The Separate Paths We Take

by ZangetsuOldMan

In the history of the Devil Civil War, one nameless rogue will rise to infamy against the devils he hates so much. Along the way he will encounter heartache, lose and even a bond that would last long after he would fade into the pages of history. Here is the history of Rowland Moechor, the man who would call the Sitri heiress his partner. the only true friend he ever knew.

4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, what is going on? Wow, I did not expect so many people to really take to this story to be honest. As I said before it is a little rough around the edges. However, I hope that most of you can get what I am trying to get across. If you have any comments or questions, please be sure to leave them in a review. Those are my lifeblood and they really motivate me to do better and knock out these chapters.

A forewarning here, as I said Rowland is not entirely a nice or good individual at this point. He is going to do a lot of morally questionable things that someone like Serafall would despise. At best I see him as an anti-hero. He is willing to be the bad guy at times if it means that his moral compass is satisfied. Now with that out of the way, onto the latest chapter!

Serafall II

As soon as the Sitri heiress woke up in her room, it was to the sight of the very humble room that they had booked. For all that they had paid, the single double bedroom was very empty of anything that really stuck as homely. Oh, there were the two beds, placed adjacent to the left and right walls to give the occupants ample room. That was a small writing desk even, along with a small fireplace where they had warmed themselves last night. It simply felt cold to her.

"Are you ready Lady Serafall?" Kazgath asked, looking up from his seat at the desk. In front of him was a single piece of paper, a letter that the man had written during the night.

While she had gone to bed quite early the elderly devil had elected to stay up till midnight. He had said something about keeping watch and how one could never be too careful. She had replied that he seemed a bit paranoid.

"Yes, I believe so Kazgath." Serafall said, yawning into her hand as she rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes. "What have you got there Kaz? A letter home?"

"Nothing of the sort my lady." The butler replied, shaking his head at the question. He leaned back in his chair a bit, the bags underneath his eyes betraying the fact that he had not gotten much sleep last night. "I have been writing up the letter that we will be giving to the Eligos later today as it were."

"Rowland was able to come through for us then?" The heiress asked, sounding a bit delighted at the news. Kazgath grimaced at that, his eyes narrowing in distrust.

"It would appear so my lady." He said, nodding slowly as he thought on the predicament. "Say what you will of Mr. Moechor, but he seems to be well connected. I had believed that we would be stuck waiting for at least a few days before we would be given an audience."
"Huh?" Serafall asked, tilting her head in confusion. "Well it was a good thing that we met him isn't it?"

The innkeeper seemed a bit rough around the edges if she were being honest. His views on the nobility not something that she could bring herself to really believe. However, she had seen what this war had done to some of her compatriots. Those that had been abused by the Satans for so long that they could no longer bring themselves to believe in the goodness of others again.

Maybe that's why he seems so jaded. She thought, nodding to herself. Well, she would just have to prove him wrong then.

"It would appear that way wouldn't it?" Kazgath replied, shaking his head at the thought. "Lady Serafall, I must implore you not to be so open with such a man. While he may have helped us, I doubt it was simply out of the good of his heart." The small scoff that he gave at the idea made it quite clear what the elderly devil thought on the matter.

"How can you say that Kazgath?" Serafall exclaimed, looking a bit hurt at the accusation.

Say what you will of the whimsical Sitri, but she had a way of truly understanding people. It was one of the key reasons why she was picked as head of diplomacy for the Anti-Devil Faction. She could tell that deep down, Rowland seemed to be a good person. To insinuate otherwise imply that she was wrong. She had her Devil pride to worry about if people questioned her insight.

"I say that we are going to trust Rowl to come through for us and I can see that he has." Serafall continued, giving the old man a small glare as she puffed up her cheeks. "I won't have you insulting the man's honor in that manner Kaz. Am I clear?"

Kazgath grimaced further, his eyes narrowed. However, he soon relented as he bowed his head to his mistress. "If that is your wish Lady Serafall then I will do so." He said, the glare his mistress gave fading as she smiled again. However, it was cut short as he continued. "However, I would advise you not to trust so easily. Especially not in a place like this Serafall. There are many who will try and take you for what you are worth and then some if you do not practice a little caution."
"I know that Kaz, I'm not a child." The Sitri replied, her tone putting an end to the conversation as she looked towards the door. "Do you know if breakfast has been served yet?"

The old butler responded immediately, his diligence overriding any other emotion he might have been feeling. "Yes, Mr. Moechor stated that it would be ready shortly. I had wanted to leave earlier but I did not wish to wake you. If you want, we can eat and discuss business with the man before we depart for the day."
Serafall nodded at that, looking a bit happy with the suggestion. "That sounds great!" She exclaimed, looking back to her cheerful self once again. "I wonder what kind of food Rowl has cooked up for us! Those meat pies last night were the absolute best!"

Kazgath chuckled a bit at Serafall's antics. It always made her feel happy when the old man was able to show a bit of emotion from time to time. He always seemed so serious for some reason. Well, there would be no one around her who wouldn't be smiling!

The two walked downstairs. It was a bit odd to see the Ebony Dagger so empty after seeing how crowded it could get at night. The whole inn seemed deserted now, the quiet almost deafening. Though it still held that homey charm that had drawn them there.

Serafall's smile grew wider as soon as she saw the innkeeper behind the bar. Rowland looked as if he had not walked away from the bar all night it seemed. Indeed, were it not for the change of clothes and slightly damp hair then it would have seemed he stood there all night.

"Rowl!" Serafall yelled, waving a bit at the long-haired man. "Good morning!"

"Must I remind you Miss Sitri that my name is Rowland." The innkeeper replied, looking up from the glass that he was cleaning as the two approached his bar.

The heiress puffed her cheeks out at that, looking a tad bit annoyed at the response. "How rude! And here I was all happy to see you and everything." She said, crossing her arms as she turned her head away from him.

"Forgive me." Rowland said, putting down the glass as he gave them his full attention. "I've been busy setting up that meeting of yours all night that I seemed to have forgotten my manners." He bowed his head at that, looking apologetic as he spoke.

Serafall hummed a bit at that. "I'll forgive you this one time I suppose." She said, looking back to the man. Her smile soon returned as she jumped into one of the bar stools, leaning forward a bit as she continued. "Do you have anything yummy thing morning?" She asked, back to her normal cheerful self.

"I can whip you up some oats and eggs if you want." Rowland replied, pondering the request. It appeared that he didn't have many people for the morning crowd, the empty inn made it clear why he won't have something already made. "I apologize if that seems meager but it's all I got."

"I believe that that should be more than efficient." Kazgath said, taking a seat next to Serafall. He looked up at the innkeeper, a raised eyebrow as he watched the man walk into the kitchen. "What happened to that young boy that was here last night? Rizamor I believe his name was. Doesn't he work for you?"

"I have him running errands for me at this hour." The innkeeper yelled back, the window into the kitchen allowing the two devils to see the innkeeper as he worked. "You know how it is. I have to have ingredients for the food, ale for the kegs and so on."

Kazgath nodded at that. "Fair enough then." He said, letting the matter drop.

The two watched as Rowland went to work in the kitchen. The man seemed to be in his element as he quickly pulled out a black iron cauldron. In it he poured a good amount of barley, some milk and what appeared to be some sugar in the mix. From there he pulled out a spoon and whipped the mixture into nice blend, the thick porridge coming together as the three ingredients blended into the dish. After roughly a minute he put the cauldron over the fire and let it sit for some time.

Rowland whistled a little tune as he worked. As soon as he put the cauldron down, he reached behind the counter and pulled out a jar. He popped it open, sticking his hand in there and pulled out a few eggs. The innkeeper quickly put the lid back on, popping it tightly back into place and putting the jar back along with the others.

"So, what are your plans after you leave Nokkzaruz?" Rowland asked, pulling out a pan. He cracked a few eggs and put them in there. He then walked over to the fire, the sizzling of the yolk a surprising good smell to the Sitri heiress. "Assuming that you get what you want during this meeting?"

"Well, I guess that depends on how long this negotiation takes." Serafall replied, seeing no reason to be dishonest with the man. He had helped them up to this point and he seemed trustworthy to her. "It might take us a few weeks before both sides are happy. I suppose we would have to find a good place to stay then. You wouldn't happen to know of any would you Rowland?" She asked, a playful smile on the girl's face as she watched the man work.

"I hear that the Eligos take good care of their guests." Rowland said, not looking up from his work as he spoke. Serafall puffed her cheeks out at that reply. "You should be looked after there, with your every need seen to." His voice dripped with a bit of sarcasm.

"Well, what if I don't want to stay with them?" The heiress asked, playing along with the man's little game. "I think I'd much prefer the Ebony Dagger to be honest. It has a bit of a homey feel to it." She continued, looking around the bar a bit. Her eyes wandered as she really took in the place.

Here and there were a few items of interest, a plaque here and there displaying a trophy of some kind. These she would have to ask Rowland about. But the one that really stood out to her was the longsword that sat proudly above the bar.

"Hey Rowl, what's with the sword?" Serafall asked, turning to look at the man as he worked.

She noticed how he seemed to freeze up for a second, the eggs laying still as she stopped moving the skillet. It was only for a moment, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that it was a long story.

"It belonged to my uncle." Rowland replied, not looking up from the food. His tone of voice blank as he answered her question. "The old man used to run this place before I took over. That sword was one of the few gifts that he gave me over the years. It's all I got left of him."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." The heiress said, looking down as she withheld any more questions. It seemed that whenever she wanted to ask the innkeeper, she seemed to bring up problems.

The three occupants of the bar stayed quiet as the two newcomers they waited for food to cook. It was a tense silence as they sat there, the only sound being that of the sizzling food and the steaming porridge. After a handful of minutes, it was done.

The plates put in front of the two seemed divine. Or rather, extremely good. For it to be divine would imply that it would kill them with a single touch and that would be no good. The porridge had steam still rising from it. The milk and barley that went into it coming together into a perfect mix. Along the side of the porridge was a few sliced-up strawberries that seemed to really bring the dish together.

The eggs were baked to a golden brown and the center appeared to be golden nuggets with how yellow they were. There was a sprinkle of spice over the two eggs which seemed to highlight the dish. Overall, this level of cooking was something that one would expect in a high-class kitchen as opposed to the seemingly cheap inn.

"Time to dig in!" Serafall exclaimed, not caring for the precise manners that were drilled into her since she could walk as she jammed a spoonful of the porridge. She was silent for a few seconds as she chewed her food, staring down at her plate for a full minute.
"Lady Serafall!" Kazgath exclaimed, looking a bit concerned. She had never had this reaction to food before, always ready for a second bite right after the first. He shook her shoulder for a second, hoping to snap her out of it. "What is the problem my lady?"

"It's, it's, it's so good!" The heiress yelled, looking up with a renewed twinkle in her eyes. She quickly started to shove bite after bite of the food. She had never had something so utterly delicious! Whatever the man had done to their food, it was beyond even what the cooks of the Sitri family could ever hope to achieve.

Kazgath looked to his own plate. From what he could see it seemed to be a simple dish of porridge and eggs, commoner food if he were to be honest. But he had to see for himself. He picked up a spoonful, giving the food a distrustful look, before placing the porridge in his mouth.

The old butler had not had something this good in quite some time. The taste was truly something else. For a second there, he felt like a young man again. The food seemed to rejuvenate him in a way that few things his age could.

"Enjoying yourselves, are you?" Rowland asked, raising an eyebrow at their response. "What, your fancy chefs skipping out on their jobs or something?"

"They have nothing on this!" The heiress yelled, ready to scoop up another spoonful. She reached down, a happy smile on her face, only to hit the now empty plate. "Huh? Where'd all the food go?"

"I believe it went down your throat and is now resting in your stomach as it were." The innkeeper replied, a hint of sass in his voice.

Normally no one would have the guts to say that to someone of nobility. Luckily Serafall liked for people to treat her like a normal girl. She hated it when people bowed and scraped to do whatever she said.

"More please?" She asked, looking up to Rowland with watery eyes. It had been so good, she just had to have more of it. "Please Rowl, can I have some more?"

The innkeeper sighed as he noticed the look that she was giving him. For a second there Serafall thought that he'd say no. However, he merely took her plate and put a bit more of the porridge on there.

"Here, you can have my portion." The man said, seemingly not caring too much at the notion of not eating anything for breakfast.

"What?" Serafall asked, looking down at her plate again. "I can't do that! You have to eat too!"

Rowland shrugged at her words, "I can eat some of the left-over bread from yesterday and an apple. It was what I was probably going to do anyhow so I'm not too bothered by it." He replied, raising an eyebrow at the distressed heiress. "Eat, you paid for rooms and meals thus you get rooms and meals. That gold you gave me is going to go to some use around here. So don't worry about me, I'll survive. I always do."

Serafall looked a bit saddened at that, staring down at the porridge. She sat there for another minute, her face scrunched up a bit.

"What's wrong?" Rowland asked, placing a hand on the counter as he leaned forward a bit. "You have your face messed up like a hell hound pup."

"How'd you get so good at cooking Rowl?" Serafall asked, looking up at the man with an inquisitive look. "This seems more like something that a girl would know how to do. Did your mother teach you?" Her voice now took on a bit of a teasing note.

"That would be kind of hard for her to do." He replied, his face especially blank as he replied. "Given that she died giving birth to me."

That shut Serafall up quick. It seemed that whenever she tried to get to the know the man better, she always seemed to pick a topic that would be best left alone. She looked away in embarrassment as she replied.

"I'm sorry to bring it up then." She said, "Please forgive me for my rudeness."

"There's nothing to forgive." Rowland said, shrugging as he went back to cleaning glasses. "Like I said, I never knew who she was, so I never really felt particularly close to her. The closest thing I had to a parent in my life was my uncle. He raised me from the day I was born, and he taught me everything that I know. Including how to cook." He continued, his voice a little lighter in tone as he explained his reasoning.

"Still, have you ever thought of what the world is like outside of here?" Serafall asked, hoping to change the subject. "Where people are less, chaotic." She said, hoping not to offend the man any further than she already had. She was meant to be a diplomat damn it, she could do this!

"Not really." The bartender replied, not looking up from his task. "Nokkzaruz is where I belong. I was born here and I'm no doubt going to die here someday. The least that I can do is try and make it a little better by the time my number is up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the front door swung open, the boy from yesterday (Rizamor Serafall thought) instantly ran as fast as he could. The look of terror on his face spoke well of his mindset. Though the odd thing that Serafall noted was the bit of string that seemed to stick to the boy's rough looking clothes.

"Never again!" Rizamor exclaimed, his eyes instantly snapping to Rowland. He seemed to be clutching something in his right hand. "I am never going there again as long as I live Boss!"

"You are being overdramatic." Rowland replied, rolling his eyes as he looked at the lad. "I doubt that she hurt you, doesn't seem to be a scratch on you." He gave a look over, snorting at the look that Rizamor shot back at him.

"I swear Boss, she was thinking of eating me!" The urchin continued, not paying mind to the two guests that sat at the bar. Not that Serafall cared. She was able to gleam a bit more about the two just by their behavior.

"She was just playing with you. Trying to spook you out of your wits and it looks like it worked." Rowland said, putting down the rag he was using for cleaning. "More importantly, did you get it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yeah I got it." Rizamor sighed, handing over the parchment to the man. He instantly sat down at one of the empty bar stools, giving a nod to Serafall and Kazgath as soon as he seemed to calm down a bit. "It better have been worth it Boss."

Rowland seemed to look the message over quick. He smiled to himself, the first real smile that Serafall had ever seen the man give. He looks good like that. She thought, a small grin tugging at her cheeks. Not like the gloomy frown that he seemed to favor most of the time.

"Alright, it seems that we are in luck you two." Rowland said, putting the parchment down as he addressed his two guests. "My contact was able to get you an audience with the Eligos for the evening. Now, from what she was able to tell, it will be at the big tower over at the center of the district." He said, pointing to the door as he spoke. "You will be speaking to Gorthrath Eligos, the local power player here in the slums. With any luck you all can arrange your little agreement and be on your way. How does that sound?"

Serafall noted the look of amusement in Rowland's eyes for a moment. It was only there for a few seconds, hard to see if you weren't paying attention. He doesn't think that this was going to work. She noted, humming as she ate the porridge that he made. Well, she had already heard his thoughts last night. No doubt they might have been influenced by the nobility here.

"That seems to be excellent Mister Moechor." Kazgath spoke up, nodding once to the bartender. "We thank you for your assistance in this matter. Who knows where we would be without your assistance?"

"You lot would have figured something out." Rowland replied, shrugging at the gratitude. "Besides, a deal is a deal. You helped me out of a bind so the least that I could do was help you out of yours."

Serafall nodded at that. It seemed quite chivalrous to a degree. At the very least, Rowland seemed to be the type that repays his debts. She could appreciate that. If anything, it helped solidified her belief that the man was a good person. Yes, she would have to talk to him later. From what she could gather, a man with his resources would be useful to the cause.

They say that information is power right? The Serafall heiress thought, finishing off the last bit of porridge in her bowl. If Rowland used that network of his for us, I'm sure that we could reward him for his efforts. Might even let him have a bit of land and make him one of our subordinates.

The thought put a smile on Serafall's face. Yes, she much liked the sound of that. It would be good to have someone that they could truly trust getting them the information that they needed. Who knows how many lives could be saved by knowing the location and strength of their enemies? Too many.

"Well, I suppose that we will just have to wait till nightfall then." Serafall noted, leaning forward on the bar. Rowland gave her a pointed look for that, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Is there anything that you would suggest that we do here while we wait? Any local areas that might pique our interest?"

"Not unless you have a fondness for the local art." The bartender replied, not letting up on his sharp look. Serafall pouted at that, puffing out her cheeks as she did so. "I fear that the slums are quite straightforward in what we have to offer. In that we have nothing to offer. Most people here are barely getting by as is. We don't have the time or luxury for anything but survival."

"That is fair I suppose." Kazgath said, putting his fork down as he rejoined the conversation. "Well, I suppose we might as well spend the time that we have here. As I recall Lady Sitri, we still have some of your lessons to go over still."

Serafall looked sheepish at that, turning her head away from Kazgath as she twiddled her thumbs. "Come on Kaz, do we have to?" She asked, not really feeling up to it. Most of what the man would go over was rudimentary lessons on magic. Stuff that she already knew how to do with her ice instinctively.

Besides, why try and be a jack of all trades with the elements as opposed to just mastering one? The heiress thought, her eyes going back to Rowland. He didn't seem to be paying them any mind, no doubt lost in his own thoughts as it were. Hm, I wonder what he can do?

"Hey Rowl, what kind of magic do you use?" Serafall suddenly asked, the question catching everyone there off guard. Kazgath looked to the bartender for his response, no doubt curious as well. Rizamor eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at his boss. He seemed a bit put off by the question.

As for Rowland, he didn't seem to be too fazed by the question as it were. If anything, he seemed to be perfectly calm in his response.

"I don't." Rowland said, shrugging as he went along with his business. Which seemed to be brooding for now.

"What do you mean you don't?" Serafall asked, tilting her head to the side. That wasn't the answer that she was expecting. She expected him to note some element or another, perhaps a particular field of magic. But nothing at all? How could that be?

"It means that I don't know how." Rowland continued, rolling his eyes at her confusion. "My uncle never taught me how to use magic and thus I don't. It always said that it was an unfair advantage to use in battle, that only a coward would use it in the heat of battle. So far I haven't had to learn it to get by." And what that that seemed to end the conversation. At least on Rowland's end.

"Hm, I suppose I can see how someone could come to that conclusion." Kazgath said, crossing his arms as he pondered the response. "I take it that your uncle was someone that excelled in swordsmanship?" He asked, his eyes looking up at the sword that hung above the bar.

"That he did." The bartender replied, a look of fondness as he replied. "The old man was the best damn swordsman you would see in the Underworld. He learned his craft from the works of Achille Marozzo."

"Achille Marozzo?" Serafall asked, not recognizing the name. From the wide-eyed look that Kazgath was giving the man, he appeared to have some importance. "Who is he?"

"Only the greatest fencing master in the history of Italy." Rowland said, offering the heiress a small grin as she seemed to come to the same conclusion that Kazgath did.

No wonder the man didn't learn magic. No self-respecting devil would learn at the feet of a human. That must mean that-

"You're human Rowl?" The heiress asked, a tint of confusion in her voice. It seemed strange, he seemed to have this dark aura around him that just spoke of something else. She would have to do a little investigating then. For a human to be able to thrive so well in the Underworld, that spoke levels of the depth that this man went to get to where he was. That just meant that she wanted him with them even more.

"That I am Lady Serafall." Rowland replied, seeming a little proud of that fact. "My uncle taught me the ways of the blade and I've tried to further that study as much as I could. Hell, I even got Marozzo's texts up in my private room. A master with a blade can beat any novice with magic at his fingertips."

"That may well be." Kazgath said, snapping out of his surprise as he got over his shock. She would have to ask him why he seemed to know who this Marozzo guy was. If Kaz's response was anything to go off of, he seemed to be a big deal. "Magic has it's uses in melee as much as at range. Imagine coating a blade in fire or bludgeoning someone with a fist of stone. The mind is the only limitation that exists within magic."

Serafall rolled her eyes as she heard Kazgath go into his lecture mode. He had always been this way when it came to teaching others. Hell, half the time she tried to sneak away from the man whenever he got like this. However, she would be lying if she said she did not want to hear Rowland's response.

The bartender hummed in response to what he heard. From what Serafall could see, he seemed interested in what Kazgath was talking about. Well, as long as the old butler wasn't shoving it down her throat then she'd said let him take the cover for it.

"Is it impossible to learn such things?" Rowland asked, a little curious. No doubt the limitless potentials of magic had struck a chord in the man. Serafall had to admit, she could see the appeal that it has to someone untrained in the art.

"I know that there are human mages." Kazgath said, nodding slowly as he thought over the prospect quick. "Though I do not know how they use magic or generate it. The way that we devils power our spells is tied directly into our emotions. Our rage, our pleasure, our fear. Anything that we feel can be used as power for whatever spell we want to use."

Rowland hummed at that, thinking it over. "That means that someone untrained in the regulation of their emotions would make a poor mage am I correct?" He asked, seeming to contemplate the idea.

"Not necessarily." Serafall said, shaking her head at the idea. "While I can see why you would think that some of the best displays of magic are from those that are just starting out. The one that jumps to mind is the first time that I tried to use my magic."

"I am sure that everyone in the castle remembers that Lady Serafall." Kazgath replied, a sour look on his face as he remembered that fiasco.

She had frozen the entire training field in one spell. Not to mention the layer of ice that had sprung up on the northern side of the family estate. Father wasn't overly pleased with that and Kazgath had had to spend close to an hour trying to calm the man down from doing anything drastic.

"Normally, a devil is born with a particular affinity for a branch of magic." Kazgath continued, his eyes going back to Rowland. The bartender still seemed a little intrigued with the topic and the old man was more than ready to share what he knew. "A good example of this would be the Eligos. As I am sure that you are aware, they have a particular affinity towards Necromancy. It is simply in their blood and thus they have learned many secrets that other devils or even humans would have no knowledge of. In other cases, such as the Sitri, they have an affinity towards an element. For them, manipulating water is as easy as breathing for them."

"And I would be right to believe that someone without an affinity would have a harder time performing that particular magic." Rowland interjected, his eyes showing the quick wit that seemed to lay within him. "It's like if someone is a natural born swordsman and decides to pick up a dagger. He would have a harder time opposed to someone who had an aptitude for it but it wouldn't be impossible for him to get it eventually."

"An aptitude is a good way to think about it actually." Serafall replied, nodding at the analogy. "I could potentially learn, say earth magic but I have no interest in it when I already have my own affinity. Some people prefer to be jacks of all trades, but you'll find that in magic that just isn't very common. It is better to specialize and truly master one element than be a novice in half a dozen."

"How does one go about learning their affinity?" The bartender asked, looking curious. Serafall could tell that the man was already hooked on the idea of magic. This just might work to our advantage. She thought, a carefree smile on her face as she ran the idea through her head.

She had heard of that group that Sirzechs had been actively recruiting lately. If she recalled correctly, a good bit of them happened to be human. She had a feeling about Rowland, that he was a lot stronger than he let on. A human, surviving in a place like this with absolutely no help? She would say it was almost damn near impossible but here he was. Perhaps it was luck or fate, but she could tell that having someone like him on their side would be very beneficial. Also, she wanted to rub the fact that she found such a person and not for Sirzechs for once.

"You would need to have someone trained in the art feel for your affinity." Serafall said, patting Kazgath on the shoulder. "Lucky for you, Kaz here happens to be a great teacher. I'm sure that he could do that for you really quick."

The butler shot a look at his mistress. No doubt he was thinking that this was a bad idea and that there was no need to do it. However, she said that they were doing this and thus promptly said nothing.

"Are you sure that you want to do this Mister Moechor?" Kazgath asked, looking up at the innkeeper. "As I said, humans learning magic is vastly different than how we do it. There is no guarantee that this will work."

"Is there any harm involved?" Rowland asked, clearly contemplating the idea. Good, it meant that he was the type that used his head before jumping headfirst into something. That would be a good counterbalance to her own mindset.
"I just don't want to get your hopes up over nothing Mister Moechor." Kazgath said, holding his hand out to the man. "Give me your hand and we can begin then."
Rowland looked a little unsure for a second, his eyes searching for some trick. However, he seemed to relax after a few seconds of looking at Kazgath. He sighed for a second, relenting as he put his right hand over the devil's.

Kazgath closed his eyes, Serafall had seen the same stance that the man was using as he began. She had seen the man do so time after time. It was the same thing that he did right before he started to channel his magic.

A small ray of light began to glow from Kazgath's hands, golden and harsh as he began to get a feel for Rowland's aura. She could feel both of their auras, both vastly different from the other. Kazgath was warm and inviting, welcoming and nurturing. One would say that would be hard for a devil to project though that was mostly the propaganda of the Church.

Rowland on the other hand, was cold and harsh. His aura seemed to have this gloominess to it that marked his every step. However, behind it there seemed to be a kindness that seemed unending. It seemed that the bartender was not as mean as he liked to project after all.

"Hm, I believe that is enough Mister Moechor." Kazgath said, slowly withdrawing his hand. He seemed to have gotten what he wanted from that exchange. A small smile seemed to be tugging at his cheeks though Serafall could not see anything amusing about the situation. "You seem to have a good deal of power as it were. Congratulations on that front if nothing else."

The heiress instantly noticed the sharp look that her servant was giving the man. It seemed that he wasn't entirely pleased with whatever it was that he had found. No, more like he saw something that he wasn't expecting. Hopefully, she could ask him what he felt and see if it was anything to worry about.

"Thank you Kazgath." Rowland replied, looking a little awe struck at the display of magic. An almost child like interest seemed to spring up for a moment. Had Serafall not being paying attention to the man, she doubted she would have seen it before he smashed it out of existence. "So, what is it that you found? Is there any hope for me?"

"Yes, there does indeed seem to be some hidden talent for you." Kazgath replied, that small smile slowly eroding the blank face that he was hiding behind. It seemed that he was warming up to the bartender. "You seem to have a strong affinity for the element of Darkness."

"Darkness?" The bartender asked, looking a bit confused as well as a tad bit worried. His eyes darted to Rizamor, the boy having a similar look on his face. "What can you even do with such a thing?"

"Normally it is used to inflict curses and to hinder one's opponent." The butler said, slipping into what Serafall liked to call 'Lecture mode'. He always seemed to drone on and on about magic, making even the ability to shape ice seem dull when he put it in such technical terms. Though Rowland seemed to be enjoying the man's explanation. "Another way to thing about it is that you are tampering with the life force of an individual. A good example of this would be the way that the Eligos use their trait Dominance over Life and Death."
"So, you're saying that this element is evil?" Rowland asked, looking a bit disgusted at the comparison. "That it is only useful for doing harm?"

"I didn't say that." Kazgath replied, shaking his head at the notion. "While that is a principle use of the element of Darkness, that is not the only way that it may be used. I have even heard of people that were able to heal and nurture growth with such an element. Remember Mister Moechor, magic is never intentionally good or evil. However, it can be used for both."

"That's right." Serafall chimed in, giving a cheerful nod to Rowland. She could tell that a bit of the interest he had magic had died at the comparison. "Take me for example." She continued, pointing to herself as she spoke. "My family, the House of Sitri, has a naturally high affinity for water magic. However, I was able to learn how to turn that into ice and learned how to adapt it. Like we said, magic is tied to the imagination of the caster. If you think that a spell can only do evil, that is all that it can do. However, if you are more open to things then the potentially is still open for both." She explained, offering a nod to the man as he took in what she said.

"Well, I think that is all that we can talk about for now." Kazgath said, standing up as he spoke. He gave a look to his charge, his eyes gesturing towards the stairs. "We will be talking a few things over for our meeting and then we will be parting ways. Though I must say that it has been a pleasure staying here with you Mister Moechor. Your company has been pleasurable." The butler bowed at that, making a bead line for their room.

The strange thing was, Serafall knew that he genuinely meant ever word. She hoped that he would be keen with her idea of bringing the innkeeper into the fold with them.

As soon as the door was shut and the room silent, Kazgath turned to look at the heiress.

"I think that there is more to Mister Moechor then he seems to be letting on." Kazgath said, taking a seat on one of the beds as he spoke. His eyes were furrowed as he watched Serafall take a seat at the desk.

"Do you think that he was hiding something from us?" The heiress asked, looking a little curious. "What did you find with your search? Was there anything that seemed off to you?"

"A few things. Though I didn't lie about his potential." Kazgath said, nodding to the inquiry. "However, that wasn't the only aptitude that the man seemed to have. Or the only thing that laid within him."

"What do you mean Kazgath?" Serafall asked, looking serious about the notion.

"I know without doubt that the man has human blood running through his veins." The butler started, looking at Serafall with the upmost seriousness. "Otherwise, he couldn't have a Sacred Gear."

"A Sacred Gear?" The heiress asked, a little shock in her voice. It was rare to find someone with a Sacred Gear even in the human world where mortals vastly outnumbered them. But to find one here? That seemed a little strange. "Are you positive? Were you able to identify which one?"

"All I was able to gather was that he had one. Though it seemed to be shrouded in darkness when I went for a further look. No doubt his latent abilities seemed to kick in when I went to investigate." Kazgath admitted, his eyes narrowing further as he thought on the notion of such a thing.

Serafall hummed as she took in everything that she heard. A Sacred Gear, his potential skill in magic, his resourcefulness and cunning to survive in such a place. All pointed towards what she already knew. She wanted him in her Peerage.

"What do you think of us inviting Rowl to join us?" Serafall asked, the question leaving a look of surprise on Kazgath's face. "I just can't abandon him here Kaz. He seems to be a good person, too good to live in such a place. I think it would be best if he joins up with us."

"Hm, I believe that that idea seems to have some merit." The butler said, nodding slowly as he thought on the notion. "However, we will have to be smart about how we go about doing this. Though I believe that if we play our cards right, Mister Moechor will make a powerful ally to the cause."

"I think so too." The heiress said, smiling as she thought of what it would be like to have him with them in the near future. She didn't lie when she said that she wanted him with them. The other things just added to that. No, he just seemed to be a good individual and she would hate to see that snuffed out of him. She had watched so many lose the will to just try and see the good that was left in the world.

She swore that Rowland wouldn't have to be one of those people.

Okay, so a few revelations here. I assume that most of you were able to guess what Rowland's cowl was and here is the confirmation. I already have an idea on what the cowl is and what spirit inhabits it. All I ask is that you wait for me to reveal who/what it is as I assure you that it is hard to piece together (though the clues are there).

As always, like favorite and comment! Have a good rest of your day!