3 Meeting the stargazer

I follow the wreckage left by the demon, my anger growing. If only i had been there when he appeared! And why did he choose my village? Even Judas's familiar presence only reminds me of what I have lost. I sigh. It's been so long since he first came into my life. I remember my first meeting vividly. I had just begun my career as a hunter when i caught the little creature stealing from my pantry.

I was settling down after a long day of moving into my new quarters when I suddenly heard a shuffling noise. It came from the kitchen area, and this struck me as particularly odd since i knew for a fact I was supposed to be alone. Grabbing my blade, i sneaked over to the pantry and swung the door wide open,I was immediately confronted by a tiny unusual, hands and mouth stuffed full of my favorite pastries.

Preparing to chase him from the premises, i raised my blade but something about this little thief stopped me. He stared up towards me pleadingly, eyes hollow in an emaciated face. He was starving.

I made a deal with him. As reparation for stealing my food, he would care for my quarters. As I had been considering getting someone to train under me,and this seemed like the ideal opportunitya and he was clearly unwell, so i decided i would provide him with a proper home. He is a hybrid or an failed experiment subject, who have a strong will,he escaped the facilities,i like his bravery for escaping from a magic research centre being a test subjects is something ,an act to be done by an unique being.

As Judas clearly needed a home, it would work out well for both of us. Soon, he and me were off together on missions. He was a trustworthy companion, and once on a particularly dangerous mission, not unlike the one with the mercenary he had even save my life.

I often think how extremely fortunate i were to have caught this little creature stuffing his face with pies in my pantry. My relationship grew over the years, and now we are one another's closest friend. He had a humanoids figure but having the wings of a raven,and had the eye of an eagle. He is a unique laboratory creatures. That's his true form, but Judas is a shape shifter as well. When he has enough magic he can change his form. However, he is still relatively small and not very powerful. Artificial minion are also capable of detecting dark magic through scent, and they have naturally swift regenerative properties. I have taught Judas to transform into a specific animal useful in my hunting.

He can becomes a small toad, secreting poison into a vial and allowing me to use this venom.

Judas can shift into an electric viper possessed of amazing speed. He can give a powerful jolt through special cells in his skin, and he is sneaky and hard to detect. He can transform into a fish or any deep water creatures,in short he can transform into any being if which he know the anatomy and the circulation of any particular species.

His hard work resulted in an eagle. A strong tracker, he will scout ahead and even aid me in battle. This are some of his abilities and to which I train him hard to master it.

After weeks of training, Judas could consistently transform into a mighty pre historic bird. His other form is a great asset. However, Judas generally remains as a crow like to conserve mana. Plus, he complained that it itches... I'm so caught up in my thinking that I hardly notice the woman who steps out in front of me. She abruptly reaches forward and grabs my arm before i can react. Startled, I clutch at my blade but relax as i see that it's just Linda Duithan Falls' star gazer.

Many regard her as wise and talented, but most people think she is crazy. Although her powers have given useful insight in the past, scrying is also known to be rather unreliable. Either way, i have known this woman for years, and i know her intentions are good enough.

Gripping my arm tightly, the fortune teller practically yells, "Gaara Pamei! It's terrible! It's horrendous! It's alarming! It's unusual! It's unheard of! It's insane! It's crazy! It's unlikely! It's peculiar! It's scary! It's demonic! I just saw a demon!"

I blink hard, working to stammer out my reply.

All i can think is, thank goodness she survived!

Perhaps she can give me some helpful information.

Putting my hand on linda, I tell her in a level voice, "I need you to calm down, Linda. My apprentice and I are tracking this demon right now, and I believe you can help us. Is there anything you can tell me?"

Looking a little more focused, the woman responds, "Even better, I can show you! I have enough strength to perform one bit of magic for you, so choose wisely."

I have seen the fortune teller work her magic before, so I know she is able to project illusions, discover secrets and see portions of what the future might hold. A demon's power level can sometimes be inferred through his appearance, whether it's the beady eyes and withered limbs of a Peon or the arrogant glare of a god. This would give me something more accurate to analyze, rather than just a verbal description.

Still, power level and actual abilities aren't the same thing. Or perhaps it would be best to know exactly what kind of adventure lies ahead, even if the results of future-scries are notoriously ambiguous. My companion suddenly speaks up from beside me: "It might be best to find out what the creepy's powers are, Gaara Pamei. Then we would know how to defeat him better."

Barely glancing at him, i mutter coldly, "I will decide."

"Can you show me what he looked like?" I ask.

"Linda is there any way you can discover this devil's powers?"

"Can you tell me what will become of this journey? Will I banish the demon?"

She said she can answer only one question,she picked the last one..

Nodding slowly, linda replies, "I can try, but the future is never certain. I can only predict the most likely outcome."

Motioning for me and my companion to step back, linda pushes up her sleeves, rubbing her hands together. Smiling wryly at us, she says, "Specifically, I practice pyromancy, the art of fortune telling through flames!"

I asked what exactly is that? She say,Pyromancy is the act of attempting to tell the future using fire. Some people believe that ancient Greeks performed pyromancy. Don't dabble in pyromancy if you know what's good for you. Pyromancy is a very old fashioned kind of divination, or fortune telling.

With that, she stretches out her hands and a blue and white fire suddenly erupts on the ground, crackling loudly. The soothsayer grinds her teeth so hard we can hear it, and steps forward, peering into the flames. For a moment, all is silent except for the roaring flames. Then suddenly, she says, "A vision is coming to me! I see..." Gulping loudly, linda's arms begin to quiver, but she continues: "I see you inside a cave, fallen to your knees. You are within a ward of your own candles, but they have been destroyed!"

Her eyes growing wider, she finishes, "Your rifles lies beside you, shattered in pieces, and everything you own withers away. Your clothes are tattered and torn, and you are alone..."

A lump forming in my throat, I ask warily, "Is that the only outcome? Must I fail?"

Shaking her head sadly, the woman replies, "There is nothing more I can say. The vision has gone away."

After this climactic finish, the seer suddenly looks exhausted. Her arms hanging at her side, she gasps for breath, sweat beading on her forehead. The fortune teller whispers wearily, "I hope I have done my part to avenge Duithan Falls, Gaara Pamei."

Clearing my throat, i answer, "Well, your divination was rather vague..." And

"You have done well, linda ! I will keep everything you've told me in mind," I tell her gratefully.

Reassuringly, I tell her, "You don't have to worry about any of that. I will take care of everything. I'm just glad you're okay."

Tears welling up in her eyes, the old fortune teller says, "I'm sorry you can't appreciate my powers. We've all done our part to stop this demon, but Avian and the rest of the guards died, and now I've failed you. If I could have foreseen this I would have, but I can't. I've done everything that I can, just as I'm sure you will, and that's all anyone can ever ask of any of us."

She turns away, an exhausted look in her black teary eyes.

With that, she then turns towards the woods, muttering, "I must be going. That... took a lot of energy out of me. I need to go and sniff my essence of magic root."

Finished here, linda quickly vanishes into the forest, leaving both of us at the roadside. Standing beside me, my companion says quietly, "But I like that lady. Do you think we'll see her again?"

Looking down at him, i reply, "Everything depends on this journey."

Gripping my blade tightly I put it back and continue down the road with danger on my mind.