Chapter Three: The N.A., Aka Necromancers Anonymous
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Mortanius felt ill at ease, there were a possible number of reasons for this state, his sudden addition of tail being one of these. The horns were always an easy set of extremities to cover, even the ones on his sidearms, however that small sentient wagging thing fell out of his domain of self control.
At meetings the other circle members were always quite curious towards the Necromancers strange stare of grimace, as unknown to them, the man casually sat down on that devious little appendage. It was the one irritating thing, that Hash'ak'gik had control over, that and the color of the mans eyeballs. This was combated through The Guardian of Deaths proclamation that he indeed was a drunk and suffering from the after effects of last nights party. Hence why, his hood was cast over his eyes to create a nice dark wall against the light. The other guardians dared not to make jest of this problem, Malek was a silent testament to an annoyed Necromancers wrath. Not to mention the growing collection of late milk boys souls forever trapped in their own personal sock shells nailed to the Sarafan Keeps entrance. Yes, each were wise enough not to point out the mans, eccentricities.
The circle had gathered that night to discuss, certain events. Nupraptor's departure, the disappearance of Moebius and that strapping young fellow called Kain (you know, Mary of Coorhagen's, boy), these were all hot topics. Malek was off fighting the fiend, leaving Bane, Mortanius, Dejoule and Azimuth to discuss these events. Anacrothe conveniently had other plans, his silent motivation for fixing his little mistake fell under the heading 'all must be well or Morty shall define the term 'there are worse things than death, buddy''. The Guardians sat adjacent one another around a slightly decayed wooden table in Mortanius's keep. All politely eyed their goblets, trying to ensure no stray maggot would be embracing their sophisticated pallets.
Azimuth: So dear Mortanius, why pray, did you call us here?
Bane: Yes, I was busy and where is Anacrothe?
Mortanius glared at the trio as threatening as possible from under his hood. What they got instead was a disdainful sneer attached to an abstract goatee.
Mortanius: Lets just say, Anacrothe is...occupied.
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, soaking in and envisioning the possible contexts of that sinister statement. Maybe another shiny tin man would soon be joining the circle? After all, they knew the Necromancers limited patience for the Alchemists activities.
Dejoule: Not to mention the distinct absence of Moebius, one hopes our scheming old man hasn't been slain by that horrid little fledgling.
Mortanius: I assure you all, that Moebius is quite capable of taking care of himself.
Bane: Who cares, honestly? He schemes and plots, this is not the first time, The Streamer left without operating through the 'right' channels.
Mortanius: Each Guardian is free to pursue their own flights of fancy. However, that all rests on their ability to deal with the 'consequences'.
The gathering cringed for a brief second, then tried to work out the mans level of seriousness by peering at the unconcealed goatee. Azimuth could swear the mans skin looked a tad greener than per usual. Then again, what is a healthy glow, for Death's own agent?
Mortanius: My reasons for bringing you here are my own. I just happen to care about the state of your domains. With this fledglings new threat and the possible war involving The Nemesis...
Mortanius knew this was a stretch, after all The petty affairs of the Nosgothians politics rarely concerned the circle. After all, whomever wins would still pay homage to the sorcerers. The Necromancer merely desired to know if The Time Streamer was up to his old tricks. Even beyond the grave, the man was a slimy creature. Yet, the Necromancer had failed to sense the fiend. It was possible that Moebius knew a way to avoid his peering glance into the netherworld, after all the pair had known each other a long time. The Streamer could appear in the circles territories, in any shape or form.
Bane: Bah, our territories are the same as ever.
Azimuth: Yes, what ales your mind, Necromancer?
Mortanius: Just mere concern and my 'state' is none of your belated concern.
Azimuth fell silent, a little taken aback by this statement. After all the pair harbored their own dark misguided past. One full of shocking horrors that almost measured up to the after effects of the accidental viewing of a different dimensions version of Moebius. Azimuth cringed at the mere thought, her initial plan was to bring in a new age of debauchery and dominance through a special multi-verse entity. Sadly during the transmutation curse involving a flower and the misplacement of Moebius's staff his alternate self was raised. Sadly for all concerned that old man held the title of Time Streaker.
For now, the remaining circle members felt it best to give the Guardian of Death a wide berth. Zombie raiding parties working at the behest of a certain annoyed individual, was not a welcome foreseeable future, the others delighted in, especially in their respective territories.
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Tom was an easy going vampire by nature, maybe a little dramatic during certain instances, however this only transpired upon his children's demise. The creature saw all elements of nature as his creation, due to his awe-inspiring position as an immortal Gardiner. Flowers, trees, shrubs, weeds and anything remotely green, became his offspring. His personal view was as such, screw Bane, he was the true Guardian of Nature.
However this position now took a back seat to his current duties. The Stranger needed a clerk, somebody with an innate knowledge of Voradors domain. All the other male vampires had gone into hiding or had been staked by the intruders and the female ones were too busy ogling the bodyguards. This left the ever so lucky Tom, who found his new master the lesser of two evils, the other choice being an orderly beheading.
So, for the time being Tom could do nothing but wait and watch. The cool night air snatched a lone leaf in an updraft and it slowly headed towards the mansions south wing. A light flickered through the main window revealing a silhouette of female forms surrounding what appeared to be their new master.
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Delay: Writing shall re-commence on this tale around late June- after my exams and a quick replay of all the LOK games ;)