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The following novella was written as a collaborative effort between myself and Dragonatic for the People. Project started March 2010. All characters and content are copyright to their respective owners. This series will only be made available for reading in its entirety for a limited time only, with parts released periodically!! All comments, critiques, and criticisms are welcome.

Poverty, shabby houses, beggars, and vendors of overpriced trinkets; a very typical sight for Donichus as he walked through the shantytown outer circle of the city Bern, a frequent stop of his either for one of his missions of justice or a simple night's rest. Head held high above the crowd, Donichus's slitted, reptilian eyes wearily scanned over the dirt-ridden faces of the surrounding group as he hurried quickly on his way. Among them were a multitude of not only people, but anthros of almost every possible species and form.

Though he was born of the noble class, his modest appearance of a heavy cloak, strap braces, and light armor failed to distinguish himself as one of their number. Nonetheless, he was badgered more so by beggars asking for the favor of a few bronze coins, or vendors desperately offering to sell their worthless trinkets for enough money to buy the day's meal. "Sir!" one of them exclaimed, following Donichus well beyond sight of the stall he originated from, "It's a dangerous world out there! There may come a day when not even those weapons could save you, only luck! This, my friend, has served me well for years! And you may gladly have it for a pitiful price of-"

The vendor stopped in his tracks as a silver coin was pressed into one hand and the charm taken from the other. "Eat well, tonight," Donichus said casually, hardly even stopping to turn back to the man as he gave the coin out. The badger (ironically enough) stood awestruck for a moment, unsure as to what to make of the situation. Donichus, on the other hand, couldn't delay. He had an extremely important matter he needed to attend to, and he couldn't afford to give away much money, either. As much as the dilapidated, crumbling buildings and almost unbearably soiled streets littered with the homeless made him despise the corrupt officials that ran this city, collecting their taxes for the expenditure of nobility rather than the city they were given control over, he had a more immediate concern to attend to.

The noontime sun boring down on his light brown scales, the anthro raptor continued to press onward towards his destination with haste. The heat wasn't too bad, since it was only the early spring, and the temperature didn't get nearly as hot as it would in a place further south such as Spain, but any heat hotter than the usual temperature of his hometown of Berlin tended to make him slow and gave him headaches. A headache was the last thing he needed, and he tried to focus on the objective ahead as he waved away all further beggars and vendors, whom were now becoming more of a nuisance. Making his way to the more well-off parts of Bern, where his meeting was to take place, the shanty houses and two-story taverns with dirty rooms for rent which made up the outer circle of the city made way for a much cleaner core, with small, tidy flower shops, clothing stores, various smiths, and a few street vendors that at least seemed confident enough to not badger every single person that walked by. The houses, which more often than not resembled palaces, were far less of an eyesore than the shantytowns, as much as he hated to admit, knowing that a lot of these houses were funded by unfair taxes and bribes to the nobles that owned them.

There were, however, smaller, yet still well-to-do dwellings interspersed throughout the core of Bern. These houses, while not inhabited by nobles, were more often owned by wealthy merchants who either sold the crops of nearby fields, or importers peddling goods from faraway places. Such a dwelling was where Donichus was headed. Like some others, the one he was expected to deal with today was guarded by personal bodyguards and metal gates. Although the authorities of Bern did not seem to be aware of what most of the citizens of Bern deem to be "honest living," the true nature was that manors such as that housed peddlers of illegal substances; substances either dangerous to others or from countries that Switzerland didn't allow trade with. Often, Donichus had imposed his own justice upon such merchants, and yet his reputation stayed relatively anonymous. As low as he felt to allow himself to be dealing in their trade, he found himself in desperate need of something of such great rarity and value at this time.

Before long, Donichus reached his destination; a mostly white, sandstone house stylized with dark wood beams embedded into it. A metal gate in-between two stone barriers surrounding the house separated the small pathway leading up to this particular man's house. The gate was flanked by two guards, dressed in chainmail, a bronze helmet resembling those worn by the soldiers of the old Roman Empire, small, circular, bronze shields, and a longsword sheathed at their sides. Their presently unarmed hands instead bore metal gauntlets, likely for intimidation more than anything. But, as much as he felt like testing these guards' actual skill in combat, he didn't have time.

"What business brings you here, lizard?" one of the guards, a human, sneered at Donichus.

"My own." The raptor's own voice was grainy, yet poised with authority and masked confidence. "Your employer should be expectant of me."

The guard huffed. "What is your name?" he asked, giving him an untrustworthy look, as the other guard fished in his pocket for a list of names with whom their employer was to conduct business with.

"Donichus," he answered, simply, "and I do not wish to be late to my appointment."

The other guard, a canine anthro, saw Donichus's name on the list, and looked at the other guard, nodding. The human guard nodded in turn, and rather reluctantly unlocked the gate, allowing Donichus to pass through to the front entrance, also flanked by two guards, who, unlike the ones at the gate, simply opened the double-doors to the house without a word. Nodding a little bit to the guard on his right, Donichus entered the house, which was surprisingly well lit, despite the small windows. The sunlight still managed to blend in generously with the many chandeliers of candles that illuminated the interior quite nicely. Directly in front of him was a fine, stone staircase, before which lay an elaborately crafted Persian rug, and banisters that supported two candlesticks adorned with tall, red candles at the bottom. All around him, fine art hung from the walls and where there weren't paintings, there were shelves of manuscripts from some of the local monasteries. Up at the top of the stairs stood a hawk, adorned in fine clothes, with a grin on his face. "Welcome," he exclaimed loudly, his arms and wings opening slightly, "to my humble abode!"

"Humble," Donichus sniffed, looking up.

"Of course. It's of modest proportions, even for someone as... freelance... as myself. But not at all suitable to be flapping about in, that's for sure." A harking laugh echoed throughout the circular room as Talos heeded his own joke. Donichus's countenance, however, remained of stone.

"You know the reason of my arrival."

"Yes, indeed," Talos replied shuffling his tan feathers around as if to wave off the urgency of the matter. He turned and proceeded to head down the stairs, towards Donichus. "But I see no need for haste. Unless, of course, there is a matter on your agenda of greater importance...?"

The hawk and the raptor now stood side by side.

"None," Donichus said in almost a growl.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Talos, throwing a wing behind his guest to usher him forward. "Then come and share a drink with me. We can discuss the details of our little business venture over a glass of brandy, aye?"

When Donichus caught sight of Talos looking expectantly at him, he continued forward on his own. "Whiskey."

Another harking laugh. "Splendid!" He showed Donichus the way towards his study, heading to the right of the staircase, and entered the first door on the left. Inside, there was a finely carved desk adorned with candles, a few rolled-up pieces of parchment, some blank pieces of parchment, and a bottle of ink with a quill resting in it. The walls on either side of the desk sported two different portraits of Talos by two different artists, and on the wall opposite the desk was a small shelf with a smaller collection of manuscripts. It never ceased to amaze Donichus how much money such illegal vendors managed to acquire. One would think to stay away from vendors who pay guards to possibly defend him against the forces of the King, or vigilantes such as himself. But, apparently, people needed their illegal merchandise so much to the point that they were willing to deal in the black market, and Donichus was now finding himself in the middle of such a shortage.

Talos veered off to the side of the room, where a small table with assorted bottles and goblets stood. As he prepared the drinks, a servant, a rather tall raccoon, followed him into the room. "Would you kindly bring this gentleman a chair?" asked Talos.

The servant bowed. "Yes, my lord," he replied, and hastily went off to find a chair. Within minutes, he was back, and he set it down in front of Talus's desk. Donichus gave him a smile and a nod as he sat down. The raccoon, apparently appreciating the show of gratitude, gave a slight smile back, and then stood up and faced his master. "Will that be all, sir?"

"No. Have Jaquaran stand by the door in case I need him."

"It shall be done," he replied, bowing again, and then he turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Just as Donichus settled himself onto the chair, a guilty pleasure swept over him as he realized just how comfortable it was. Comfortable enough to disregard the half-filled glass that was being offered to him until there came a tap on his shoulder. Immediately, Donichus straightened himself and received the goblet with a small clearing of his throat.

"You seem distracted, my friend," Talos said as he came around the desk and sat down on the other side, his own glass held up beside his head.

"Forgive me. I had to pass through the outer circle to get here."

"Ah yes," he scoffed. "That side of town can be a trek in itself, wouldn't you agree? It's simply degrading, pushing through troves of beggars just to get to the sanctity of my own house!"

"One would think," Donichus smiled through slightly gritted teeth, "that nobility would do well to drive the riffraff out. Visitors would not be so easily turned away from this place without them."

The corners of Talos' beak upturned knowingly. "Well, I can't say their presence is of complete worthlessness."

"And why do you say that?"

"It's a simple concept, really. When there is poverty, there is great demand. And when there is great demand, there are great, respectable individuals, such as yourself, who will resort to any means to get what they want."

At this, Donichus's brows furrowed. "Elaborate. Please."

"You see, my friend, in these troubled times, there's always someone in need of something. Something they usually can't get if they... play by the rules, so to speak; a landlord looking for a control spell to keep rebellious peasants under control, a farmer who'd be willing to sell his own soul to feed his family for a year. Or perhaps a noble in need of a little extra manpower to take care of some other business...?"

"My cause is not yours to discuss," Donichus almost snapped. After clearing his throat and silently cursing himself for the sudden display of emotion, he continued. "You're saying you can grant these people their wishes?"

"Like I grant yours," Talos beamed, tracing a feathery finger around the rim of his glass. "Even so, with the disgusting amount of vagabonds out in the street, it's a wonder anyone has any money left by the time they get here." At the last sentence, Talos' expression hardened and his tone curved.

Donichus was quick to catch what he meant. "I have the amount we agreed upon. And I trust, in turn, my order is prepared?"

"My good man," Talos laughed. "I'm offended that you think I would fail to meet the satisfaction of my customers." And with that, he reached into his elaborate garment and produced a small, glass vial. Inside was a pearly-grey fluid that swirled with every movement. Donichus's eyes remained fixed to the object as Talos gently placed it on the table. "A small ounce of Black Magic. Highly dangerous. Extremely unpredictable. The use of which, outlawed in every country."

Donichus forced himself to pry his gaze away from the vial. "How does one provide the means to achieve impossible things? How does one come up with such a foul substance in its purest state?"

Talos only downed the rest of his drink in a knowing smile for a reply. But once again, Donichus was able to put the pieces together. "You're a Dark Mage."

His expression didn't waiver from its delighted state.

"I thought the practice was lost many years ago!"

"Oh, no, my friend. It's very much alive. You just have to know where to look for it."

A sudden contraction in his throat made Donichus cough on his drink, causing it to sputter out in front of him. In an attempt to grab at his chest, he half-heartedly placed his drink on the table, which then fell back to the floor again as he finished up the last of his spasms. Beating himself on both the inside and out, he stood up and faced Talos. "My apologies! I'll get-"

"Never mind it," Talos said, waving his gesture away, "Jaquaran!" he called out.

Immediately, the door opened again, and in walked a young jaguar, who, to Donichus, couldn't have possibly been older than seventeenteen years. "Yes?" he inquired. It was clear to Donichus that this "Jaquaran" wasn't nearly as obedient a servant as the raccoon he had seen earlier.

"Clean up this mess, my good boy. I appear to have startled my friend, here," Talos ordered, apparently a little perturbed by the less obedient attitude of the boy.

The jaguar nodded and produced a rag from his pocket. He mumbled something as he walked over to Donichus to clean up the spilled drink. In a sudden reversal of emotions, Talos stood up, briskly walked towards Jaquaran, grabbed one of his ears, and pulled them back to force the boy's head to tilt upwards to face Talos.

"What did you say?" he asked angrily.

"I... I didn't say anything!" the child exclaimed.

Talos looked to Donichus, asking "Did you hear him say anything?"

It had already shocked Donichus, Talos' sudden change in mood, and was unsure as to how to exactly react to the situation. His first instinct was to just answer honestly, which he did by nodding slightly, a surprised look still etched on his face.

Talos turned back to the boy, who now seemed to have an expression of half-fear, half wanting to resist and show Talos up. However, whatever it was that the child wanted to do was thwarted as Talos proceeded to lift him up by the scruff of the neck to where he was at eye-level with Talos. "I'm generous enough to give your wretched little self an opportunity to fill your belly with food each day in return for the simple task of caring for me and my guests, and what do I get? Snide remarks? Defiance? Is that how you show your gratitude?"

The brief reprimanding ended abruptly with a slap across the face, leaving some small scratches on the face. "Tell me, Jaquaran, what was it you said?" Talos demanded, "I'm quite curious to know how you think of me."

Donichus was now becoming more concerned with the child's welfare than the imminent deal that was about to go down before this happened. "Talos..." Donichus began, taking a step forwards.

He was instantly cut off by Talos turning an evil eye at him. "What is it, Donichus?" he demanded, "Trying to teach me about how to treat my servants? Well I don't need your advice! How else do you think the other lackeys around here got so obedient? This child needs to be taught a lesson!"

Taken aback by this sudden change of persona, and witnessing more and more beating of the child, going from slapping to clawing, to punching with the fist, Donichus started feeling unable to control his emotions. He worked a good deal of his life to counter injustice, and to stand there and watch some without lifting a finger was something he couldn't manage to do any longer.

"What did you say!?" Talos again demanded.

"I... don-"

"It doesn't matter what you said! You're still getting punished for this tonight!"

At that single remark, all sense of self-control was lost on Donichus. Clenching his fist as tightly as he could, he stepped swiftly over to Talos, wound back, and threw a hard blow to the right side of Talos' face where his beak met the rest of his face. Without so much as a grunt, Talos fell to the ground immediately, dropping the boy to the floor, and was instantly out cold. Panting, shaking, heart racing, Donichus took a moment to realize the gravity of the situation that just happened: he beat down the one man who had the black magic potion he needed so desperately, and now his guards were likely to come rushing in at any moment and begin attacking. All for this boy whom he felt far too empathetic towards at the wrong moment. Groaning, Donichus did the only thing that made sense for the current situation; he grabbed the vial, stuffed it into an empty sack at his belt, picked up the child, and, carrying him over his shoulder, briskly made out through the door.

The guards were already in the lobby of the building, apparently drawn in to the sound of Talos' loud yells at Jaquaran. At the instant Donichus opened the door and stepped out, both of them looked up at him. The sight they beheld was enough for them to draw their swords. Donichus drew his in reply, with the still barely conscious boy still on his shoulder. Donichus quickly made his way down the steps, where the two guards immediately attacked him. He parried a blow from one guard, then grabbed his arm with his other hand, pulling his upper body down, and his face straight into Donichus's rising knee. With that guard on the floor in pain, Donichus only just managed to parry another blow that would have otherwise hacked Donichus's collarbone in half from the other guard. He came at him with hard blows aimed his chest and head before Donichus swung his weapon at the guard's neck. The guard ducked out of the way and tried to jab upwards with his sword. Donichus parried, then placed another kick at the now hunched-over body of the guard, which didn't hit the intended target of the face, but still caused the guard to be dazed. Before more could arrive, Donichus took this opportunity to make a run for it.

The gate in front was still closed and locked, the two guards that had granted him entrance now facing away from the gate, weapons drawn at him in sheer defiance. Seeing Donichus emerge with a sword drawn, however, caused them to take a small step back. "There's no way out of this!" the human guard taunted.

Unfettered, Donichus sprinted inhumanly fast for an area of the wall and jumped as high as he could, kicking off the large trunk of a tree to clear the gate. Landing back on his feet and his left hand, and madly dashed back out the way he came into the city, Talos' guards shouting in hot pursuit.