Nico didn't take long to rejoin them on the porch, Mak tried his best to not show that he overheard Nico, he tried to act like he normally does and not ask what Nico was doing, Gabriel as always didn't care at all and yawned as a sign to show that he was bored waiting for Renata...

Gabriel-What time is it? Shouldn't she be here already?

Nico-It's half-past eleven, I doubt that the bar would close so soon, people like to drink until very late into the night.

Gabriel-What are we supposed to do then? I thought there is an evil warlock on the loose.

Nico-There is no way to single out one man in this village, I have a plan when Renata returns.

Mak-What is this plan?

Nico-I have brought with me sleeping powder from the remnants of a dryad.

Mak-How the fuck did you find a dryad?

Nico-The Vatican has arranged for this kind of equipment.

Gabriel-What the fuck is a dryad?

Mak-You remember Lynn?

Gabriel-The fairy?

Mak-Well dryads are similar in appearence but they are considered an evolved form of the fairies, they are nature spirits and they possess a direct connection with the earth, they can communicate with every nature being, treants, animals, they have a network of the entire nature itself sharing information with one another, basically, dryads share each other's brains and act as a multi-body organism.

Gabriel-What. The. Fuck?

Mak-I didn't expect you to understand, the issue here is that dryads are almost impossible to find, being nature spirits they are not on this plane, they are living in a different plane and only appear when there are catastrophic disasters in a part of their region, think huge forest fires or floods or humans.

Nico-One of our head priests is a master level summoner, he performed a spiritual summoning spell to summon a dryad and bind her, the development did some research and duplicated the effect from the dryad's spores, we now can mass produce this sleeping powder, I am planning to use it on Renata and then look into her mind with the Helm of True Sight.

Mak-What? I thought that helmet of yours could just see auras.

Nico-The Helm of True Sight provides a lot of information, it can also trace the after-effects of magic, if Ozymandias has tampered with her mind then there should be traces of the magic spell.

Gabriel-Wait, shouldn't we have used it on Luis then? It seemed like he couldn't remember who it was that bought the smokes. You should have used it already.

Nico-Hmmm.

Mak-Great idea, Gabriel.

Gabriel-Really?

Mak-Of course, as a matter of fact, I think Nico should be walking around with a strange helmet all the time, I am sure this wouldn't be suspicious at all, everyone has a magical helmet nowadays and wears it as an accessory in everyday life.

Gabriel-Ok, I got it.

Mak-No, no, I think Nico should go around and ask around for everyone to stop and take a look at them while wearing the Helm of True Sight, it's completely normal.

Gabriel-You can stop now.

Mak-I have a better idea! Nico, you should go to the bar with the helmet and start screaming, "We are looking for a Polish warlock! Come and let me read your mind! We are good guys!".

Gabriel-One more of these and I am gonna rip your tongue out.

Mak lowered his eyes and apologized after getting a very frightening look from Gabriel.

Mak-Ok...

Nico explained his plan to Gabriel and Mak, time was passing by and the three guys were just sitting at the porch, it was almost 1 a.m when Luis walked up the stairs to the porch where they waited for Renata...

Luis-How are you doing? Did you enjoy your drink at Renata's?

Nico-Yes, she offered us drinks as a welcome and we had a good time, we are thinking of going sightseeing tomorrow, what would you recommend?

Luis-There are plenty of things to see here, Mr.Nico, if you ask me the only place you would have to avoid is the chappel at the end of the town, the place has been abandoned for years and there is only rubble inside, it wouldn't be safe to go in there as the building hasn't been tended in years and the slightest disturbance could bring ruble on your head.

The last sentence caught Mak's attention, why should they stay clear of the chapel? The only way to find out is for Mak to use his social skills to extract information out of Luis without raising any suspicion, that sentence could mean anything after all. It might be Ozymandias hiding spot or it could be something else, Luis said that he grows his own tobacco, it wouldn't be a surprise if he has also hidden other stuff somewhere and that might also be the case, Mak had to be subtle in getting information out of Luis, that's when he got another idea...

Mak-Damn, we are actually big fans of Christian temples, we wanted to visit the chapel first thing in the morning, strange that no one has come to restore and maintain the chappel for so long. We have visited many temples and churches in our travels, Nico even has an artifact from such a place, show Luis your helmet.

Nico was a clever man, he realized what Mak's intention was and he proceeded to play along...

Nico-Oh yes, this is a helmet of a holy man in Rome, Italy, I think it looks good on me, like a knight...

Nico put on the Helmet of True Sight and looked straight at Luis.

Mak-So why is it that the chappel has been abandoned?

Luis-I can't remember why, I think it was because the priest responsible for the temple died and no one came to take his place, when was it again? It's been so long I can't remember.

Right at that time, while Luis was having trouble to remember the information about the chappel it was when Nico saw traces of magic all around him, the helmet showed Nico the energies of a very strong spell surrounding Luis, almost like black hands grabbing his head, pressuring it from all angles.

Mak-I see, well, I guess we will just have to roam around, thanks for telling us about the chappel, it would be terrible if a large rock fell on little Gabe's head, it would make him even dumber, hahaha.

Gabriel wasn't exactly aware of the situation at this point and Mak's comment that was designed to lighten the situation made him a bit mad, he had trouble controlling his feelings thanks to that thing in his head, like a different personality,

he looked at Mak with malice in his eyes, he hasn't ever looked at someone like that apart from the time he faced Marbas, someone he truly wanted to kill, despite that he managed to identify himself getting angry and remembered what the other guy told him, that he was basically instinctively enhancing his emotions, he then closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down by doing some controlled breathing. Luis returned to his own room and said his goodnight to them, he used to check every resident at night to make sure everything was fine, he walked passed a couple of other rooms of the motel and interacted with them as well, meanwhile, Gabriel noticed a figure in a distance, with his enhanced senses he saw Renata coming back to the motel, he gave a heads up to Mak and Nico to be prepared, the plan was for Mak who has thus far the best social skills to get Renata's attention and hold her

there long enough for no one to be around, pulling the same trick as with Luis wouldn't cut it this time, they needed enough time to identify the spell if there are traces on Renata and for that to work they needed her to stay still while Nico would examine the magic energy with the helmet, while Mak has her attention, Nico will use the dryad sleeping powder to put her to sleep and then continue with their plan. Gabriel and Nico went inside the room and Mak was sitting alone at the wooden porch, there were two glasses on the table and bottle of wine, Mak had the idea that trying to seduce Renata would do the trick, even a failed attempt would buy them enough time, going by Mak's words: "Women are complicated creatures, even if they reject you, they will still try to justify that decision, they feel obligated and they talk too much, add some sauce and voila!".

Renata walked up the stairs and saw Mak sitting at the porch, he waved at her and she smiled back, she walked close to Mak and sat down opposite from him, Mak had occupied the chair looking at the door of the room and left one chair facing the other way so Renata would have no vision of the room door that Gabriel and Nico were standing behind...

Mak-You must be exhausted, there were many customers at your place tonight, let me pour you a glass and you can rest a bit, clear your mind from all the hustle.

Renata-That would be very sweet of you.

Mak poured Renata a glass of wine and kept an eye at the central area of the motel, there were still people outside that would pose a problem if they saw a man blowing sleeping powder in a girls face at this hour, Mak had to continue with his plan.

Mak-This must be a nice change of pace for you, right? Someone else serving wine to you.

Renata-Yeah, actually, I can't remember when it was the last time I could just sit and enjoy some wine, I can't exactly complain that my bar has so many customers but it would be nice if I could relax from time to time.

Mak-You see, that's why so many people gather at your place, your cheerful attitude is what makes you so popular, I bet there are a lot of guys who like your personality and that's why they come by your bar.

Renata-I don't know, I am just acting the way I feel is right, I don't think my place is doing so well because of just me.

Mak-Don't kid yourself, your attitude is magnetizing people, I know it has worked on me anyway.

Renata blushed, she finally figured out that Mak was trying to hit on her. Mak was looking straight into her eyes with the most honest look on his face as he could do, meanwhile, Renata felt a bit uncomfortable by the whole situation and started avoiding looking back at Mak, that gave him the chance to check around for any witnesses, he continued acting flirty with her but didn't get any actual response, Renata was trying to put herself down while Mak was complimenting her appearance and personality with every chance he got, it wasn't long until the coast was clear and Mak called for the plan to begin...

Mak-Now.

Renata was confused by Mak saying "Now, completely out of context, he pointed behind her and there was Nico, he blew the sleeping powder on her face and it worked instantly, the dryad sleeping powder was very powerful, as soon as Renata fell asleep, they carried her inside the room, Nico put on the helmet and begun looking at Renata to see if there are traces of magic around her...

Gabriel-This doesn't feel very right.

Mak-Huh?

Gabriel-We are supposed to be the good guys, this plan just makes us look like scum.

Nico-We need information, Gabriel, I also dislike this plan but it's the best thing we can do as of now, Luis is under the effects of a spell alright, the fact that he can't remember anything about the man buying the smokes and the chappel indicates that there is a connection between the two, if Renata is also under the effects of a spell then Mak can proceed with asking her as soon as she wakes up.

Gabriel-And how would he explain the fact that you threw sleeping powder at her face?

Nico-She won't remember anything about that, people can't recall what happens in the seconds before falling asleep, the last thing she probably remembers is Mak flirting with her.

Mak-So? Can you see anything?

Nico-Yes, there is definitely some energies around her, the spell is much more powerful than the one that was on Luis, I can see even the origins of the magic, it seems like a necromantic sign.

Gabriel-What?

Mak-Necromancy is a very powerful form of magic, it basically gives you power over life and death, you can reanimate anything with necromantic powers. The spell was probably to kill a certain part of her brain functions, a spell like that doesn't sound very powerful but using necromancy like that requires decades of practice of something this complicated, if performed correctly, it is an irreversible spell, it basically means that part of her mind is completely gone, why would someone go to this extent and not use a normal mind spell?

Gabriel-Power over life and death? Does that mean, it can revive dead people?

Mak-No, once something dies, it's soul is claimed by the rightful owner, be it a god or celestial being or a demon, depends on what the person has done while they were alive, necromancy turns the anything into a basic construct, it is alive and yet not, there is no person inside the vessel, it gives you control over the body and makes it perform simple tasks, however, there is a way to make a soul inhabit a vessel.

Gabriel-What is it?

Nico was also paying close attention to what Mak was saying and didn't focus on Renata. He was intrigued and couldn't help but listen to Mak's talking.

Mak-With advanced use of necromancy you could basically force a soul out of a body and transfer it to another vessel, one of the hardest spells to perform but still possible, Faust has done it, when Satan came to collect his soul he had performed such a spell to switch bodies with his wife, that's how he tricked Satan and he got her soul out of his body, with the ritual already done, Faust used a mechanism to activate it and his soul returned to his body, that's the only case I know of someone using necromancy in that advanced level.

Gabriel-So it's just like swapping bodies?

Mak-Kind of, an esper can also do something similar, depending on how strong the esper's vessel is, he can project himself out of his body and enter another human, doing so requires the person to be unconscious and the esper has no control over his own body, the effect ends as soon as the psychic energy in the esper's vessel is drained and it's drained rapidly by such an act. Using necromancy to pull something similar is not just hard, it's basically impossible, that's why the name Faust was written in history books.

Gabriel-What if a person is dead? Isn't there any way to call them back?

Mak-Souls enter another plane as soon as they are disconnected from the vessel, there is a brief moment where the soul is hovering around the vessel waiting to be collected, if a master necromancer is close by, it would theoretically be possible to force that soul to enter a vessel and before saying that you could put it back to the dead guy, no, that vessel obviously has died for some reason. There would be no reason to just put it back, that can't be said for another vessel though.

Gabriel-What if there is someone with multiple souls in their body?

Mak-That's not possible, even shamans who can conjure spirits and allow them to take control of their bodies can't inhabit a vessel for long, a vessel cannot host more than one soul.

???-(Ignorant pest).

Gabriel-What about demons then?

Mak-Demonic possession is also similar, the demon attempts to enter a body and a spiritual fight begins, the demon has control over the body only after it has extracted the previous soul. With that in mind, I am sure you can guess how strong a necromancy spell is against demons, someone with enough power and knowledge would be able to control even high-class demons since they are considered stray souls while in our plain, necromancers and warlocks often work together and if they are capable, then, things can get ugly.

Nico-In matters of demonic possession there is only one thing acceptable, exorcism.

Mak-Yes, I agree, there is no reason to let a necromancer poke around a possessed person when there are powerful priests there to perform a less risky method of getting rid of the demon, apart from that, necromancy is way too powerful and for a spell like that to be used on Renata, we are dealing with someone who has had many years to practice and is familiar with necromancy of the levels that Faust once used, there is no denying that Ozymandias has played a part in this.

Nico-I agree, we already know that he has Faust's notes in his possession, this confirms that he has at least been here, we finally have a clue. What I don't understand is why would he use such a spell on an innocent girl? Rotten piece of scum.

Mak-The only possible explanation would be that Renata knew way more than she should and the only way to erase that knowledge was to use magic of a much higher level, Ozy definitely doesn't want to be found, the only thing remaining is to ask her about the chappel, if she has blanks in her memory then that's the place we should take a look at.

Gabriel had some time to think while Mak laid out the plan, it seemed weird how Mak said that two souls couldn't inhabit the same body and he seemed quite sure of that statement, even so, there is another person inhabiting Gabriel, he heard him while Mak made that claim, he thought that this guy he has been talking to is just a fiction that he made, how could that be though? Is it possible that Gabriel just created a second personality in his own head?

Gabriel-Are you certain that there can't be two souls in one body?

Mak-Yes, as far as I know, I told you that necromancers can place souls in empty vessels, if the vessel is capable of living that is, remember Koma?

Gabriel-Who?

Mak-The Shinigami, he had a weapon that could cut the soul loose from the vessel, if you had something like that, then you would have a vessel ready to support another soul and basically place a soul inside it. Most souls are disconnected after the vessel has lost the ability to support life, that's why the souls hover for a brief second there, until the one who has the right to claim them comes or sends an agent to collect them.

Nico-An agent?

Mak-You guys also have people like that. When a priest reads the last rites to someone, he basically claims their souls and they are sent to purgatory after they die, Shinigami act differently, they separate the soul brief moments before it

disconnects by itself, the Shinigami then claim those few moments to extend their own lifetime, the souls are then sent to Yama, the most known powerful agents I know off are probably the Orthodox agent Samael, Charon of the Greek Pantheon and the Grim Reaper, Death.

Gabriel-You are confusing me.

Mak-Don't worry, Gabe, that's way too advanced knowledge for an idiot like you.

Gabriel-Fuck off.

Nico-I can't simply agree with what you are saying, Mak, my faith won't allow me to believe in these pagan things.

Mak-I don't want to ruin your faith, Nico, I am simply sharing my knowledge, it's your right to believe in what you want.

Nico-Calling it knowledge instead of belief implies that you are certain of this stuff, thus diminishing every other form of faith.

Mak-Yeah...And no, many religions claim to be true and call every other a hoax, you can't deny the existence of things you have seen with your own eyes, I am sure you have seen stuff that your faith doesn't recognize.

Nico-Every creature I have faced is just an enemy, nothing more.

Mak-Alright, she is waking up by the way.

Renata was starting to come back to her senses and before it was too late they placed her back at the table on the porch, Mak also took his position and he picked up the act again...

Renata-What happened.

Renata was grabbing her forehead as she has just come back to her senses.

Mak-You fell asleep for a second there, you must be really tired. I wanted us to spend some time alone but I think you should get to your room and rest.

Renata blushed again, she found the excuse she wanted to leave Mak, she stood up and reached for her key in her pocket, that's when Mak proceeded with his question.

Mak-Hey, if you have the time, would you like to show me around tomorrow, I was thinking of going to the chapel, you and I.

Renata-No, you can't go near the chappel.

Mak-Why?

Renata-Because...Wait, why? I can't remember, no, the chappel is dangerous, it needs maintenance and what...

Mak-(Bingo). Ok, go and have some rest, you look really tired, I'll see you tomorrow.

Gabriel, Mak and Nico now are certain, with what the Helm of True Sight has shown and Renata's answers there is a clear plan to follow, the first thing they have to do is go to the chappel, all signs show that there are traces of necromantic spells around people and they all agree in staying away from the chappel, all clues show that Ozymandias is probably connected with them and the chappel, the real search is finally ready to begin now that they have a clear place to look for, the only thing that is remaining is for Mak to find out what Nico was talking about, he is still suspicious of Nico from what he overheard and he needs to keep his cool until the right moment, he can't let Gabriel know anything because there is no way to tell what he might do, for now, the only thing he can do is go with the flow.