Seeing Orla’s shocked expression, Reise gave a half shrug as he set the bucket down. “What? I filled three.”

Finally, he snapped somewhat to his senses. He moved upwards and seized Reise. "Damn you! The power is MINE!" Severos hissed, face screwed into an uncharacteristic hatred and lust for power. He blinked then and released the man, backing away and leaning against the wall. He breathed deeply to center himself before he truly looked.

"Orla?" He said with surprise. He looked to Reise. "I... I am sorry... I don't know what came over..." It was then that he realized what Reise had said and he dove for the empty chest. Crestfallen, he turned back to the two. "Quickly, did you see an old man leave from here, cloaked in shadows?"