After a few minutes of debating what to do with Beastie's body setting it on fire, so all that had been left was a big pile of ash was out of the question. Pyromancer magic work on drawing heat from somewhere and the only place warm enough at the moment was me, and I refused to risk lowering my body temperature and risk hypothermia. I could have used a cloaking spell, but my body screaming for sleep or at least some rest groaned at the idea. So I stuffed Beastie in some janitor's closet, very spy movie like, but without all the glamour.

I caught the reflection of my face on one of the windows on my way towards the other side of the compound. There were a handful of very colorful bruises on my face, with plashes of dried blood. To put it gently, I looked like absolute shit. But the way I looked was the least of my worries, I had to focus on saving my friends and I at least knew that Huthesis, one of the few Elves left in the world was at least alive. I prayed that the others were also, and that Luke one of the few and newly born Technomancers's, talents had not been discovered. If the humans discovered he possessed the ability to magically control their technology, we were going to be in trouble. Gods knew how they would react, well I had a good idea they would try and nuke us again. And I wasn't sure if the magical hacking skills of a Technomancer would be able to stop it, and I rather it stayed an unanswered question.

I violently shock my head in an attempt to shake off the million and one doom scenarios running all at once thru it. But all I managed to accomplish was another wave of nausea, shit Beastie must have hit me a lot harder than I thought and I sent a wave of healing magic to my head to heal any damaged from the fight. My body groaned in disagreement, as if telling me "Hey, stupid we are running on low and you want to use our left over energy to heal a silly bump in the head!" I dint listen, and decided to go on with the healing. The healing magic instantly repaired any damage the big old oaf had done to my head and I felt refresh and ready for another round. But I knew better I knew that it was the "high" as I called it of the healing magic. I fought the happy side effect of my healing so that I could focus on my plan to rescue my friends or at least Huthesis, who I at least knew was still alive. That Elf was full of surprises and so where the humans.

LYCEOUS? LYCEOUS? ARE YOU OK? Huthesis, panic voice invaded my musing.

"I'm ok. Just a little wrestling match with gods know what the hell that was. These humans are full of surprises." It wasn't every day I talked with a voice in my head. Yeah crack a joke or two, go on I'll give you some time. So I wasn't sure if I had to speak my responses out loud or not, but for some reason it made me feel less crazy and it was more comforting. "Huthesis.... It dint have an aura, or any body heat, the thing was completely immune and undetectable to my senses. What the hell is going on in this place?"

I don't know Lyceous, something bad that's for certain before we got captured I sensed demon magic. I could hear the panic in her voice, it sent a cold hard shiver down my spine. Humans and demons fighting against the Others? Do the humans hate us so much that they would make deals with demons to get rid of us? So much for the lesser of two evils.

"Do you think, they would make pacts? Do they hate us that much?"

I'm not sure, but there is something extremely unnatural going in this compound. I want to believe that humans aren't stupid enough to consort with demons, but all they have done since this whole war began. Begs to convince me otherwise, lets pray that this has another explanation.

"Beastie!" I shouted much louder than I intended. Followed by a few murmured curses and scanned the area to make sure i had not attracted any unwanted attention.

Beastie? who is Beastie?

"The thing I just wiped the floor with, I'm so stupid I should have at least removed its mask and tried to figure out what it was." I said while slapping my head in the classic "why didn't I see what before!" way.

Sometimes, Lyceous you are used to seeing so much with your gift that when you don't see with it you forget you have another five senses. She used her what I called "mom" tone. She often used it whenever she wanted to firmly and lovingly prove a point.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you my Vision wasn't clear, something was blocking it, everything was foggy and fragmented. I should have told you Hut, I shouldn't have been so hard headed. We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for me" Tears began to fill my eyes, I fought the guilt trying to push me to my knees. "Something is happening, my magic is changing, I'm changing, I'm scared Hut. You are too, I saw your eyes full of fear when I unleashed all that power during the fight. What's going on, if you know something please tell me."

Lyceous, it was the fear of an old tired elf. I thought we were all going to die, that's what I was afraid of. Her tone sounded controlled and disconnected, if it had not been in my thoughts It would have most likely convinced me.

"Your lying... What is going with me Hut, what am I turning into?" Anger, anger like I have never felt before started to rise thru my entire being. I began to shake from it and my eyes filled with tears but not because I was sad anymore but because I was angry.

Lyceous please- a sharp pain shot thru my head, making my vision blurry and knocking the wind out of me.

"Hut, are you still there? Hut?" I managed to choke out in between rapid shallow breaths, both from the pain in the new panic I was feeling. Something was wrong. I scanned the compound and this time I could see two bright auras near the slight almost lifeless ones I had seen earlier and hoped had been my friends. These two knew aura's where bright with anger, they stood around a faint forest green aura, which after our mind to mind connection I recognized as Huthesis. I took another moment to inspect the other faint auras but unable to see anything more than a thing gray line hope that it was my friends and I dashed at full speed hoping I would get there in time to save Huthesis.

The smell of ozone filled the empty halls, big magic had been summoned in this place or a major "fire" fight had taken place. Odd that a human compound would have the smell of pure magic. My intuition told me that there was something off, and remembering I was out of the circles magic that constrained my magical abilities, I scanned the compound for any signs of life. As far as my magically augmented senses could tell the only signs of life where in a room on the other side of the compound, but they barely registered. Sending my emotions on a wild roller coaster ride. I was thrilled to be free and that escape from the compound seemed like it was going to be a walk in the park. But worried that my friends where those week signs of life and I wasn't going to get to them in time.

I rushed thru the twisting mace like hallways, whispering a silent prayer to the universe, hoping my friends where all ok. Guilt began to weigh in, I should have told them that somehow my ability to predict possible futures had rendered foggy visions of the outcome of our mission. I possibly could have saved their lives, I could have avoided all this only if I had not been so stubborn. Now only where my friends lost or worst dead, I had essentially handed one of our biggest advantages to the enemy.

Lyceous... Lyceous! Is that you! Huthesis's melodic voice invaded my thoughts.

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you?" I whispered back, the warm feeling of hope rushing thru my body, fighting the guilt away.

Not sure, it's dark and my magic is not working. I'm surprised I can do this much. Adam must have taken at least one anti-magic ward down. But when you are done feeling sorry for yourself you should go back to the compound and get re-enforcements. These people aren't regular humans.

What I wanted to say was, "I noticed, I spent the last few hours getting slapped around by some human-shark hybrid. Something weird is going on." but what came out was a loud "humph!" as something hard as stone hit me on the side of my head. I went ass over tea kettle, my vision went blurry, and the warm feeling of rushing blood covered my entire head. "You son of a bitch, you are gonna pay for that!" I yelled scanning the area for whatever or who ever hit me, and kicked forward with all my might. No augmented strength just pure rage. My foot connected with something solid and a the loud cracking sound of bone breaking and an inhuman roar broke the ringing in my ears. With another primal roar the six foot something fully suited and masked human, or humanoid thing in front of me rushed me. It came at me so fast that it startled me long enough for it to crashed into me, making us roll around the way you do when you are spinning uncontrollably down a hill, minus all the laughter. Our rolling came to a hard stop with the masked humanoid on top of me. It let out another primal roar that sent chills down my spine and began to wail on me. I called on my magic and prayed that it would react before I passed out, and released it with the intent to make a solid physical shield. A loud bang, and another high pitch roar, told me that both me and my magic had been quick enough. I took the chance to augment my strength with a quick spell, and pushed the beastie off.

"Let's see what you are made up princes!" There I go again with my classic cheesy movie hero lines, I can't help it, it's a really bad habit but it's so hard to quit. I like bringing bad humor into dire situations it makes me feel like I at least have control of something. Beastie did not appreciate my humor and let out another of those half animal half man roars and tried to rush me one more time with his freaky speed. I was ready for it this time and used my magic to build a solid shield in the shape of a brick wall covering the entire hallway. Beastie crashed into it as hard as a tsunami and threatening my shield to collapse, but the fact that my shield held its ground startle Beastie and gave me the chance to go on the offensive. I whispered another enchantment and augmented my speed, and with my already magically enhanced strength went all cage fighter style on Beastie taking out all my frustration of losing my friends, being trapped in a magical circle with some Shark-Human nurse beating on me and the fact that somehow it had fooled my senses into thinking it wasn't there.

It took a while Beastie put up a hell of a fight, making me wonder if I should brush up on my combat magic skills. The downside of being a magical jack of all trades like me is that sometimes the little bit of everything you knew could at some point be not enough. Luckily this hadn't be that time, but it reminded me that I better start picking up a few more tricks.

Date Unknown....

The last time I had used a sleeper hold on someone, I had been ten years old. My wonderful witty and unstoppable tongue had gotten me in trouble with one of the local bullies. I was smaller than most kids, if not all the kids in my class. But what I lacked in size I made up with a sharp tongue. And The fact that I knew I packed enough magical power at the age of ten to shuffle around the streets of my entire town like a bad jigsaw puzzle didn't help to keep me modest. It took my parents three days to undo my handy work, between setting everything back to its original place and work some major memory magic on everyone who noticed.

Jean, the meanest and biggest bully wanted my lunch money. And it turned out that "if you went a diet piglet you wouldn't need to steal peoples lunch money!" Was not a very effective comeback to someone offering you a "knuckle sandwich" if you "didn't hand over your lunch money." Jean Brown, was a four foot five, ninety pound ten year old. I was a slim four foot, with a sixty eight pound weight when soaking wet.

J.B. as his minions called him, punch me straight in the face, keeping true on his "knuckle sandwich promise." My vision filled with stars and I think I hear every bird in creation both flying and singing around my head, just like the images in the cartoons. I violently shock my head from side to side trying to shake the stars and the pain spreading across my face, but that proved to be a not so smart idea. It caused my stomach to turn and my breakfast tried to use the opportunity to escape. J.B. lifted his way to big for a ten year old, but completely ok for an ogre arms, and roared in triumph and his minions, mindlessly cheered his apparent triumph.

"It ain't over till the fat lady sings piglet and I'm going to make your fat ass sign!" I shouted. As I rushed J.B. with impossible speed, impossible for must humans, but I'm not entirely human if you haven't cough up to that point yet.

Before J.B. even noticed I was back on my feet, with my hands wrapped around his tree trunk size neck, and with a whispered incantation I had memorized in case of an emergency just like this one. I augmented my strength, J.B. unable to fight back, went peacefully to sleep.

Now my hands where wrapped around Nurse Sharkie's neck in the same manner they had been once wrapped around Piglet's. Interesting how the only two people I have ever used the sleeper hold, resembled animals. I had to remember to come up with a good joke after I managed to escape where ever the hell I was. I whispered the same incantation to augment my strength and make the sleeper hold more effective, and bamm! The happy sharp tooth doctor hit the ground like a sack of fish.

I kept my promise and used his body like a giant Mr Clean Magic Eraser, and erased the drawn power circle breaking the hold it had on both me and my magic. Took a moment to re-draw it and call its magic up once more. Keeping the good old doc in there for a long while, hopefully giving me enough time to find a way out of whatever this place was and if I got lucky find my friends, and maybe even some answers.