Nix traded glances with Semmi; neither was happy about having to go around Chael. He had been a good friend to both of them. He left Inferno for the second time after failing to make up with Nansu; neither had kept tabs on him since then.

Ronnie took a book from her inventory, opened it on the counter. "It's a Coven sign, of course. It has its roots from the early days of Everspire before the dragons came up from the core."

"Is this group dangerous? One of the kids that Wind saved had that symbol on her shoulder." Semmi pulled up her hud, immediately noticing that Wind's status was listed as unavailable. "Crap... Check this out."

Nix glanced at the hud; he'd already known about the status. It had changed during the night; shortly afterward, Lubo had been summoned from the Thieves Guild. "Let's give Wind a chance to make his play. If he hasn't reported in by the time we're done, we'll bail him out."

The blonde officer rubbed her hands together. "Maybe it will be a prison break."

/Alpha: Ronnie: I'll help with Chael. We should start now; no one will be expecting a diversion in the middle of the day.

/Alpha: Nix: Got an idea? I don't want to fight him or take anything of his.

/Alpha: Ronnie: Sure. Chael has his own luxury coach; you should see the team of horses that pull it. They are big, like Clydesdales, and black as coal.

Nix cleared his throat with a cough.

/Alpha: Nix: Does he keep them at the mansion?

/Alpha: Ronnie: Nope, sends them back to his compound until it's time to pick him up again.

/Alpha: Nix: Well... as the lesser of two evils, it seems as if stealing the horses could be a good diversion.

/Alpha: Semmi: We won't really take them, though, right? It's just a diversion.

/Alpha: Nix: Right. Right, a diversion.

Ronnie glanced over at Bali, who was still writing in the ledger. "Why don't you put that away, hun. We have some horses to steal."

Bali closed the ledger, her blue eyes filled with mischief. "Finally... Give me the details.

[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] You want me to steal those horses? Or just cause a panic.

[Whisper: Nix to Ronnie] Borrow them. I'll return them to Chael when he comes back to Inferno.

*****************

The heavy metal doors swung wide, causing all three group members to squint against the glare. Dozens of lamps adorned the room, causing it to be unnaturally bright. Beyond the doors was a large rectangular room; the sides were lined with pews like the ones you'd see in a church. At the front of the room was a large throne.

/Gemini: Mimi: That's made of bones. Can I have it?

/Gemini: Wind: No. I'm taking it.

/Gemini: Rabi: I was going to ask.

The room had one occupant, a pale man, clad in a loincloth, and covered in tattoos. Black antlers extended outward from either side of his head, his eyes were closed, and he seemed unaware of their presence.

/Gemini: Wind: I'm guessing that the moment we approach, he's gonna wake up.

/Gemini: Rabi: I fought someone like him before. He looks like a summoner.

/Gemini: Mimi: I can CC up to three. You'll have to deal with anything more than that.

/Gemini: Wind: Understood. Let's go.

Rabi has shared [Enemy Information].

Atilla the Warlock: Summoner

Weaknesses: Fire Damage.

/Gemini: Wind: Fire damage. It figures.

/Gemini: Mimi: Huh?

/Gemini: Wind: Nothing.

[Quartered][Backstab][Double Strike]

Triple Combination partially Successful.

Atilla is immune to control effects.

Rabi has landed a critical strike!

Rabi has landed a significant strike x2!

Atilla's black eye's blinked open as he sprang to the middle of the stage. A long and gnarled wooden staff appeared in his hands before sweeping outward in a wide arc.

[Air Blades]

Atilla has landed a strike against Rabi.

Atilla has landed a strike against Wind.

Atilla has landed a strike against Mimi.

[Sudden Switch][First Strike][Backstab]

Triple Combination Successful.

Wind has landed a critical strike.

Wind has landed a critical strike.

The gnarled staff of the Warlock raised upward and then struck the ground with a deafening noise. Atilla has cast [Summon Minions].

Mimi has been stunned.

Rabi has resisted stun.

Wind has resisted stun.

A dozen creatures appeared around the Warlock. Their bodies were covered in brown splotches of fur; the skin beneath was scarred horribly. Man-like hands that ended in claws dragged the ground next to their hooved feet.

"KILL THEM, MY CHILDREN!"

The tiny demon darted in, weaving through the minions. Rabi has activated [Blood Bond]

All incoming damage is dispersed equally between any group member possessing demon blood.

[Flare][Defensive Strike]

Combination Successful.

A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.

A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.

A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.

A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.

A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.

Rabi's strike has delayed Atilla's next attack by 20 seconds.

/Gemini: Wind: Fall back.

Wind grabbed Mimi's arm and dragged her toward the door, while Rabi's dual daggers slashed at the pursuing minions.

Mimi has resisted stun.

[Dark Well][Blood Kin]

A barrier of water surrounds your group; no attacks will land for ten seconds.

Mimi has healed Wind's wounds.

Mimi has healed Rabi's wounds.

/Gemini: Mimi: That bitch...

The demon moved to the edge of the dark well. An instant later, her whip flashed out with a loud crack and wrapped around Atilla's gnarled staff.

[Successful Disarm: Gnarled Staff]

With a flick of her wrists, it arrived safely in her hands.

/Gemini: Wind: Retreat through the doorway; we need to limit their approach.

/Gemini: Mimi: I believe Atilla will reset, if we leave the room.

/Gemini: Wind: Shit... There's too many for an area this big.

/Gemini: Rabi: Demon King! Demon King!

/Gemini: Mimi: What?

The dark well expired just as the red gecko crawled out of his hiding spot. His dark eyes stared fearlessly at the approaching fiends.

[Fear the Demon King]

Atilla is immune to Fear.

The horrifying screams of terror echoed in the room as the fur-covered fiends mindlessly tried to escape; within seconds, they had all charged out of the room. Rabi followed behind them, pushing the door shut before bracing against it with his back. "Give Rabi the staff!"

/Gemini: Wind: Bar the door!

Mimi tossed him the staff, and turned back toward Atilla, who was still standing on the stage. Rabi pushed the staff through the inside handles, holding it in place with both hands.

[First Strike][Piercing Shadow][Backstab]

Triple Combination Successful.

Wind has landed a critical strike.

Wind has used the shadows to strike directly at his enemy's heart.

Wind has landed a significant strike.

Mimi has cast [Demon Blade][Demon Heart].

Wind's blades have become significantly sharper.

Wind's attack rating has been increased.

Rabi's blades have become significantly sharper.

Rabi's attack rating has been increased.

/Gemini: Mimi: Let me hold the door, help him, Rabi!

Mimi switched places with the smaller demon; a single bang against the door seemed to echo inside the room; it was followed by another and then another. The demon held stubbornly onto the staff, keeping it locked in place.

[Sudden Switch][Backstab][Double Slash]

Triple Combination Successful.

Rabi has landed a critical strike.

Rabi has landed a damaging blow on Atilla.

Rabi has landed a damaging blow on Atilla.

/Gemini: Wind: Get ready for another summons; he's at sixty percent!

The strikes against the outside of the Iron Door grew louder, as the fight continued. Atilla stayed close to the stage; whenever Rabi or Wind took damage, they would drop back long enough for Mimi to heal them.

/Gemini: Mimi: No, respawn?

/Gemini: Rabi: Stupid witch-man can't resummon them!

The rest of the battle was relatively easy. With the first round of fiends trapped outside, Atilla couldn't summon anymore. Since the group hadn't left the room, there was no reset.

[Double Stab][Backstab][Mortal Strike]

Triple Combination Successful.

Wind has landed a critical strike x2.

Wind has landed a significant strike.

Wind has landed a fatal strike.

Wind has slain Atilla.

Messaging has been reestablished with the outside.

Your reputation in Mocai has been raised to Ally.

Inferno's reputation in Mocai has increased.

The House of Tempest's reputation in Mocai has increased.

Wind stepped away from the fallen Warlock. "Holy crap... The fuck was that about?"

"I think I know." Mimi walked toward him, her lean hips swaying with each step. "I'll take this as my cut, if you don't mind."

Atilla's Gnarled Staff

Summoning Staff: Legendary

Description: Summon twelve, tier-one fiends to defend you whenever your health decreases by ten percent. If your fiends survive, you may not summon more. Atilla's Staff will increase the tier of the surviving fiends as your health approaches zero percent.

Mimi held her hand out, waiting for Wind to return the staff. "The banging on the outside of the door grew substantially as the fight progressed. It was obvious they were getting stronger."

Wind handed the staff back to her. "You still managed to hold the door."

Mimi favored him with a sexy smile, her dark eyes flashing with interest. "I've never seen anything like you."

The Gemini Thief froze like a deer in the headlights. "Well... I..."

Mimi extended a hand toward him, waiting patiently while Lubo stepped onto her dark palm. "So handsome too."

The red gecko stood calmly on her hand, his dark eyes watching carefully.

"A King of few words. Would you like to come with me?" Mimi's voice purred forth. Her dark lips frowned slightly when Lubo jumped back to Wind's shoulder.

/Gemini: Wind: Don't even think about it. He's my Spirit Companion.

/Gemini: Mimi: Fine. Come find me when you get home, Rabi.

"Take this, and call me if you get in trouble." Mimi handed the heart token to the red gecko, who held it easily.

/Gemini: Mimi: I'll play with you again, Wind.

The Black Water Mage ported out a few moments later, causing Wind to sigh with relief.

"Great Demon King! Please give Rabi the heart token!" Rabi pleaded shamelessly with the gecko. However, the token was already gone. The tiny demon flopped onto the ground. "I'm filled with jealousy..."

There was a single black chest sitting in front of the Throne. Wind picked it up and stowed it away. "We'll split it when we get out of here."

Rabi shook his head slightly. "Let me have the throne, and you can keep the stupid box!"

Wind considered the request for a moment. "Fine."

"Summon me anytime!" Rabi hugged Wind's legs for a moment and then darted toward the throne. An instant later, they both disappeared.

Wind stared at the empty stage for a moment, before stroking the gecko's tummy with the back of his finger. "Good job, Lubo."

The red gecko stared wordlessly at him, his webbed hands holding Wind's finger.

"You some sort of ladies man now?" Wind grinned at the silent Demon King. "Going to inspect you."

Demon King Lubo

Description: A tiny gecko-like

creature, may change colors at will.

Special Characteristic: Immune to Fire.

[Attack Rating: None]

[Defense Rating: None]

[Special Ability: Mass Hysteria]

Minions 1/4

1: Mimicry Zul

Wind has joined Alpha.

/Alpha: Wind: We're back.

/Alpha: Nix: About time. Head back to the Thieves Guild, and I'll open a breach.

/Alpha: Wind: On it.