"Yes."

Demons have tainted your blood.

You have learned Battle Foresight.

You have learned Quartered.

You have learned Blood Bond.

Your surname has been changed to Qi.

Wind grimaced as the smallest of tendrils connected him with the Tempest demon. A sudden shooting pain in his head made him stagger back a step. "Fuck, that hurts..."

Rabi seemed mostly unaffected; he yelped slightly when a rune burned itself onto his upper arm. He stared at it for a moment before deciding that he liked it. He grinned at the Gemini Thief. "I learned a few new tricks!"

Wind smiled and brought up his hud. "Me too."

Spirit Companions 2/4

) King Lubo

) Atharabi Qi

"Looks good, by the way." Rabi's stepped away from the edge of the circle and waited for his summons.

"What looks good?" He rubbed his aching head, stopping suddenly when he hand brushed up against something. "Oh, God..."

Rabi gave him a thumbs up. "Horns are best."

Wind scowled at the tiny demon. He could feel two slightly curved horns protruding out of his head; they were only a few inches long. "Should this have happened?"

Rabi shrugged. "Yours are curved; Rabi is so jealous."

"I'm so dead."

[Summons: Rabi]

The tiny demon appeared in front of him a moment later, his fanged smile flashing in the low light. A moment later, the circle that he'd been in erupted into flames. Rabi shrugged slightly. "Not good."

A loud grinding noise pulled their attention to the doorway through which Wind had entered just as a steel portcullis slammed shut in front of it.

Rabi was skipping happily; finally, he was out of the circle. "What we doing now?"

Wind glanced once more at the blocked exit. "Run and fight!"

"Rabi likes to run and fight!" The dark demon bolted down an empty passageway, leaving his companion by himself. After a short pause, the Gemini thief followed.

The duo ran silently, trying their best to avoid any groups. Their luck held for nearly a minute coming face to face with three running figures.

Rabi has shared [Enemy Information].

Wind dodged to one side as his hud was filled with enemy data. They were numerically marked with glowing numbers over their heads.

I [Yama Ter] Kill: Sorcery, Heals.

II [Bria Wizin] Detain: Sorcery: Offensive.

III [Tripsi Fay] Detain: Sorcery: Crowd Control

[Flare][Quartered][Backstab] Triple Combination successful.

Yama Ter has been blinded.

Bria Wizin has been blinded.

Tripsi Fay has been blinded.

Yama Ter has been crippled.

Rabi has landed a critical strike on Yama Ter.

[Critical Chain]

Wind has followed up Rabi's attack with a critical strike.

[Sudden Switch]

Rabi has followed up Wind's attack with a critical strike.

[Critical Chain]

Wind has followed up Rabi's attack with a mortal strike.

Yama Ter has been slain.

[Spiritual Bond Attack Linked: Critical Chain & Sudden Switch]

Bria Wizin has resisted Blind.

Without knowing why Wind dodged to one side. A moment later, a bolt of energy blazed past him.

[Your Battle Foresight has advanced to 2]

[Shadowed Assassin]

Wind faded into the shadows and appeared behind the caster; his blade plunged into the base of his target's skull.

Bria Wizin has been slain.

Tripsi Fay has resisted Blind.

Instead of continuing to fight, the woman turned and ran down the hallway. Her voice raised in a blood-curdling scream.

[Quartered][Backstab]

Double Combination Successful.

Tripsi Fay has been crippled.

Rabi has landed a critical strike.

[Critical Chain: First Strike][Backstab]

Wind has followed up Rabi's attack with a critical strike.

Wind has landed a mortal strike.

Tripsi Fay has been slain.

The duo stared at the intersection; the din of footsteps was getting louder behind them. Wind pointed to the right one. "Go, right?"

Rabi nodded and darted in that direction, his tiny form speeding down the hall with impressive speed. The hall led to a large square room; the sound of footsteps closing on them came from every direction. "Oops... Now what?"

Wind shrugged slightly. We fight it out, I guess." He patted the tiny demon on one shoulder while scanning all exits. As his spirit companion, Rabi should now be protected. "Good job back there, by the way."

"Thanks. You did good too." Rabi crouched low, with a dagger in each hand. "I'll create a distraction; make sure you escape."

Wind grinned at the tiny demon and shook his head. "That's my line." "What have you done!" A familiar old man entered from the North corridor; at the same time, dozens of cloaked figures entered through the other entrances. "You've bonded with the demon!"

Wind did a quick count. "Only about twenty or so, get ready."

Rabi gave him a blank stare before turning back to the speaker. "You have shit on your face! Rabi escaped your stupid circle! It's your fault for not bringing me my rats!"

Wind observed the group. They were all casters. "You're all witches?"

"And warlocks." The trio from the circle room moved closer. Two of them carried carved symbols in their hands while the third held a long staff. "Kill the thief, but make sure the demon survives. Our coven will rise once we have secured his backing."

Rabi spat towards the old man. "You are stupid. Rabi will give you a stab in the backing."

Wind felt the stir in his cloak pocket; a moment later, the tiny gecko crawled onto his shoulder. "Shit... That's wicked."

The tiny gecko glanced from Wind to Rabi; he had changed slightly. His greenish skin had turned slightly red, and two curved horns peeked out from under his gold crown.

[Fear the Demon King]

Screams of terror filled the room, as the coven scattered like brainless mice. Wind grabbed Rabi's hand and dragged him down the hall that the elders had come from. "Let's pick them off!"

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

A warm body shifted against him, causing Nix to open one eye. "I told you to stay off my..." His words filtered off when he caught the telltale glimpse of red hair. Shae tucked her head under his chin and pulled the blankets up. Instead of questioning, the Inferno leader drifted back into slumber with a smile on his face.

When Nix woke two hours later, he was by himself again. Shae's presence next to Semmi let him know that it hadn't been a pleasant dream. "Why are you here?"

Shae shrugged and stood up from her chair long enough to greet him with a kiss. "I missed you, so I popped in for a few hours."

Semmi frowned slightly; it was the sort of thing that Pon wouldn't even think of. "That must be a nice surprise. Right, Nix?"

Nix gave the blonde officer a suspicious glance before nodding in agreement. "Very nice. Can you stay?"

Shae shook her head. "I'll be helping Tai today. She's going to stop in and see you tonight."

Nix grimaced slightly; he forgot that the Earth Dragon had asked to see him. "Damn... It slipped my mind. We're heading to Free Trader City in a bit, have her meet me there."

Shae nodded and stood on her tiptoes for another kiss before looking expectantly at Nix. "Gemini Temple, please."

[Create Breach: Mocai: Gemini Temple]

Nix waved as the salamander stepped through the breach. After the breach closed, he took the salamander's seat at the table. "Where is everyone?"

Semmi pointed out the doorway. "LuAnne is briefing them on the trial. She isn't happy with us."

Nix summoned Sphinx Soup and placed her on his shoulder. "Why?"

/Alpha: Del: She says that none of these petty criminals will pass.

/Alpha: Semmi: I gave them the rings already, don't worry.

/Alpha: Nix: They should be fine then; if they can't pass, then it isn't our problem.

Del padded into the room from the hallway; the Orion's sky blu eyes stared at Nix. "I need to tell you something."

"I'm listening." Nix shot a glance toward Semmi, who was pretending not to listen. magic

"My tracking ability has returned." Del walked slowly toward the table, stopping when she was directly in front of him.

"Track is up? Holy crap... Anything else?" Nix shifted closer and examined Del; as the creator of the Orion puppet, he could pick them out fairly easily. "Interesting. I wonder if that's a good thing."

The Orion stared at him with unblinking eyes. "And I'm feeling hungry at times."

"Really?" Nix leaned back in his chair and glanced at Semmi, who was definitely paying attention. Puppets could eat and taste things. They should not feel hunger or thirst because they didn't need food or water to survive. It was the same thing with sleep. "Your case is slightly different. When was the last time you dropped this puppet?"

"Since I came here, more than a month." Del pushed her soft snout against his leg while purring loudly.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] Her actions seem puzzling at times. Are the Orion's instincts leaking in?

[Whisper: Nix to Semmi] That should be impossible, but this is somewhat unique. Del is in a dragon egg back in Oasis.

/Alpha: Nix: Do you want to release the puppet?

/Alpha: Del: If you think I should, then after this mission, I will do so. Just as long as you provide me with another.

/Alpha: Nix: Don't worry, we're used to having you around. Let me know if any of your other abilities start to recover.