Morning came and found Prisolyna, Turwyn, and Gild wandering through town. They had risen with the sun, surprising Gild considering their late night, ate a quick breakfast of porridge from the inn, and went out.

“How are we supposed to find this Necromancer anyways? Do you have enough knowledge of them to just walk in and ask if they remember you?” Gild asked.

Prisolyna shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I actually never met the necromancer themself.”

“What?”

“I used an intermediary, but was well aware of who they were and what they were doing.”

“Do you have a name for them?”

“No, I never got one. They just used a code name, Bone Whisperer or something like that.”

Turwyn’s eyebrows shot up. “Did they intend to be quite that frank with what they were doing?”

The elf shrugged. “Subtlety is not some people's strong suit.”

“A bit of fair warning though, the intermediary may not be exactly warm and welcoming. Let me do the talking and we will get through this fine.”

“Huh,” Turwyn said, smiling. “Thieves don't welcome outsiders into their mix. That is quite the shocking revelation.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Gild too much,” Prisolyna shot back, a mock scowl on her face.

“Hey!” Turwyn seemed to be feeling better, more relaxed even. Perhaps the sharing of his burden with others had lessened the weight he felt on his shoulders? Gild felt better, he had to admit, but there was still a little bit of discomfort. He was not prone to sharing personal feelings and items with anyone except Giselle, but it had been years since he could do that.

Sharing the fact he was a warlock had been a huge gamble, and one he was infinitely glad had worked out. That axe on Turwyn’s back could have easily cut him clean in two if the paladin had decided killing him was the way he would earn his Seraphim’s approval.

That feeling kept tickling at the back of his neck, a buzzing pressing thing. As they walked he realized something in his pack was acting up. The only thing that would do so would be the stone Delvios had provided to contact him. The demon wouldn't be so stupid to try to contact him in the middle of the day would he? He could get Gild caught and blow everything they've been working on.

He tried to ignore it and kept walking with his two companions. The sun was bright and the day promised to be a beautiful one. It gave Gild a small sense of hope. Hope he would find a clue to get the soulstone. And with that, a small grain of hope he would one day see Giselle again.

“You’re fine, little one. Pardon me,” Turwyn said behind him. Was he talking to Gild, why would he need to be pardoned? The buzzing was only getting worse in the back of Gild’s head. Had he inadvertently bumped into the paladin while they were walking? Turning, he saw Turwyn a few steps behind him, watching another gnome go darting off into the crowd.

Had that gnome stolen from the paladin? Is that what caused this little disturbance? Speaking of, it wasn't very often you saw other gnomes around these parts, they could have at least said hi to Gild if they had noticed them. He narrowed his eyes, watching the gnome sprint away. Something about them looked awfully familiar…

Searing pain split Gild's skull apart, branching from the top of his head behind his right eye, before finishing at his chin. He staggered, closing his eyes and grabbing his head. There was a low moaning sound, though he couldn't be sure if he was just hearing it or if he was actually making the sound.

He nearly fell over before feeling a large pair of arms grab him and help keep him upright. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few seconds, the pain passed and Gild could manage to crack his eyes open. He found Prisolyna’s blue freckled face inches from his, her eyebrows knit together in worry. Turwyn was bent over, trying to take a look at the gnome as well.

Sunlight was glaring down, forcing him to remain squinting. “I’m fine,” he said, pushing his head back a bit from the elf. “Really, I’m fine.”

“You didn't seem fine,” she said. “You were moaning like a moon elk in heat. It was the oddest thing.”

Turwyn nodded vigorously, still craning down to look at him.

“Really,” Gild said, patting Turwyn’s hands to let him go and standing up. “I’m fine. And how would you know what a moon elk sounds like in heat?”

Turwyn shrugged, “It was a terrifying, yet strangely primal moan escaping from you. What else could it have been compared to?”

“What was that?” Prisolyna asked.

Gild winced again. “Well, since you know all about my, ah, profession. It was my mana being drained by my… benefactor.” Gild glanced around at the people moving by. If anyone noticed his little fit they hadn't stopped to pay attention. “I don't want to discuss exact specifics, but essentially he uses this as a punishment for not getting what he wants done quickly enough.”

“What does he want done?” Turwyn asked.

“Well, he wants the soulstone that I’m chasing after.”

Turwyn’s eyes grew big and he frowned. “Wait. Are you telling me I’m helping you to get this soulstone only to have you deliver it to a demon, aiding them in whatever nefarious scheme they have working?”

“No, no!” Gild said quickly. “Absolutely not. I want to use the soulstone to lure Delvios out, then capture him and put him in it. With him and his brother, I can get to the Other and save Giselle.”

“He’d mentioned that last night,” Prisolyna said, shaking her head at the paladin.

“I can't help it, I naturally get suspicious around demons. You’ll have to forgive me if I need clear explanations a few times regarding your plan.” The three started walking down the street.

“Why would he punish you if you aren't getting the results he wanted by crippling you even further?” the Elf asked. “That makes no sense at all. It’s like if an animal you are racing isn't going quite fast enough, so you break its leg. What does that possibly achieve?”

“You’re asking me to understand and explain how demon’s minds work. It's an impossible task, even for one pacted with them.”

“Why choose a demon?” Turwyn asked. “Is that the only thing you can pact with, or are there other options?”

“There are definitely other options. Really any sort of creature with an affinity for magic and rudimentary intelligence. But demons are the easiest by far. They want to come to this realm and view us mortals as their way in. So they are eager to make pacts with less than favorable circumstances.”

“It seems like yours has the upper hand over you,” Turwyn said.

Gild paused before continuing. “He does. I was very, uh, eager, to get a pact and start looking for my wife. He provided what I saw as the best way to do so.”

“Desperate, you mean?” Prisolyna asked flatly.

“Mmm,” Gild said.

“Hey,” Turwyn said. “Where did your familiar go? Or would he actually be…?”

“He's an imp,” Gild said. “A demon. He comes and goes as needed. I can call him at any time but I let him do his own thing. Especially in towns, he makes himself scarce. We don't want any questions that we can avoid.”

“You don't have to worry about him wandering off and doing something demonic?”

Gild glanced at the paladin and saw he was being serious. Even Prisolyna looked a little concerned as she watched Gild, waiting for an answer.

The gnome couldn't help it. He let out a short chuckle. The idea of Tikpuk doing something harmful or evil was absolutely ridiculous. “No, I don't worry about that at all. Tikpuk is special. You know how all of our species have people ranging the whole spectrum of good and evil?”

The two others nodded.

“Well,” Gild continued. “Demons are sort of the same. Most , or nearly all, fall heavily to the evil side, at least in our interpretation. Tik falls on the good end of their scale, about the middle of ours. Think of him as the gruff war veteran, begrudgingly doing a good deed while punching someone who looked at him funny. He has a heart of gold but can’t let down the tough guy, or in Tik’s case, demonic, facade.”

“Is he near us now?”

Gild reached out and felt the small tug of Tik. He couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was but knew he was nearby. “Yeah, he's pretty close.”

Turwyn looked around, “I can't see him, is he hiding? Can he turn invisible?”

“Not invisible, he shifts in and out of our plane and the Other. Bit and Lesser demons can make the move pretty easily, with Bit making it seamlessly.”

“Hmm,” the paladin said, still glancing around. He didn't seem entirely comfortable being watched by Tik, but he wasn't lashing out and threatening to smite them as most paladins would, so Gild took it as a win.

“Once we get to the intermediaries Prisolyna was talking about, I’ll have him come back and keep an eye out for us like he did when we went back to Tiki’s pawn shop.”

“Good idea,” the elf nodded. Turwyn didn't say anything, but he didn't complain about it either.

Another win in Gild’s book. Gild sent out a general thought of keeping close to the imp. It wasn't a perfect science, but they had been together long enough to know each other's moods and meanings with the simple emotion based thoughts they could send to each other. He just hoped they would not really need him to watch out for them, a repeat of Tiki’s shop would be horrific.