Avp: Once again, a new chapter. We hope you will enjoy it.

Cubby: Who said we cared?

Avp: What? Of course we care. I mean they are our readers. We-

Ren: I never said I cared! I am a wraith and despite what Hyano thinks I am not a 'caring' kind of guy.

Hyano: I must admit it is kind of rude to be putting words out there for us, Avp, without actually asking us first.

Avp: You know what?! Fine! Do you all care if the readers enjoy the chapter?!

Cubby: Well duh.

Ren: Of course. How else am I going to get my cookies?

Hyano: Kind of a dumb question, Avp.

Avp: Gah! *Head explodes*

Cubby: And that my friends is how we here drive our boss insane. Enjoy the show, everybody!

CA Productions


Disclaimer: See first chapter.


Chapter 7 - A New Perspective

Hyano sat on the front stoop. The day was very young, the sun was only about to rise above the horizon, which was hidden by the tall buildings around her. The nature -at least what was left of it- began to awaken, birds chirped loudly, flying about as if greeting the wizard. But this was not what she was waiting for.

It was the morning after night three of Ren's little romp through the city.

She already knew the results.

She had followed him for the majority of it until she was sure he had failed. Which -to say the least- he had.

Night two had worked out well... Well, at least to Ren it had. She had not told him that most of his victims that night had been nothing short of criminals but he had gotten a few good kills in. Last night, though,... was not nearly as close. The police had come to play this time and Ren was not nearly prepared for it. Hyano had watched as the police practically backed Ren into a corner and forced him to run. She kept her hand at the ready. If he really needed her help she would have stepped in. The last thing they needed was for him to get caught. If Ren thought the police were bad he would go mad when he was subject to the experiments of the scientists.

She of course beat him home and sat on the stoop waiting for him to come back home as well.


Ren hissed silently as he neared the tower, his senses all extended, high on alert. Just in case he was followed.

Well... It didn't go as easily as he thought it would...

At first it wasn't so bad. His second was rather successful. He managed to kill many people in the open causing fear in the hearts of many, making them scream, call for help and for mercy when they saw him. People scattered just by the sight of him!

And he loved every moment of this!

He savored the feeling of dominance, terror and power, herding the people out of entertainment around, killing as many as he could.

But his strain of luck was mercilessly severed on the third night...

The Nazgul was just exiting the first house he made a kill in when he heard the sudden deafening noise of sirens and the sound of barking dogs spooked him at first. Lights blinded him and he fled. He couldn't stop anywhere, though. They were everywhere! As if waiting for him at every corner. His shriek did the trick a few times, mostly making dogs flee and stop barking, those soldier humans also seemed to back down. But shrieking also costs energy... Energy he couldn't lose too much of. He was forced to flee for a while until he had enough and faced his attackers. They used... many kind of things on him but what really got him was the constant deafening fires of the guns once they saw those strange items don't work. He was cruelly chased all over the town until he was able to hide away in the canal. He felt his pride once more broken to pieces... His dark aura suddenly weakened as he had to force himself to admit defeat. Not only did those weak and pathetic humans manage to ruin his hunt, bring shame to the darkness he carried...

But he also lost the bet.

Ren hissed once more at the memory and finally slipped around the tower, coming from the back of it, trying to keep low and not make a sound. The sirens of those 'soldiers' could be still heard... But he didn't care anymore. He lost all his energy and so dragged himself towards the front to go inside. He was slightly surprised to see Hyano outside already waiting for him. He almost thought he was facing another human but calmed when he recognized her. He didn't say anything but his slightly hunched form vanished inside the house, not even wanting to talk, fleeing right into the basement to recover and meditate.

Hyano watched as he trudged inside. She smiled weakly and debated on gloating a little but she felt this was the wrong place and time. So instead she got herself a water bottle before following his lead and going down to the basement. The past few nights she had gotten very little sleep, maybe resting with him for a while would do them both some good. She walked up to him, then without asking again she sat on his lap and cuddled up to him.

Honestly, Ren expected her to start asking about his hunt or perhaps sensing something, she would go and ramble about how she won their bet and how she told him all along that he will fail on his 'mission'. He expected her to go and start commanding him around in an instant and gloat all day and night for the next three days... Because he would. Thinking all this he tensed up slightly when she dropped into his lap and didn't move until a few minutes later to get more comfortable with the extra weight on him. He sighed once heavily but eventually decided to just... meditate for now and ignore whatever she wanted to say or do. He wanted rest and she won't deny him that. Not even in the next days. He felt so ashamed... His pride was destroyed and her presence wasn't helping him one bit with this... This way he was reminded of the oncoming horrific days that he will have to face. He didn't even know if he should even bear it or flee from the tower to save what little pride he still has left... Well...

Tomorrow will shed some light on his fate...


Hyano passed out on his lap for a number of hours, her body finally getting a chance to gain back the energy it had lost. Once it felt rested, though, it practically kicked her awake. She yawned before looking up at him and smiled a little, then got up from his lap before heading upstairs and going to get cleaned and changed.

She had plans for today.

Ren was jerked awake when she got off from his lap but didn't move as much. At first he wasn't even sure where he was, only able to remember when his eyes caught sight of his new items in the corner. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Or was this a side-effect of his low energy last night? He didn't know... and didn't want to know. He hissed once and got more comfortable, pleased that she left him be for now, wishing to hide her away from her sight as much as he could. But something told him his 'happiness' won't stay for too long. Soon enough he saw her shadow coming closer and down the stairs, her form stopping in front of him.

"You need to get up. We are going somewhere." Hyano told him as she picked up a few things from the basement and took it up with her to bring them along. She was heading upstairs to get cleaned and changed and pack a few things. She was taking Ren to her store. She had not been there in some time actually thanks to everything that had been happening. It was about time she got out of the house for more than just chasing that black cloaked man around anyway.

The Nazgul tilted his head to the side at the 'command' and at first he wanted to listen to his pride and say 'no' to everything she said, refuse to become her 'pet' for the next three days... but... He had as much honor to actually fulfill his end of the bargain as long as it didn't become too serious where his pride would be too much damaged or his person would be harmed. However... there was something...

"Somewhere? Well, you perhaps don't know but people outside are looking for a person just like me. And no, I will not change my clothes." He said as he stood up, following her upstairs and into the living room. He just had to say all this in order to have some sense of the humiliation go away. And he thought she wasn't there when he was chased around... so...

The orange wizard debated on telling him what she knew but decided better of it.

"Yeah I know. You were on the news again. They have pictures of you all over too. But don't worry. I can get you from point 'A' to point 'B' without you being seen." She said reassuring him with a smile, then walked out the backdoor and went to the garage she hardly ever used. For a good reason.

Now... this spiked Ren's curiosity. How will she do that? Magic? No... He had yet to see her use magic for transportation. He followed her all the way to a door which he didn't yet see. He tilted his head to the side to signal his curiosity and confusion and stopped the moment he saw that... strange thing.

This is where Hyano kept the car. She was not a fan of this thing, however a carriage was impractical and this distance was not walker's friendly. It was a smaller car, a hybrid too. Despite her never using it really she did take the time to update it whenever they came out with something that was better for the environment.

The Nazgul walked closer to it cautiously, stopping every once in a while, carefully approaching the front of it before looking inside. It... was difficult to describe. He never saw a thing like this from this close... and the interior was confusing. There was nothing he could recognize or told him how it worked. Maybe... If he pulled it apart... No. Considering the large size compared to anything else in the house... it would take him days... and he might end up like with the phone. Hissing, he reached out and poked the outer shell of it before moving behind it and looking at it from there.

Hyano watched him poke around at it for a moment like she had before. It was fun watching him explore. He was so much like a child. She smirked as he got to the back, then pulled out the keys and pressed the button. The car honked before the trunk popped open for her. She might be trying to mess with the wraith... if only a little. She also needed the trunk open anyway. It just so happened that he was behind the car.

The wraith shrieked in surprise and shock as the car suddenly gave out that strange and loud noise, jumping back once, looking at it alerted. But nothing prepared him for what happened next. Part of the back of the car flew up, showing the inside of it. The Nazgul hissed this time and backed up even more from it, hitting the wall with his back.

The wizard dropped the bag into it and then closed the trunk again and waited to see if the wraith had anything to say about it, smiling slyly.

Ren knew from that moment on that it was her who did this.

"Don't... do that again." He told her firmly, hissing. Slowly but surely he got more confidence and moved away from the wall back again towards the side of the vehicle, poking the glass window. "Strange thing... And mortals use it for transportation?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and looked inside of it again. "What is this? What pulls this thing?" He asked, knocking on the window before moving in front of it again. He could remember that mortals back then used carriages which were pulled by horses. So, where is the horse this time? Inside somewhere?

The orange istar laughed at his reaction, not able to help it. He was nearly if not completely hilarious when he was angry. When he asked what pulled it she giggled lightly. It had been a long time since she even saw something that was pulled in the manner he was thinking.

"It is called a car and nothing pulls it. It moves on its own." She replied, then pressed another button and the car made a beeping noise as it was unlocked. She walked to the backdoor and opened it for him.

"On its own?" Ren asked, not understanding how something this big... or even anything could pull itself. Especially if it isn't a living being... Or is it? His suspicion was only increased once it gave out some sound again without seemingly Hyano touching it. He backed up from the car a little, watching it from afar with some caution but once she opened the door for him, he couldn't help but walk closer.

"Get in and duck down and I will show you." The wizard instructed him. She thought the easiest way to take him from point 'A' to point 'B' was to have him ride in the back. She really didn't need him to buckle because if they got into a crash he was likely to come out unchanged, likely disoriented if anything.

The Nazgul peeked inside from where he stood and saw the seats... its interior to some degree but this still didn't tell him how it worked. Well, she did say she will show him if he got in. But... will this not eat him? If there is no magic and nothing pulls it... then it must be alive... But it doesn't have a soul. Strange. Shrugging and knowing nothing can truly eat him or kill him this way, the wraith moved to sit inside, at first successfully bumping his head into the car but like nothing happened he sat in but didn't yet duck. Why did he need to do that anyway?

Hyano shook her head. Stubborn, even about the little things. Some things would probably never change. She shut the door once he was in, then got in the driver's seat and put on her seatbelt. Once she was sure everything was ready and Ren was low enough that he wouldn't be noticed easily, she held the key up for him to see before putting it in and starting the car. She looked back in the rearview mirror to see his reaction before pressing the button to open the garage door so they could leave.

And here come the questions. She thought not able to help a smile.

The wraith watched as she shut the door on him and briefly wondered if she will leave him alone here. It wasn't bad though. The seat was actually comfortable, perhaps even fit for meditating. As she sat in, he titled his head to the side when she put some kind of belt on her person, curious about why she did that or for what it was good... Why doesn't he have one? Is it some... 'Modern mortal thing'? Just when the car honked back then not long ago, the starting of the car also surprised him despite seeing the key -well he didn't know what it was for-, making him jump up a little, backing further into the back of the seat. He could feel the vibration of the engine and could hear the -now- more comfortable humming. He looked around with curiosity and confusion, before glancing out of the window, noticing as the garage door lifted, revealing the... not so welcome sun. He hissed in irritation at this before sinking lower in his seat, not wanting to feel the bite of that light.

"I don't even want to ask... That would take the whole day..." He admitted, deciding he had a more... urgent question to ask. "Where are we going?" He asked, now directing his gaze to Hyano, not remembering if she told him already or not. She said they are going somewhere... But she didn't say where.

He had a bad foreboding, though...

The orange wizard was surprised she didn't get more questions about the car but assumed he would ask sooner or later anyway.

"First, we are heading to the woods where you are going to help me collect some ingredients for a few potions and such for my shop. Then we are heading into town where my shop is located. You are going to help me make the potions and get them ready for selling. After that, we will be having an event tonight that you are helping me decorate for tomorrow night." She explained to him. She wasn't even giving him much of an option in this, though.

"Simply said, I will be your slave for the next couple of days." Ren told her in an even tone, leaning against the car's door as if either bored or in defeat. Well, not like he would have done better if he won anyway. But it still had more effect if one is on the suffering's side. Of course he didn't like his next tasks. But didn't hate them either. Mostly because he could remember them many times going around together in the forest, collecting herbs and plants... mushrooms and whatever she needed for her potions. He was also dragged along sometimes and because he has a good nose, just one sniff from a plant and he could show her where some could be found, just by smell. More than likely this is what she wants to do again. What he hated actually was the decoration part. What is he? Does he look like a happy person who is up for making a room pretty? There is no way. He might somehow make sure she doesn't let him do it. Like... breaking something or messing up. He can get away with it somehow. "You brought samples from the ingredients you need?" He asked, speaking up finally after a little silence, his gaze wandering to the window and watched things zip by fast. It was strange to say the least. He was used to moving fast of course but mostly this also blew wind against him and could hear its whistle, which helped with the experience of speed. But this way there was no wind, so it was strange to move this fast.

Hyano giggled at his comment, then nodded.

"Yeah, it is in the backpack in the trunk." She replied. "There is one thing I don't have that I need to find but I am pretty sure you will remember what it smells like. Raiser weeds." She said. They were a cave weed, grew in the dark and were very sharp. They were technically the only things that grew in the caves way back then. Not a lot of them but where they grew they grew in groups and the orcs did what they could to avoid them at all costs. They were not easy to be rid of, nor were they worth going through because once they got on one's skin… their jagged edges would make them nearly impossible to remove.

"What weed?" The wraith asked, tilting his head to the side with curiosity and confusion. While he sometimes knew plants and herbs indeed by smell he memorized already but he didn't know them by name. It sometimes caused confusion between them if she didn't have a sample... he tended to just go through what he remembered and show her various plants until he would find the right one. Hissing, he slipped even more down his seat, kind of already feeling bored, having lost interest in watching the roads. He was in a way content to know they will visit the woods. Away from the busy and loud town... He could perhaps relax even more. Right now his ears are getting confused by all the noise that surrounded them, while his mind tried to understand the identify all of them.

"That plant that grew in the caves. The orcs liked to complain about it." The orange wizard replied, though she would not be surprised if he didn't find it. She had not found it in a very long time. She was curious if it had a relation to magic and the lack of it might have killed it. That was sad but it had happened to many creatures and plants.

"Cave...? That green glowing thing?" Ren asked curiously, not sure which one she meant. There were a few plants the orcs complained about. But the only one that struck out was that glowing moss she was searching for sometimes. Or perhaps she meant one of those mushrooms? He didn't know. He will have to wait and see. There were a few memories of the scent of many different darkness-loving plants in his mind. He will just... guess.

"No. Not glowing. It was sharp and got stuck in their skin." The istar corrected him.

"Sharp... That tall dark grass? Thin leaves?" Ren asked, trying to determine which one she meant. Well, it wasn't the glowing moss... He actually liked those things. The light they gave off wasn't so bad, even one could say it was calming. He liked picking those and staring at them for minutes to come. "That plant... stinks... Now I have its stench inside my nose... Thank you for reminding me..." He almost spat as he once more hissed, not comfortable with the scent of that grass. As much as the orcs complained, he wasn't that far behind. The Nazgul hissed sharply at the memory of the grass she conformed they will be searching for and shook his hooded head, if possible pushing himself further into the back of his seat.

Hyano rolled her eyes about his comment about the weed, then when she noticed he was starting to get bored the orange wizard thought for a moment, then turned on some music. Something, a little heavy metal just to see if he liked it. She didn't think he would -after she noticed his taste for piano- but she could be wrong.

The wraith's train of thoughts was interrupted when suddenly something loud and weird sounded in the car. He jumped in surprise, looking up and around for the source. It seemed to come from everywhere. He hissed at his shock and drew back in his seat as if trying to get away from it.

"What is this?" He asked still hissing, his gaze still searching for the source. "It sounds like... sick and hoarse wraiths would be attempting a shriek... A shriek they obviously fail at terribly..."

Hyano burst out laughing when he complained about the music.

"Humans think it is music. Some think they have lost their minds." She replied, then changed the channel to a more modern station where they were singing pop. Hyano couldn't help a slight smile. It was a funny song and the beat was catchy so she left it.

"They didn't just lose their mind but their voice as well and if they don't stop, they will lose their lives as well." Ren was rather glad that she decided to change the 'music', as she called it. He could remember music from five thousand years ago. That was truly something one could enjoy. But this? He couldn't even recognize it. Like some... random noise or sick wraiths shrieking... The new music? Well... It wasn't at least so bad but that didn't mean he liked it. He would like to have the old ways back on that one as well. He hissed at the new one the same way, then laid back against his seat, sliding down a little, deciding that it was bearable, unlike the one before...

The orange wizard nodded.

"Got it." She replied and noted he still didn't seem to like the music. She thought for a moment, then changed the channel to classical. She remembered how much he liked her playing the piano so maybe he would favor this as well. The music became melodic like it did when she played. "Better?" She asked him. They were starting to get out of the city now and more into the countryside. Not quite out of sight of any humans just yet but it meant they would be in the woods soon.

Ren didn't even notice at first when she changed the music again only then did he concentrate on it once he settled down and got rid of the memory of that plant's stench about which they talked about not long ago. He tilted his head to the side as he listened as if the position itself gave him more concentration and better hearing.

"Yes." He answered to her question, finding this much more appropriate without the annoying constant drumming echoing in his head. It almost was like the music she played not long ago. He settled down almost instantly, feeling a little more relaxed.

Hyano smiled as the wraith relaxed. Mental note: he likes classical music. She thought to herself as she drove.


Another half hour of traveling and they finally parked at the edge of the forest. She couldn't drive in with her car despite the woods not being nearly as thick as they used to be. It just wasn't worth the trouble. She looked back at him but assumed he had probably started meditating at some point and considering the night he had, she decided to let him for a little while. Not like they had to rush anyway. She stepped out of the car and retrieved her bag from the trunk, then waited for the wraith to get moving on his own. She figured at some point his curious nature would get the better of him and he would get out just to see what she was up to.

Said Nazgul didn't notice when they stopped, neither did he hear as she climbed out of the car. Instead he was sitting comfortably... well kind of comfortably in his seat, having leaned back and down it to not be seen and making sure the sun does not reach him. His hood was focused at the seat that was in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. Only then did he raise his head when he heard some noise from behind him. Ren looked around at first, not seeing they stopped and sat up slowly, curiously letting his invisible gaze wander the place they arrived at. A forest as it seemed... Well, not as thick as he liked it but at least it was away from all that noise... Speaking of noise... The wraith turned around halfway and noticed Hyano at the back of the car. She must have caused that one. Hissing, he slid towards the door of the car but... There was a tiny little problem, which he couldn't exactly solve on his own...

How in the Nine Nazgul does he open this door?

Hyano waited for a moment. She knew he noticed her... Right? She raised a brow trying to find out what in Valar was keeping him... until finally it hit her. He didn't know how to open the door. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was such a simple task but it had the Great Ren stumped. That was too much. She walked up to the door and opened it for him while still giggling. If he didn't find out how to open the door soon… he would end up just busting the window and she would rather not pay for the repair.

The Nazgul heard that. He heard the laughing and she better doesn't forget that he is aware of that. He can pay her back very easily. He just needed the opportunity for that. He was indeed short from knocking the window down and attempting to climb out of it but she seemed to realize this and finally opened the door for him. As soon as he climbed out, he stopped in front of her and stared at her silently, hard and firmly, daring her to laugh more at his inexperience with the modern world.

The orange wizard grinned up at him as she shut the door.

"You know, if I had the same kind of trouble you would be laughing your hood off." She pointed out to him, not bothered that he was annoyed with her, then pulled out the samples and held them out to him. "Here. These are what I need you to find. I'm not sure if you can find all of them but I will take what you can get." She told him honestly. It had been a long time since she had collected herbs so while she had samples, those herbs could be long gone by now.

"I cannot laugh." Ren corrected her, hissing at her silently before reaching out and taking the samples from her, still staring at her, daring her to laugh more. "One more sound and I will put some poisonous mushroom bits within these herbs." He threatened -obviously meaning it- but averted his gaze and went to the side nonetheless. He still knew he lost the bet, so indeed he will have to be the nose, the one who has the find these plants. Not that he liked to be used in this manner, it was humiliating but he had as much honor to keep to his end of the bargain. Good thing that all the samples had their own little sacs, so sniffing at a single one wasn't that hard. It didn't take long for him to catch wind of the first sample and without saying a word he was off, following his sense of smell to locate the first batch of this one plant. The worst thing was that they didn't smell as good either. Some stink... others outright reek -for his sensitive nose at least-... But he will have to take it.

For now.

Hyano sat on top of her car waiting. She had done quite a bit of sunbathing while waiting for Ren to get his cloaked butt back from getting what she needed. She really hoped he could find them. He made a great tracking dog but how does one find something that doesn't exist anymore? She sighed. The raiser weed would likely be one he either couldn't find or would skip altogether since he hated the smell so much. She couldn't blame him. She hated the smell herself, though, her sense of smell was nowhere near as good as his.


The Nazgul hissed loudly as he got stuck in a small very narrow cavern, stuck right with this... reeking grass in his hand in a tight place...

Just amazing...

While he hated this thing he knew he had to get it. Not because Hyano wanted it but because he wanted to prove her he can do it and because of the bet. And so he doesn't need to hear her possible whining about not having this stinking plant. He wiggled around a little, trying to pull himself out but only ended up going deeper.

"Damn it!" He shrieked and boosted by fury and the disgust by this grass he stepped against the narrow hole with both feet, trying once more. He succeeded to get out two inches but that's it. He hissed heavily, instantly regretting it as the stench of the plant was unbearable by now. He let out a very loud shriek and wiggled more, pressing against the narrow hole, then eventually came free. He basically flew out of the hole backwards, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, instantly taking a deep breath of relief from the fresh air, savoring the lighter and less intense smells. Sitting up he quickly put the grass into one of the sacs she put away for him and counted how many herbs and plants he could find. Not much... About half of what was handed to him as sample seemed to have no presence in this forest. His nose didn't pick up their scent no matter at which part he tried. Eventually, Ren decided to head back, enjoying his time in the quiet forest, even the birds seemed to go quiet or perhaps this place lacked them. Good. More peace for him. He will need to go back to that unbearable city soon anyway…

It wasn't long until his sight caught the car she brought him here with and walked up to it, throwing the sacks with samples and collected ingredients at her without a word.

He was done. Now he wanted to go home...

Hyano sat up just in time to be smacked in the face by the samples. She mumbled something under her breath and looked at what he had brought back. Not nearly as much as she had hoped but it was better than nothing. She jumped off of the car and opened the door for him, allowing him to get in.

"Alright. Now we need to head to my shop. We are going to be spending most if not the rest of the day there." She said, unknowingly destroying the wraith's hopes of going home right away. She had told him already what her plans were. His plans were little concern at this point seeing his current position.

Ren wiped at his cloak furiously, trying to clean it of the little dirt that came with his little adventure in that narrow small cavern because the mud actually still carried the stench of that dark grass. He hissed in disgust but stopped what he was doing and slowly turned his gaze to her when she spoke of their next plans. What the...? Alright... maybe she told him what they planned but he was so engulfed in searching that he came back with the belief that he will get to go back to the Tower. Alright... So not. He let out a heavy hiss and simply ceased cleaning his cloak, slumping his shoulders he made his way to the car and sat at his place with his arms crossed not at all liking the fact that he truly lets her command him around and tell him what to do. In all his life he only had one person order him around... And that was his Dark Lord. He hoped they will get to make another bet which he will win. He will take over the world with her in just a few days...

Hyano shook her head and tossed the bag with the found herbs and plants in the trunk so he wouldn't have to smell it, then pulled out a towel before getting in the car herself and tossing it to him.

"Here, this should help you clean yourself off." She said as she drove again. She was heading back towards town only it was on the other side of it. Hopefully that would help to keep the attention off of them. "I'm surprised. The one thing I thought you wouldn't find you did." She said honestly.

The wraith tilted his head to the side as the towel landed on his lap and touched it with a hand, raising it a little to look at it more. He couldn't... exactly remember what it is for... The only time he saw the wizard use it was when she fell unconscious and she wanted to cover herself because she was 'naked' in front of him. He didn't need to cover himself... Her explanation however helped him somewhat but it only caused also more confusion. So... towels are for cleaning... Then why does she bath before 'cleaning' herself? He will never know... The wraith then did his best to find out how to wipe away the mud with it.

"I myself was surprised I actually touched that plant. It was not so easy to get to..." He trailed off, not wanting to discuss his... little adventure at getting stuck inside that hole for a good ten minutes... then taking a nice flight when he managed to wiggle free. He would never live that damage to his pride down...

"So that's why you came back covered in mud." Hyano said with a giggle, only able to imagine the kind of insanity he put himself through to get that plant. "You are very stubborn, though. If you knew what TNT was… I'm sure you would have resorted to blowing whole mountains up just to get to it." She added. The thought of Ren with any kind of explosives was rather scary actually. He was a natural disaster with just his sword but with actual disaster weapons he would be walking chaos.

"TNT?" Ren asked, trying to mimic the word because it didn't exist in Black Speech. He tilted his head to the side and watched her while he worked to wipe more of the mud away from his cloak. "Blow up? Is this something that wizards used to blow up Helms Deep's wall?" He asked, only remembering that invention as able to blow anything up. Nothing else came close.

"No. It was only invented in the past few hundred years. It is a chemical that when ignited causes a pretty big explosion." The wizard explained to him with a giggle. "It is not easy to get a hold of legally and illegal creation of it is more of a hassle than it is worth." She added, remembering her making it more than once and how much time and energy she put into just not getting caught for it.

"Interesting..." The Ringwraith commented on this... TNT and about all she said. He will have to make sure to think about it more and maybe try to get a hold of it, no matter what she said. Maybe she is just trying to prevent him from trying to get it and using it for his own needs. It surely must be dangerous but effective, considering she said it could blow up mountains. Oh the damage he could do with that...

"Remind me that I have to cook sweets tonight. Somehow I might forget and I won't have the time tomorrow." The istar said, making more of a mental note for herself, certain that Ren would forget anyway or would not remind her because he hated the smell of it…

When she mentioned sweets the Nazgul hissed sharply at the thought of it, shaking his head.

"You don't have to cook that. It stinks and is sticky... The worst combination ever..." He complained, shuddering at his luck of surely somehow getting it on his cloak and having to live with the stench for a few days until it starts coming off.

Hyano rolled her eyes.

"I do need to cook that. It is for the children tomorrow. Trust me. You will like tomorrow night... At least I am pretty sure you will." She said, waving him off.

Ren snapped his hooded head up at the mentioning of children.

"You are NOT inviting dwarves over to my territory!" He demanded, absolutely refusing to have them around him or around his own place, still considering children as dwarves because of their small size. "I don't care about tomorrow... I certainly won't like it if you say so." He crossed his arms and huffed. He was today almost hysterical and used his childish manner more often. Probably because of he feels humiliated as it was and was offended by the tiny tasks he had to do.

The young-looking woman rolled her eyes at his outburst. It was like having a child in her backseat...

The wraith kept his position the whole time they were on their way to who knows where... he honestly didn't care. he didn't feel like doing anything today, he just wanted to return to the safety of his territory where he can go down to his corner and meditate or stay there the whole day, away from her for two more days if he could. Ren huffed again and looked out of the window, at least getting some distraction by all the noise outside and the many strange buildings he saw. There were very colorful ones, tall ones, small ones, narrow and wide ones... He never saw such variety of houses before...

Hyano finally parked in front of a building.

The place was a little on the classic side, large windows displayed what all was on sale, giving an idea about its true wares. The sign above it read 'Haunted Hookah.' It was a mix of a magic shop and hookah lounge. She allowed some locals to run the lounge part of the shop while she handles the actual shop. She found she earned more money this way. The shop part was simple enough. A couple aisles of various items that are said to bring luck but carried little to no magic and the walls were lined with trinkets and spell bottles, then of course there was the cash counter with a display case of various items as well.

The wizard stepped out of the car and opened the door for him. No one else was here yet. It was too early to open up the lounge and no one really shops for haunted goods at this time of day either.

The Nazgul slowly emerged from the car and tilted his head to the side at the strange building, stepping away from the vehicle and closer to the shop.

"Strange..." It was all he said as he eyed it, unsure about the place. It looked... unusual. He never saw anything like this before and as such he was cautious around it. Just like on the street at the moment. He kept glancing around, knowing that if people managed to see him those annoying soldiers will go at him again and here they go again... running around the town, hoping to lose them.

For this exact reason Hyano rushed him inside the shop. She got her bags of plants and herbs and dragged him in, locking the door behind them.

"Don't... touch... anything." She warned him as she walked towards the back.

Ren hissed as she rushed him, almost dragging him inside the building without letting him be as careful as he always was but stopped every opposition when they set foot inside. It was... strange... and interesting. Half of the items he never saw in his whole cursed life, while very little was actually familiar. He stood there in the middle of the room, his hooded head moving from one direction to the other, deep in his mind contemplating where to start his... exploration of this 'shop' as she called it. His curious gaze only landed on her form when she spoke, warning him strictly not to touch anything. The wraith stared at her, unmoving, not making a noise or a muscle...

... Until she vanished.

Right after he lost sight of her, the Nazgul started walking towards the closest item he could find and looked at it, tilting his head to the side at the unusual display before reaching out and actually taking it, completely dismissing her warning. He can have a little exploration today, can he not? Losing interest after a while, the Ringwraith simply put it back the way he saw fit and moved to the next item wanting to 'inspect' the whole display until she came back.

Hyano came back a little while later, the pouches of herbs replaced with bottles in her arms. She noticed him inspecting items yet again but this time actually taking the time to put them back. Well, at least he was doing that much. She couldn't exactly sell anything he broke so she did not correct him on it, instead she got working. She started turning some of the substances into powders, needing them in that form to create the proper potions. When he got closer to the more glass-like items she looked up from her work, then back down.

"Careful with your gauntlets. Those items break easily." She told him calmly, concentrating on what she was doing but doing all she could to keep an eye on him too. She couldn't deny him some exploration and to answer his curiosity.

Ren was actually entertained, at least absorbing himself in all this new adventure by looking through the items he found there. Some looked strange; others had the form of an existing item just not having the same texture. The wraith looked up as he was about to touch the first glass-like item when she spoke, turning his gaze towards her only for a second before reaching out and picking up an unusual shaped glass up, feeling how fragile it was in his grip. However at the same time he also found interest in what she was doing, so walked up to her with the item in his hand, tilting his head to the side, watching her work from his position.

He had some kind of timing. In a little bottle Hyano had already placed one powder which was green. She was now adding another powder that was more of a gray color. When they made contact there was a minor 'poof' sound before the two powders became a purple liquid. The wizard smiled before capping the bottle.

"And that is how you make a fake love potion." She said with a giggle before placing the bottle to the side. She didn't mind showing this to Ren. Not like he could use any of it for anything. It was just simple potion making, which hardly counted as magic really. Any normal man could do it, however finding the required items was always a royal pain.

Ren watched on with interest as she made the potion, tilting his head to the one then the other side, stepping even closer as he inspected the powders that were laid out, their colors but stepped back and leaned back slightly when the bottle she was holding gave out some noise and some colored smoke rose from it. He couldn't help but go closer and reached out with a hand to poke the -now set aside- bottle with a finger. He looked up and stared at her when she explained that she was actually making a fake potion.

"Fake? Why fake? You cannot make real potions anymore?" He asked, looking back at the one in front of him. Most would be demanding why she is misleading her customers but honestly, Ren simply didn't care about that aspect. He even thought that mortals don't deserve the real potion anyway.

"I can't make real potions without the real ingredients and you already showed today that most of the real herbs are gone. Besides, if I was to give Man real potions, who knows what kind of hell they would cause for themselves. They just aren't very good at keeping out of trouble. No, I am just a simple shop that sells mostly fake goods. I will admit I have a few real items in here but those are priced high enough that most morons can't get them." The orange istar explained herself, confirming his theory that she could not make potions. She could still make a few but they were all very simple and one didn't really need a potion for what they could do.

"You could make poisons..." The Nazgul offered putting the item he held before onto the counter, leaning on it a little with an almost bored stance. "They surely don't need much. They can kill each other with it..." He hissed, shaking his head but he did just imagine the mortals going and killing each other for whatever reason come into this shop and demand poison all minute a day. He would gladly serve those people and watch as they die... "Taking over the town would be much easier with fewer humans. They are too many in this small town." Ren then proceeded pushing himself away from the counter and pulled the glass item with him caressing its smooth surface before carelessly dumping it back into its place, looking for a new item to inspect.

"Poisons aren't even counted as potions. They can be made with and without magic involved." Hyano replied, not overly interested in that idea. "I do make a few prank potions but those are harmless for the most part." She added before looking towards Ren. "Hey, go to the back and get the big black box that has a pumpkin painted on it." She instructed him. He might as well make himself useful while he is messing with all her things and while he is supposed to do as she said. She knew at some point he would stop being careful and she was not about to just let him break her wares.

At first, the Nazgul just stared at her, almost dumbfounded that she dared asking him to do something, seeing she was after all his servant and not the other way around. However, he had to remember that the next few days will be his living nightmares as he is supposed to do as she asked of him. Of course... certain limits will be kept. And he made sure to keep to this. Hissing and with shoulders slumping, the wraith turned around and started walking where she pointed without a word, his hood turning to locate the black box she was talking about. At first, he thought of the black box as the one they had in his territory but no matter how he looked he couldn't find one. It took him a little while -seeing he wasn't interested in it the slightest- but eventually caught glimpse of something black in the corner, with the orange plant-like thing painted on it. He was surprised he could remember the name of it. The last time he saw one and touched one was right before they left to Moria... He chased one down the hill... After looking at it from afar for a few seconds, the Nazgul decided to move and grasped the box hauling it towards the wizard... Well... of course the longer he did this the more curious he was about the content.

By the time he got back Hyano had made about ten bottles of fake potions. She looked up and smiled when she saw that he had brought the right box. She walked over to him and took the box from him, then put it on the ground and opened it up, showing all the decorating materials needed to make this place look like a haunted house. Fake spider webs, spiders, a cat and many other ghostly knickknacks.

"This is what you will need for decorating this place. Make it look like a haunted dungeon if you can." She said with a grin. Halloween is right at the door now. It was her who did all the decorating through the years from the start since the humans celebrated it. But she was not at all afraid to let Ren take over this task. He was a wraith, someone who could make a house look like the most horrible place there is. She knew she will not be disappointed by his taste. Maybe she should shrink him tomorrow. She smirked. Oh the hell he would raise over that one but he would probably have fun. The idea of being able to get candy for running from house to house and saying a few words would probably appeal to him. While he may not like the smell of candy, he may like the small toys they sometimes give out. She was also sure that the trick part of 'trick or treating' would very much catch his interest.

As soon as she opened the box, the wraith was basically on it. He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He reached inside the box and pulled out one of the decorations and inspected them, tilting his head to the side and sniffed them only to pull back with a hiss. It smelled... old... and odd... and... like a shoe being kept in the closet for three years without fresh air... He reached in again and hummed as he noticed the fake cat so pulled it out as well, looking at it, completely disregarding the decoration he had in his hand before. He saw an animal like that when he was hunting! It was so quick. One even made some... noise and followed him for a while. It looked... strange and unusual. Slowly, Ren poked it with a finger and watched it curiously. As soon as she said something about him decorating, the wraith looked at her sharply, staring at her for a good few minutes before slowly pointing at himself.

"Me? You want me to decorate?" He asked almost sounding shocked at her request if one didn't know that he could feel no such thing. He never decorated anything in his long life. The closest he got was just... scattering things across the floor or hauling the pieces of a dead body around the room just so it won't look so barren... but that's it.

Hyano giggled.

"I guess it is time I explained. Tomorrow night is a human celebration called Halloween. It was originally a celebration of the dead but now it is basically a day where everyone gets sweets and tries to scare each other. Anyway, I thought since you like scaring people… who better to ask to decorate this place for tomorrow night than you?" She said, thinking if this did nothing else, it would at least give him a pride boost. Valar knows he needed it at this point. After all, the poor creature had been through he deserved at least that much.

The wraith didn't say a word but glanced at the decorations picking at the box again, raising one more piece of item from it, inspecting it with curiosity and looked inside the box to see more items. To be honest, he did feel more confident by her saying what she did but... he still didn't know what half of these items are for. He didn't know where he was supposed to put some and what they do. Suddenly, he dropped the item he had in his hand, while still holding the fake cat in his other and reached inside, picking up a fake spider web piece, looking at it long and hard before turning his gaze to Hyano.

"How can mortals preserve spider webs like this?" He asked, unsure, showing it to her.

"Actually, that is fake. Someone took materials and created something that looks like a spider web. Real spider webs break too easily." The wizard replied, then pulled out a small candleholder that looked like a Jack-o-lantern, one of many that she usually places in the windows. "People tend to get scared by spiders so on Halloween people place these around their homes to give people the creeps. It can be a lot of fun."

"Spiders?" Ren asked, highly interested in the subject as he pulled more fake spider webs from the box. "Mortals are afraid of... spiders?" He hissed, shaking his hooded head in amusement. If he knew that he would have grabbed a good amount of spiders before he went on his 'mission'. He would have gotten away much faster from the humans. Humming, the wraith suddenly walked to the side and grasped the box pushing it from one side, successfully tipping it over, and making it land on its side spilling almost all the content. It was much easier to see what was in it -at least in his mind- than going through it by digging. He walked over to the pile and started picking through it. But the fake cat was still in his grasp, making his 'exploration' a little slower.

Hyano face palmed, knowing something likely broke thanks to his 'faster' search method. Oh well. She could get more decorations if needed. The box had many things from her years of collecting items. Some were child friendly, others were probably better off in a haunted house. One item dropped out of the box and started howling as if it was in pain. It was a fake shrunken head that one could hang by its hair. It had a movement sensor which was why Hyano didn't bother to turn it off after she boxed it. Couldn't make noise if it didn't see anything move, right?

The noise made the Nazgul stop in his tracks and jump in surprise, automatically looking around the room for the source, then among the items he forced out of the box. By the time he focused on the pile the noise stopped, which left the wraith curious yet confused, stepping towards the pile again and looking around, unsure where the noise came from. Soon enough, his invisible gaze fell on Hyano and tilted his head to the side, expecting some kind of... help from her determining what it was.

Hyano laughed lightly, then decided to show him. She stepped up, then moved her hand over the pile. The sensor on the object caught her movement and went off yet again, letting out a scream of agony. She then reached in and grabbed the item by the hair and held it up for Ren to see. It started screeching again, its mouth hanging open and eyes glowing red. Cheap effects. She loved them. The wizard was curious what Ren would think of it. Hopefully it wouldn't take much for him to realize it was fake.

The wraith stopped in his tracks as she showed him what made the noise, now seeing he was searching at the right place. When she grasped the head, he thought it was actually real and watched as the 'cursed body part' started to shout... Although... There seems to be something wrong with it... The Nazgul cautiously reached out to poke the head, naturally not at all feeling afraid of it, hearing as it screamed. Well, in his 'work' he was used to heads still making noise after he cut them... He poked it again and again, noticing that something was off with this. Mostly he was suspicious because it lacked the aura of magic... And without magic... a head cannot do that. He kept poking it again and again, listening to the noise it made, more and more it felt too... monotone... Like... the head knew exactly what tone it used before...

The orange istar smiled as he seemed be realizing the head wasn't right.

"It is fake. A mechanical replica of a real head. Again, meant to scare humans, mostly children." She told him, then held it out to him assuming he would either lose interest in it or he might actually try to find some kind of use for it. "If there is anything else you want for this, just ask. I would hope you know what you are doing." She said while putting her hands in her pockets.

Ren took the head and looked at it from up close. Of course... No wonder it lacked the magic... or the traces of aura.

"Mortals seem to like 'fake'. They are cowards for not daring to face the real thing." He hissed, thinking back at his hunts. Just his appearance caused some to faint... They seemed to have grown comfortable with the wars gone, unable to survive without the safety of their fake world. What a pity. "I can get the real thing..." He made the small suggestion before shuffling over the pile and just stared at it all. Decorations... Decorations he didn't recognize everywhere... Stopping, he raised his one hand with the head and the other with the cat as if wanting to decide which one to hold, then simply dropped the head and put the black cat onto her counter, wanting it safe, then picked at the decorations. He had no skills or interest for anything pretty... But making something match his taste of terror? That was something he liked and knew how to do... He started his new adventure soon after.

"Your only restriction is you can't kill or hurt anyone. Besides that… go nuts." Hyano said, waving him off. She knew how he could get the 'real thing' and he could very much forget it. He was trying to not get any more attention at this point. That would not work out very well if he went killing again now, would it? "I'm going to the store real quick to pick up pumpkins. Stay here and don't break anything." She told him, waving as she made sure she had some money, then walked out. Lucky for her, the store was right down the road so there was no need to take the car. The large pumpkins of olden days were replaced by slightly smaller ones so she should be able to get two back on her own.

Then she shall see Ren's handiwork.


Hmm… We wonder how Ren will fare with this.

You shall find out soon enough!

Although, we do wonder why the reviews suddenly quit coming. Is there something wrong with the story?

CA Productions