=Vicis=

My new boots tapped the ground as I made my landing, billowing cloak settling to rest on my shoulders. I return my weight to normal and view the smooth surface of the crater, taking two steps forward to it’s edge as I do.

*Good, she left like I told her to.*

A third step and I was gone, sliding down it’s unnatural sides. I leaned back and placed a hand behind me as I did so to steady myself. I reach the bottom dust myself off. While doing so, I caught sight of my black speckled hands and my many reflections that stared back in each individual speck.

*I’ll need to get gloves.*

In no hurry, I made my way to the epicenter of the depression. The sun just clearing the tree tops as it had the horizon earlier, throwing their long shadows across the ground. The shadows under my cloak fizzled uncomfortably, but under the cloth they didn’t fully evaporate.

*....I didn’t give her a meeting place or a way to contact me did I?*

I shrug my shoulders,and wing it. Stretching out my range of sensing I search for Iszith. I parse through the surrounding spiritual energy searching for something. My thinking was perhaps that she now had a body she would leave one behind like I had.

I doubted though that I would find anything. She had been the one who taught me how to hold it in after all, but still I made the effort.

*Well then.*

Within seconds I found a prominent trail of the dark energy about 70 paces to my left. I leaped out of the crater, slipping on a rock when I land. Stumbling I correct myself and continue to follow the residual energy.

Following her trail I found that she had circled around to the opposite side of town and then moved deeper into the forest. Not wanting to make her wait any longer I started to move at my fastest speed, the landscape bleeding together into a familiar blur.

After a half hour of running the trail ended, leaving me with little else to go on. Scratching the side of my head I could only look around, hoping to find another mark of her passing.

*This is just fanta-*

“Boo!”

I launched myself, turning mid-air to face. Upon my landing a girlish giggle sounded throughout the forest, a familiar glossy black women standing before me.

“Izwith?”

*I flubbed*

“Mhm, did I scare you?”

Its then I noticed my crouched position. Clearing my throat I stand up, dusting off my person. Strange, very strange. What happened to her quiet and shy nature? I peer at her featureless face, trying to read it, but of course I can’t.

“Are you alright Iszith?”

“Fine, why do you ask?”

*To be fair I’ve only been with her a little while.*

“...No reason, So you can talk now?”

“Yep, and….”

Her body melted and flowed across the grass. Reaching me it flowed onto one of my boots. She then flows up my leg, leaving a trail of cold behind her. She stops at my chest and stretches across my entire body in a thin layer under my clothes. Light, extremely so for something that had been a fully sized person moments earlier. Also, seeing as I’m not suffocating to death she must have added perforations so I could breath.

“....t-this....”

So she can control her form to a ridiculous extent and speak in our usually way when touching.

*Now she’s back to being shy.*

I stretch my arms out before me, inspecting the lustrous shine of my second skin.

“....How did you know we could talk mind to mind again if we were touching?”

“I-I just knew…..”

“Can always count on you for a thorough explanation.”

“S-sorry….”

“By the way...”

“Yes….?”

“Did you have to cover my whole body?”

“...............” Something shifts.

“Thank you.” With that little problem out of the way I continue my questioning.

“So, you can liquify yourself and harden since you're able to keep your shape. How hard can you make yourself?”

“..s-semi soft….”

*...............….*

“Can you change into a blade or something? I want to test it.”

She flows, the entire suit collecting into my hand into a simple ball, leaving me once again clad in only my normal clothes. A sharpened tip burst from it and extends, the ball shrinking as it does. At the end I’m left with a simple two sided blade and handle, no cross-guard or pommel.

Taking position before one of the many trees I swing the impromptu sword, and am left with utter disappointment. The blade bounced off, even bent when it hit the tree. Bringing it closer to my eyes I inspect the razor sharp looking edges. Taking my finger I touch the blades tip.

Nothing, it bends under my finger like a blade of grass. Inspecting the rest off it brings the same results. Just like she’d said it was “semi soft”, having a texture similar to skin despite it’s glossy appearance.

“Anything else?”

“The sun doesn’t seem to affect me as much, although it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Alright then. Let’s go back to town, I need to talk to someone.”

The useless sword breaks down, flowing back onto my body as it had been before.

“Damnit Iszith”

==

Back in town I stood on a rooftop, observing a manor surrounded by stone walls high enough to match any house. Watching the guards on their patrols, mentally marking their paths throughout the complex.

“This place is huge, well, the bigger it is the more ground the guards have to cover. Also means I have more to search."

"Y-yeah..."

Iszith was still wrap around me in her slightly-less than full body suit. I had followed Count Sarc’s group as far as the manor. I didn’t bother though seeing where they kept him, a fact that I sorely regret. Luckily Count Sarc seemed to live in town making it easy work to follow them.

The wind blows, forcing me to pull my cloak tighter around me. I had waited for night to fall once again before coming, and it had a had a crisp chill unlike the comfortable coolness that the day had held. Luckily the wall doesn't pose much of a problem for me so getting onto the grounds should be easy.

I saw no cages or other such contraptions outside meaning they held him somewhere inside the manor. That made this a tad harder than I’d originally thought. If I wanted to talk to that man, the “Banshee”, then I’d have to get inside. That by itself wasn’t hard, I am able to just slip through the walls.

I was more worried about how close of a guard they kept him under, anything more than a single person and there would be problems. I don’t know how many I could drain at once but I didn’t want to risk testing it now.

With the coast clear I jumped, clearing the wall and putting me halfway between it and the manor. I rolled on impact, weary of a repeat of the tree incident. Running the rest of the way I pressed myself against the closest wall and pushed only my head through the wall. Seeing an empty room I pulled the rest of me in.

I went throughout the rest of the building in the same manner, checking it room by room. My worries now seemed unfounded since I didn’t need to go out into the hallways where most of the guards were.

As serious as the entire endeavor was, I wasn’t able to stop myself from imagining how I silly I must have looked sticking only my head through the walls. With the slight amusement I felt from Iszith she must have realized the same thing. A few rooms later into my search a muffled scream rang out.

*Below?*

I phased through the floor dropping myself into a bare room of stone. Directly in front of me stood two men. One’s facing me on his knees and chained to the walls, his bare chest blackened and smoking, the “Banshee”. Luckily he had his head down so he hadn’t seen me yet. Before him stood the other, he had his back facing me and in in his hand a glowing piece of iron.

A brand.

He placed it back into the lit brazier next him and turned around, his face colored with surprise when he noticed me. I hoped and kneed him in the groin, stabbing him through the throat with my dirk. Looking at the abject surprise and pain on his face the corners of my mouth twitched at the irony. It was likely the same face the Banshee had worn when being branded.

“V-vicis?”

“Sorry, I’ll focus now.”

Now’s not a good time to be distracted. Iszith withdrew until she was hidden by my clothes, stepping closer to the Banshee, even kneeling his head was level with mine. Crouching I brought my head below his so that I may look up at his face and dull eyes. I uttered seven simple words.

“Would you like to save your family?”

I stumble back surprised at his sudden surge forward. It was cut short by the short chains that held him. Looking at them though for some reason I had no confidence that they could hold him for long. His gaze now burning with a new light, though it dimmed upon seeing what I was.

*Does he see a child or a monster?* I had no idea if his sensing capabilities were as good as Wraiths but he surely held some. Whether it would be enough to see what I am was the true question though.

It remained though, hope…… and suspicion.

“What are you?” I startled at his deep gravelly voice, one so much like Varith’s own father.

I let a wan smile stretch across my face as I tried to purge such thoughts, “A devil looking for a deal?” I tried a joke to try and stifle the tense atmosphere, but seeing the way his eyes narrowed it’d obviously failed.

*A monster then.*

“You know what I want, what do you want.” Surely from the outside this must have been a comical scene. A giant of a man facing down a child so seriously, yet to the both of us it was of a matter of great importance.

“Information, thats all.”

“Of?”

“Certain things.” He thought of me as a powerful figure right now and I had no plan of breaking that image by asking what town we’re in.

“Deal.” A response with no hesitation. I struggled to keep the corners my lips from curling downwards, Varith’s father appearing once again in my thoughts.

*He’s not even my father, stop thinking of him so much.*

I gave a slow nod, a sudden flash of inspiration overtaking me. Conveying my intentions to Iszith I move my hand over to his smoldering brand, a two stylized snakes wrapped around a staff. She flows down my arm and trickles down my fingers until the entire thing is covered. I let a minute pass before having her retract, leaving behind a glossy black image in the same shape.

“Break our deal and…..” I give another smile.

Getting a small nod I reach over to the locks for his manacles, letting Iszith flow into the keyhole. The first one unlocks and releases his hand, he shakes it around to get the feeling back. Suddenly h-

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==

Done!

Alright so I tried adding some comedy, what did you guys think of it?

Another thanks to my PR Leon Das for his help!

Now for an apology, as this will likely be my only pots for awhile, like a long while. I've got exams now and unfortunately they take precedent.

But, it's not like I'm won't b doing anything, looking at spins review on his first page a lot of his points hit home for me.

So while I won't be posting new boaters for awhile I will be working on the old ones to improve them. So I'm going to ask a favor of you guys.

Complain.

I want you to flood the comment sections of this chapter with absolutely any complaints you have no matter if they pertain to the story, my grammar, or my writing style.

Well guys I'll thank you for your feedback in advance and don't hold back. I'm expecting a whipping here.