Lord of Evil

Arkus Academy

Richard nodded to the brown haired boy - Zachary - as he made his exit. He was perfectly amicable, and considering he also used pact magic it was quite likely that they would see each other again. He turned to Arael, the girl with a scary demon.
"Well, I suppose I should be going to." He said to her. "If fate conspires to bring us together again, then I'll be glad to call myself your friend."
He tipped his hat a little.
"But until then, I must bid you goodbye."
The boy turned away and slipped past the ring of wraiths, disappearing into the surging crowd, all the while the demon laughed inside his head.

Ricky boy, you gotta stop, you're killing me. Mortimer cackled.
Oh shut up.
The demon's laughter didn't stop. Glowering, the boy and his book exited the ship, making a mental note to never meet the girl again.
@Katthaj

---

The academy was close and it was as grand as he had expected. His luggage was being taken care of, and it seemed that Arkus academy had significant connections. Things were going just as Richard had expected, but the boy was nevertheless feeling impatient. He was not an artificer and he wasn't planning to be, so knowledge of the academy's airships wasn't of great importance to him. Nevertheless, he made his best efforts to memorise the information. It could be useful at some point.

A little bored, the boy decided to ask his demon companion. Noting that he'd gotten more attention than he wanted from muttering, he decided to communicate with his thoughts.
Hey Mort, what do you think? He asked the demon.
The demon didn't respond. Furrowing his brow, Richard asked again.
Mort?
Don't talk to me. The demon answered curtly.
What?

The woman's voice rang out inside his head. The boy saw others in the crowd react to it, so they had heard it to. He was no stranger to telepathy, but he was nonetheless alarmed. If she was a mage who specialised in psychic magic it was entirely possible that she could read his mind. If she read his thoughts at the wrong time, they would have serious issues.
It's fine right now. Mortimer said suddenly. Too many people, she won't read you unless you act up.
You sure?
Nope. So just to be safe, I won't be saying anything while she's around.
Richard's mind returned to silence. It seemed that his school life would be more difficult than he thought it would be.

Arkus Academy

Richard smiled a little. The conversation flow was finally going his way.
Won't stay like that for long. Mort warned. Be quick about it.
I know, Mort.

He cleared his throat slightly. He needed to take initiative and say what he needed to say before the girl did something else. Besides, the ship had arrived, so maybe it was his best interest to end things quickly.
"Thank you for the explanation, Zachary. Hm, can I just call you Zach? Nevermind." The boy began.
Richard took his hat from his head before speaking again.
"Since you two have so kindly given your introductions, please let me make mine." He said. "I am the great Richard Ashfield."
He held his book to his chest and bowed deeply, stretching his hat-holding hand out behind him with a flourish, as if presenting himself to the world. He held the position for less than a second before rising to his feet.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

In the boy's mind the demon Mortimer burst into raucous laugther.
The great Richard Ashfield he says... Oh hells!
Richard ignored the laughter. He had practised that bow for quite a long time and he was sure he did a good job, though the demon thought otherwise. In any case, it was better to play the fool than to be played like one, and he needed an impression that didn't lose out to his conversation mates. Disregarding the peals of laughter ringing in his head, the boy continued.
"Although, it's not surprising if you haven't heard of me and my family." He said, still smiling. "You see, the reason I'm going to Arkus is this right here."
The boy held up his book, plain for the others to see. Its cover was a patchwork of leather; mostly cow leather, but he knew there was leather of an unknown origin mixed in here and there. It had no title and would look more like a journal if it wasn't of a size comparable to a textbook.
"I inherited this book from my parents. It holds many strange magics of unknown power." He continued.
Seals of unknown power... In that voice... pft. Mortimer chortled.
Internally, Richard frowned. He had instinctively adopted a more formal tone of voice when addressing the group, maybe that wasn't the right idea. But it was too late to change that now.
"And I know that it holds some kind of... being, but, to be perfectly honest, I had no idea what it was. So..."
Richard turned to the girl and bowed again; a short, proper bow rather than the exaggerated one he'd used before.
"I must thank you, Arael, for telling me its name." He said, smiling good naturedly. "But I'm sorry to tell you, the being in the book - Mortimer, I think you called him - and I have no contract between us."

That wasn't technically a lie. Mortimer was trapped inside Richard's book, but they didn't make a contract with each other. As far as Richard could tell, the page Mort was trapped in described the terms. The demon gave the holder some magic power, as agreed between the two of them, and could use magic if the holder specifically allowed it to. As for what it gave back, he wasn't sure. But while he technically did have a traditional pact with Mortimer, it was really a pact between Mortimer and the holder of the book.

"You see, I don't think my parents ever intended me to have this book. Most of it is completely unreadable to me." Richard explained.
That much was true. He hadn't been sure what his parents had intended to do with him. Maybe they'd intended to teach him the knowledge necessary to decipher it, or maybe they had been planning on sending him to some school so he could gain the expertise needed to practise the spells in it. Either way, they were gone, and this was all that they had left behind. Well, that and a few other things.
"So while I knew there was something in here, I didn't know where it was, or what it was, or what it did." He continued. "And I could never get it to communicate with me like you do with your demon."
Good old unholy Lucifer himself, I haven't had a laugh that good in a long time.
Sadly, that was a lie. It was getting him to stop communicating that was the issue.
"So, I'm attending the academy as a mage trying to decipher the family text."

That was more or less the narrative he was going with. Still, he needed to drag the conversation out a bit to satisfy the Arael's curiosity. Maybe then she would consider not bothering with him anymore, which would be the ideal scenario. He would probably need to plan out ways to minimise contact with that crazy girl if he wanted to keep his sanity.
"But speaking of pacts, would I be right in thinking that you and Sirocco have a pact together, Zachary?" Richard said, turning to the blindfolded boy.
Pact magic, after all, wasn't just useful for demons. And he was pretty sure that mages who didn't have animals for pact magic were in the minority, since he himself saw no reason to keep an animal otherwise. Except maybe for farming purposes.

@Katthaj@Scribe of Thoth

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola sighed lightly to himself. He couldn't find the opportunity to enter the cafeteria again so he had retreated to his first class. It wad Lady Treek's class, a relaxing affair when compared to the cafeteria chaos. The smell of tea wafted in the air, dyeing the room's air in a variety of scents. Small creatures sleeping peacefully on the floor, Kitten providing warmth as it slept on his lap, it was enough to make a student like him very sleepy. He could feel his eyes closing in spite of themselves...

Nikola shook his head. He didn't want to sleep here, he needed to pay attention in class. The boy tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. The dragon in his lap stirred, looking up inquisitively at Nikola. The boy stroked the dragon reassuringly, lulling it back into slumber. Yes, he needed to make sure he got everything he could from the academy. When compared to his siblings, he was deficient in almost every aspect. As far as he knew, Lady Treek was quite kind, so she probably wouldn't mind if he fell asleep in the middle of class. But he couldn't afford to. Every minute he spent idle was a minute his siblings had ahead of him. And with the lead they already had, he couldn't afford to let them go further.

Nikola was shaken from his thoughts by sudden mewling. He looked down, finding Kitten squirming under his grip. It appeared that he had clenched his hand a little too hard. He relaxed his fist, affording the fluffy beast some comfort.
"I'm sorry, Kitten." Nikola whispered to the beast, stroking it gently.
The dragon huffed a little, but made no moves to leave. The boy smiled a little as they sat together in comfort. If nothing else, he'd make sure to try his best for Kitten as well.

Arkus Academy

Richard didn't ask why she knew Mortimer's name. Though it did alarm him a little, he wasn't particularly surprised. It bothered him that he had one less card to play, but then he hadn't been planning on playing it for this conversation. It would mean trouble in the long run if he encountered her under less friendly circumstances, but it wasn't of great impact to his strategy. Sadly, there was something else throwing a spanner into the works.
Head's up, it's another weird one.
Richard turned to look as the boy made his presence known.

He was a little younger than Richard, but they were roughly the same height. His gold-hemmed clothes gave him the image of a member of a church, though the thick leather glove and the live owl gave him the appearance of a falconer. And lastly was the boy's rather conspicuous blindfold. He heard that some monks undergo sensory deprivation as a form of training, so maybe that was what it was all about. Still, while he was certainly eccentric, he wasn't nearly as threatening as the girl, or Arael as she had named herself. Nevertheless he was another variable to consider.

Mort, what do you think about this guy? Richard asked.
Above average weirdness. Doesn't seem nuts like the girl. The demon responded. Though, maybe slightly nuts looking at how he just walked up like that.
Richard agreed with that assessment for the most part. Despite his appearance the boy was rather polite, so he probably had less screws loose than the girl did, at the very least.
Think he's exploitable?
Maybe. Less wildcard than the girl, but still a wildcard.
The brown haired boy had already helped Richard somewhat - he'd gotten her to reveal the name of her demon and the nature of the beings around the group. If he played his cards right he could use the interloper to his advantage.

Richard fixed a small smile onto his face as the girl asked the blindfolded boy a question and wondered how to take control of the situation.
Wait a second, Kid. Mort said suddenly.
What now?
The blindfold kid... He can see just fine.
Richard involuntarily furrowed his brow.
So that's not a blindfold? He wondered.
Probably a magic item. Mortimer commented.
Richard frowned a little. He held his chin as if deep in thought. He knew next to nothing about owl boy, and it would probably be prudent to fix that. Richard looked the boy up and down before opening his mouth to speak.

"Say, that is a good question. But, do you mind if I ask..."
Richard pointed at the owl on the boy's shoulder.
"Is that a real owl?" He asked the boy. "I've never seen one so close before. And also..."
He tucked his book under his arm and made a rectangle in front of him with his fingers, moving it so that the new face sat in the centre. Pausing as if to analyse the boy, Richard tilted his head slightly for dramatic effect.
"Yes, I've never seen someone quite like you before." He said, putting his hands down.
That wasn't a lie. The boy in front of him, as with the girl, were unique existences he had never experienced before. He wanted to get something out of this conversation, obviously, but a small part of him was curious about them.
"If you don't mind me asking, just who are you?"
Hopefully the boy would give Richard something he could use to leverage himself into a better position.

@Scribe of Thoth@Katthaj

Arkus Academy

I'll post soonish probably

Arkus Academy

Trying to keep it a secret is kind of a lost cause already. Richard thought to himself.
Of course, he didn't say it out loud.

The boy plastered a wry smile onto his face as the girl's scythe-wielding rag men moved to surround him.
Well this is a fine mess you've gotten us into. Mortimer said to the boy.
Mort, what's our angle here? The boy asked the demon.
This girl's nuts. Talking to her normally probably won't cut it, I have no idea what she'd do.
So I'm on my own then.
The demon said nothing, which Richard took as an affirmative.

The boy kept his expression stable as his mind raced to figure out what to do. The girl had more or less gotten things spot on, but the onlookers wouldn't know how true that was. It was all but confirmed that her demon could sense Mortimer, but he had the possibility to convince her - and more importantly, convince the onlookers - that he had no knowledge of the demon living inside his book. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but a short, slightly shuddering cough came out instead, likely due to nervousness.
Come on Richard, get it together. He thought to himself, trying to steel his resolve.
If the girl wanted it to happen, he would die, there was no doubt about that. He was fast for his age, but not inhumanly so. And the things surrounding him were far from human.

But if that was the case, he had nothing to be afraid of. The girl had thrown a wrench in his plans, but he at least had a small chance of getting out with what he wanted. A high chance of death in this case was nothing to fear, or at least, that's what the boy told himself.

Richard cleared his throat and tried again.
"So, you're asking about demons, I see." The boy said.
That would do for a start.
A bloody awful start.
Shut up, Mort.
The girl had every advantage right now and he desperately needed to build a foundation so that he could start building his narrative. Wracking his brain once more, he thought of a way to gain some leverage in this situation.
"I'm afraid my situation's... a little different to what you're thinking." The boy said slowly, eyeing the reaper-men. "But, before I get to that, do you mind if I asked for your name?"
You're really trying to hit on a 12 year old right now? Christ, save it for closed doors why don't you.
Inwardly the boy seethed but his anger was tempered by circumstance. The demon's voice had been tinged with a seemingly nervous caution, so the boy knew Mort was on edge as much as he was. So the boy ignored the jive - right now he couldn't afford to slip up, not even the slightest bit.

@Katthaj

Arkus Academy

"No, I heard you the first time..." The boy said back.
He wasn't sure what she was talking about at all. A book? A hat? A bag?
A demon, dimwit. A demon contract. Mort said, interrupting his train of thought. She's a warlock.
The boy stiffened.
How do you know? He asked his demon.
She probably saw you gibbering to yourself, put 2 and 2 together and figured you and her were the same. And if she is a warlock then there's one guy who fits the bill.
The boy could feel the demon's attention shift to the girl's sentinels.
Let me guess, the guy's bad news? The boy asked.
...I don't know. Mort said after a short pause.
Richard instantly became more alert. Mortimer was a liar by nature, but he had good instincts for trouble. He was very good at evaluating threats, so the girl may have been much more dangerous than he'd imagined.
What do you mean, Mort?
Mostly know him from reputation. Saw him once, surrounded by... Those.
Who is this guy, then? What's he do?
Nothing.

Richard was confused.
What's that supposed to mean?
I tailed him for... I don't even know how long. I've been in the demon world longer than most but he'd been there since before I was on the scene. But he never did much of anything. No contracts, no nothing. Just... there.
And now... he might have a contract.
For your safety, I hope not.
Cold sweat slid down Richard's spine.
So what do we do, Mort? He asked, a note of urgency in his thoughts.
I don't know, think of something yourself. The demon hissed back.

Richard had no idea what the girl wanted but he did not want to drop the ball so early in the game. Thinking fast, he opened his mouth to speak.
"What do you mean 'one'? What the heck are you talking about?"
He would try to bluff her out, and he hoped that whoever her demon was wouldn't be able to sniff out Mort through all the layers of protection on the book.

@Katthaj

Arkus Academy

"Mort, I feel like you're wasting my time." The boy muttered.
What's that supposed to mean? The demon asked.
"All you're doing is telling me how much better everyone on this boat is when compared to me."
That's because they are.
Richard's expression flickered for a moment, showing his annoyance.
"I am NOT worse at magic than the stench mage."
Even IF that was true, it's not like you would win the fight. Mortimer retorted dismissively. I'm just trying to help you out, you know.
"Seems like all you're doing is insulting me."
Look kid, I wish I didn't have to-
"That's definitely a lie."
But the fact is you're so pathetic I don't have much of a choice.
Richard frowned in annoyance.
I'm really not that bad.
He wanted to say it but he knew arguing wouldn't help.
Since I've got a stake in this, it's my job to ensure that you know everything that could be a threat to us. Mortimer continued, ignoring the boy's thoughts. So that you don't get blindsided by people like-

"hey you there with the book in your hands! Can you communicate with one too?"

Said a young voice. Richard turned to the source of the voice, and was met with one of the most terrifying creatures he had ever seen. Mortimer cursed in his mind.
Oh hells.

The girl he had heard was there, younger than he had expected anyone attending the academy to be. Around her floated 3 menacing creatures. They looked like men made of rags, floating in a loose formation in front of the girl. Inside the rags he could see only darkness, and he was sure he did not want to be on the business end of the scythes they held in their hands. Outwardly the boy was smiling lightly, if a little confused. Inwardly, he was in turmoil. Who was this girl? What were those things around her? What had she asked, and why had she asked him?
Just say something, moron. Mortimer said suddenly.
Mort, what am I looking at? The boy asked in his head.
No clue. But you're making a scene. Just say something, anything.
After a short pause Richard opened his mouth to speak.
"Uh... What?"
Mortimer sighed in resignation.
Oh hells.

@Katthaj

Arkus Academy

The boy stared down through the window at the academy that would be his life for the next few months. Taking in the architecture, layout and design, he briefly wondered what the other students thought of it.
Hey, kid.
Perhaps it would look like just another old building. To the optimistic, it might be a shining castle of opportunity. To the less enthusiastic, it could look like a prison.
Hello? Earth to Richard?
To Richard it looked like a shining crown, waiting for a king.
Ricky boy? Mr Ashfield? King No-Control?
This academy was just a step on his way, just another step on his road to greatness. But he would take the crown and-
Duncelord? Colonel Explodes-in-your-face? Mr I-have-no-parents-and-I-must-steal?
For just a moment, the boy's confident expression twisted into an expression of annoyance.
"Mort, I'm kind of busy here." Richard muttered under his breath.
Well I'm sorry to disturb his highness the talentless orphan from staring into space. But, as I've hoped you've noticed, we've got something more serious to worry about.
"And what, pray tell me, would that be?" The boy retorted angrily.
His voice had come out louder than usual, drawing the attention of the crowd around him. But before he could react, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. And then, the woman appeared.

Richard could see that she was quite well dressed. Not as richly dressed as some on the boat, or even Richard himself. Nevertheless, her manner of dress was elegant and nothing was particularly out of place, save for the strange pouches covering her legs. But by far her most striking features were her hair, the color of chalk, and her eyes, a deep black. Before he could look closer, however, she disappeared. Richard, like the rest of the student body, was confused. Where had she gone, and how had she come in the first place?
Use your brain, kid. Mortimer said in the boy's head. You won't see anything with those useless eyes of yours.
He felt the sensation like static electricity on his skin once more, and the white-haired woman appeared again on a railing.
"What the hell was that?" Richard muttered quietly as the woman made her introduction.
Teleportation magic, dimwit. What else would it be? The demon retorted. She's definitely one to watch.
The boy frowned.
"But teleportation isn't that rare, right? I've seen a bunch." He asked quietly.
Although admittedly, he'd seen more than his fair share of magical and technological advancements thanks to his sponsor.
Are you seriously - ugh.
There was a moment of silence between the two of them, but Richard could sense disappointment emanating from the demon.
Look, I don't do space magic, and I don't like people who do space magic, but even I know it's a lot harder than it looks. Mort said, finally. You humans spent decades trying to figure out how to go from one place to another without landing in a wall. How about trying to figure out how to put yourself into a moving object without porting straight into the ship's exhaust fumes?
"Well if you put it that way, I guess..."
He wasn't a spacial mage so he didn't know how it was, but surely it wasn't that bad.
Don't even think about it, kid. You'd end up with a limb in every engine on this tub if you tried, assuming you didn't die trying to handle the magic you need for something like this.
"Wasn't even thinking it." The boy grumbled.

The boy watched as the white-haired magician greeted the captain of security detail with some curiosity. He supposed they were colleagues or something, since she was the principal's assistant and all. He figured that the captain of security would be one to watch more, but he supposed that looks could be deceiving. Although, there was a nagging question he'd had ever since the demon had spoken about the white-haired aide.
"Hey, Mort, why'd you say we have to watch out for her?" Richard asked.
Do you really need me to spell it out for you? The demon communicated, in an exasperated tone. She's obviously a skilled mage, and skilled mages are dangerous.
"But she's the headmaster's assistant. Surely she wouldn't do anything bad to us."
Maybe to you. But I'm a different story, aren't I?
Warlocks weren't turned down by the academy, but that was usually because the demon stayed right where it was on the demon plane, bothering no one. Mortimer was in this world, though bound to Richard's book.
"I dunno, Mort. You're not that strong so maybe they'll just turn a blind eye." Richard muttered.
Yeah I'm weak, but I'd fry your puny brain into a crisp if I ever got out of this stupid book. The demon retorted. Besides, professionals have standards. If they let every little pet go because it's too pathetic to squash they'd have a full blown infestation on their hands.
He had to concede that the demon had a point, but he still didn't think it was necessary to show that much caution around the woman. She seemed rather nice to the children. As if Mortimer had sensed his reservations, the demon's voice resounded in his head once again.
Hey, this whole operation was your idea. I didn't think they'd kick up a fuss if you just put down warlock on the form, but I guess that wasn't enough for the great Richard Ashfield.

The boy's expression hardened and he tightened his grip on his book. The thick sarcasm coating the statement stung at Richard as usual, but it was all true. He was planning on hiding his connection to the demon Mortimer, as long as possible. It wasn't as though he despised warlocks - he'd admired his father so much that it was practically impossible. But he hadn't admired his father's connections to powerful demons, he'd admired the magical prowess that allowed his father to gain control in situations involving such higher beings. And that was what he wanted to build on during his stay at Arkus academy. Besides, even if warlocks weren't shunned at Arkus, it was a different story elsewhere.
"Fine, fine. I'll play it your way." Richard muttered.
Finally. It's about time you took some responsibility for your decisions. Mortimer grumbled. Now look alive. I've got a whole watch list to drill into your head and I'd bet on good old Satan's beard that we're extending the list before we land.

L'Mordryn Academy

Nikola emerged from the chaotic cloud, coughing and reeling. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he was sure that the boisterous boy had rolled out a device of much mischief. He stood for a moment, just outside the grey cloud, breathing in and out to check if there was still smoke in his lungs. He coughed again, wiping his mouth and looked around. It was still chaos, as he had expected.
"Kitten, are you okay?" He asked the fluffy dragon.
It had been strangely quiet. He could feel its body tremble in his hands. But just as Nikola began to worry about its health, it opened its mouth. The boy was relieved, thinking that it was yawning. But it was tensed too tightly for that. Too late, he realised what it was doing. Too late, the dragon sneezed.

Fur exploded out from the dragon, and a half-eaten mass of meat flew out into the cafe. As the fur began settling on nearby students, Nikola stood frozen. He had no idea where the meat mass went but he should probably go apologise. But then he'd have to apologise to the people getting fur on them too... The smoke drifted closer and Kitten sneezed again, kicking up another cloud of fur. Thinking quickly, Nikola ran out of the cafeteria.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done that..." Nikola muttered to himself.
Kitten mewed piteously as he wiped the snot of its snout with a tissue. Nikola should probably have stayed behind to clean up the mess he made, but he'd panicked and ended up in the hall. He had something of an aversion to loud places; there were too many things taking his attention. Nevertheless, he should probably go back and clean up his mess. Or at least do... something. That was something he should do as a member of his family. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel reservations about going back into the chaos. Nikola quietly walked back towards the cafeteria and took a peek inside.