The two figures were conversing. Both had reason not to be near to town, for the subject of their discussion was not one that was tolerated by the city folk.

For the class was one of sorcery, but the topic of discussion was all the changes in the world which had swept aside the old, and brought in the new.


The larger figure, a female, broke the silence first.

"I have heard rumors of a new spell. Since no empath will lend me their healing hand, this spell will help me with any of the wounds I can't see. It is bound to be helpful to my work."

The shorter figure, a male, replied, "And the name of this spell?"

"Devour. From my understanding, it will help in the same way as the other one."

"My dear, does this mean you will continue eating rats?"

"What else can I do? But it will make me more healthy!"

"Devour." The male grew still for a moment, his tail curled behind him. " Think back for a moment. Was that not the nickname... of someone we knew... someone who almost destroyed the world? The Devourer? Aren't you getting dangerously close to what she... "

The female was silent, thinking to herself, her tail, such as she had left of it, standing out in alarm. But then she seemed to calm herself, after inhaling from a cloud of a strange mist around herself... "I am not Lyras. I will not be Lyras.... " She continued to repeat this, as if it was a mantra of some sort. "We did help to get rid of her.. we can't be like her. no. " The rest was unintelligible murmuring..

The male interrupted:
"I hope not, my dear. But I shall continue to watch the stars. They don't bode good for those who practice the arcane. Although I still don't see any signs of the one you asked me of."

"The old man? No signs at all?"

"I have not seen him in my visions. No."

"Then I have no other option. I must continue to walk in the ways of the Philosophy. And my .. experiments... And I must continue... to eat rats. Some day though..."





An arisen dummy zombie bellows, "You will all be ssslaughtered!"
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