Amongst the dull murmur of patrons idly chatting and enjoying their drink, the tavern doors fling open suddenly reveal a small woman, barely three feet in height.  The halfling woman, garbed in beautifully tailored clothing blouse and cloak with an unusually short skirt, looked among the crowd as they stared down to her for her unexpected appearance.  She adjusted her glasses and walked inside, a large tome under her arm.  She refused to make eye contact with any that gazed her way, preferring to keep her head high as she made her way to the bar.  Sitting down at a stool, she slammed her book on the table and opened it.

"A glass if wine, if you'd please."  She said with a voice dripping in regal mannerisms to the bartender.  She didn't look up as she spoke, instead keeping her eyes fixed on her tome. "Red, if possible."

The taste of magic on the air brought the creature that had once been Icarus to the Kingdom of Adeluna.  It had wandered months thus far, struggling to maintain its dominance over the fractured mind and consciousness that lingered even past the soul death of its body.  A man that had championed battles and wars of survival against demons fell prey to the very darkness that dwelt within him and it led to this creature, this maw of darkness, consuming him and wearing his flesh like a mask.  It could pass through human places mostly undetected, though others that could see its essence were frequently offput and made meals of when confronted alone.

Still, Icarus and the Other were stuck in what seemed a sort of limbo.  The dead hero could still influence the body through the excesses of his will that still ached within the very fabric of the beast's life.  No, it would call itself the moniker of Icarus' master… Cain. What better way to insult the legacy of one of the greatest adversaries Hell had faced?  Yes, Cain would do nicely.

Cain walked into The Winking Mermaid, the mask Icarus had carried with him now resting on the face of the dead swordsman. A few glances shot his way, but most of them paid no mind.  Drifters in strange garb or wishing to hide their features were not necessarily an uncommon appearance in cities such as this.  It found an empty table, away from the bar and the small crowd, struggling to center itself again.  

Although it required essence to gather power in preparation for the summoning of the Void, it seemed Icarus would exercise more control for periods of time it could not easily return from with each meal.  It was like the power it took in was charging the fragment of a soul that bound the beast to the body and this plane.  There was no means of Icarus truly returning, but the fact the body refused the demon's commands made its task all the more difficult.  It had to balance such occurrences lest it lose control for a period of time that would permit what remained of Icarus to find some solution.  There was none, but if the remains had hope, it would provide more resistance.

A serving wench, one without any measure of magical aptitude, approached.  Life essence without the taste of magic on it was bitter, but Cain thought it may be worthwhile to taste her, as well as the others.  "What can I get you?" she asked as the face behind the mask licked its lips in eager anticipation.  It curbed its appetite for a moment.  Most mortal food and drink did not sate its appetite, but perhaps the most convenient thing it had gained from Icarus was a taste for the drink.  "Whiskey, full bottle and a glass," it replied, sounding just human enough to seem only tired with a raspy quality to its voice.

It tried to guage the atmosphere a bit better, and came to find a rather diminutive figure sitting at the bar that had a considerable bit of magic about it. Dinner time! it thought to itself, only to find its right hand clawing firmly at the bottom of the table, locking the beast in place.  Icarus had begun to interfere with Cain once more.

Although the rest of the bar turned its attention to Cain and his demonic presence, the halfling ignored them all and continued to read from her book.  The bartender brought her a glass of wine as requested.  She took a sip, waiting for the tender to leave.  After he did so, she grunted in repulse.

"If only I was a food critic…this swill could be used to fuel a lantern…"  She muttered to herself.  Flicking to a page in her book, she began to touch the ink on the paper, causing it to glow gently.  The wine glass followed suit and was engulfed in a golden hue.  Once the glow died down the wine seemed clearer and a brighter shade of red.  She took another sip and sighed contently.

"Much better…"

Although struggling to free itself from its own inhibitors that resided within its flesh, the creature removed its mask with its other hand.  Cain held the mask for a moment, letting the warm tavern air brush across the dead, but not decaying, flesh.  It was difficult to even tell the body was dead, only pale of skin and with the most minute black haze emanating from cracks within the flesh that took magical sight to notice. As the serving wench returned, the creature felt another wave of hunger wash over it before it dropped a few coins on the table and hastily drank a heavy swig of the alcohol.  

With the bit of sentience and functionality it had, the creature felt calmed down and the hunger for living essence subsided for the moment. It cocked its head, glancing back around the tavern, before resting its gaze upon the small mage.  It decided, for the moment, that it would not move to consume her.  The hand that resisted the creature previously eased its grip on the bottom of the table and permitted Cain to walk toward the bar.  

Taking a seat directly beside the halfling, Cain poured some of the liquor from its bottle into the glass it brought along. "So much filth in this city," it said to itself, the raspy quality back in its voice.

Quis continued to look at her book, but spoke without giving Icarus a glance.  She sounded like Icarus' sentence was common knowledge.

"Yes, that's usually what happens when you go into a bar on the docks- there is garbage ready to be moved to an off-site landfill."  She said casually. "Although the city proper is much more sanitized."

Cain couldn't help chuckle at the halfling's words as the creature realized the disconnect in their thoughts.  The creature sitting beside the girl referred to the living.  They were the true filth and an insult to the Darkest One, father of all demons and Bane of Existence.  Even as it laughed its cacophonous hacking sound that qualified for such a term, darkness flowed from its lips like a thin fog.

"Good point, though there will certainly be a need for far more than a landfill shortly," it said, hinting at the sheer hilarity of the situation as it focused for a moment, bringing a beast of darkness forth from within itself.  This time, there was no hesitation from a noncompliant body and the darkness took form, becoming a black panther with fangs as long as a man's hand.  The sight alone caused the patrons to take notice and jump up, weapons in the hands of those not fully terrified in the sudden chaos.  "Harvest them.  Bring me their essence and leave this one alone," Cain instructed, motioning toward the halfling.

Obeying the command as an iron rule of law, the creature pounced first at those nearest the door.  At the same time, Cain raised a stone wall of magic over the door, sealing those present inside the tavern.  The one beside the dead man was not a target for the moment simply due to the fact it couldn't fathom how to absorb magic fully to the point it could use that which it took.  It would have been a waste of potential and the creature knew as much.

"Apologies, I haven't eaten in some time," the raspy voice said nonchalantly.  It didn't seem too concerned at the halfling and if necessary, it would do all it had to in order to claim that one's life as well.

Quis didn't seem to notice.  Casually, she continued to read, seemingly unaware of what had transpired and how she was now sealed in with a monster.  She flipped a page and hung her head in her hand.

"Understandable, considering your table manners it wouldn't be a surprise if you were banned from every tavern in the city."

She took another sip of her wine and grumbled.

"Even with magic this tastes like bathwater with food coloring.  Despicable.  You've most likely slaughtered people in different inns, are there any good ones in the area?"

Cain couldn't help laugh in his horrid cackle that would have defied the age of the man whose body he stole. The halfling, toying with her possible death, was fearless in her words, almost dismissive.  Considering there was no owner left within this tavern, it seemed unlikely there would be a witness with the exception of this diminutive creature to tell of what transpired and could describe him.  Thought dawned on him.

When did I begin to feel emotion?  I make these sounds of joy with this sub-creature while all of this death transpires around us.  I am becoming more complete, functioning, and inquisitive, Cain thought to himself. He no longer thought in terms of mere hunger and began to ponder more on just how much capability it could develop from continuous feeding. He scoffed at the absurdity of his continuing evolution.

He was a demon, a herald of Obelisk.  To become more accustomed to the body of a mortal, to the extent of it feeling natural, was insane in and of itself.  "I suppose that is one way to view it.  I feel more keen on calling it cleansing the filth," he stated.  The halfling's cavalier attitude in its questioning both piqued and annoyed Cain.  The creature of darkness finished the last of its victims and returned to his side.

Opening his mouth, Cain brought the darkness back into his body, absorbing the essence from the mundane mortals that had been among the living only a scant few moments ago.  A shiver went down his body and a feeling of warmth and calm came to him.  This was the cause of his sentience and absolutely required to keep him capable of rational thought in this body tempered against his kind.  "You would be wrong.  I only came to the city because I was hungry.  Now that my hunger is relatively sated, I will likely return to the wilds," he explained.

The halfling finally looked up from her tome to gaze into his eyes.  Cain/Icarus would most likely be used to looks of fear by now.  Over the countless slaughtered, the look of impending doom or realization of death dilating their irises, the mouth mid-scream.  By now it would be as common as blinking.  Perhaps even the occasional facade of courage.  A soldier, quivering in fear, pretending to stand tall against his strength.  it would be quite amusing.  

However, as Quis looked into his eyes, the demon would notice something odd.  A look he rarely gets.  Not one overwhelmed with fear or false bravery, not even one of a woman attempting to bring him back to his senses with compassion or anger over the pointless slaughter he wrought.  This was most likely something new to him: annoyance. The halfling glared at him with an irritated look, as though he had made a terrible pun.  


"I am never wrong."  She sneered at him before closing her book.  Hopping down off the stool, she began to head for the door, still blocked by stone.

"Now then, since you've so inconveniently murdered anyone of value in this facility, I must return to my studies at the academy.  If you would be so kind as to remove this barricade and return to the forest, I would appreciate it."

She didn't bother looking back to him.  Her voice remained the usual pompous tone, no hint of fear in her voice.  If anything, she seemed….bored.