The Magician of Miracles

[Corvin perspective]

All night I wandered around gathering information about the Claw's movements. In recent days their movements were no longer as random as before, but had become more organized. I moved deliberately at night to avoid drawing attention, yet I still came across some of their patrols. Luckily, I passed without anyone noticing me.

The Claw had started seizing the shops surrounding the area. I do not know their exact goal for doing that, but I am certain that staying here any longer is a bad idea. Still, I could not leave; I sent all the information I gathered to Verona and asked her permission to withdraw, but she has not responded yet.

By noon, I returned to the shop. When I entered, I found that crow asleep on the table, while the man who sold his soul to him was snoring deeply in the corner on the ground. The sight of a talking crow is not strange to me, I have seen similar things, but to enslave a human? Even so, I was not overly surprised, I had seen many men sell their souls before, maybe not in such a literal way, but close enough.

What truly shocked me was the existence of more than one Masked. I could barely tolerate one, and now there is another? I only hope he does not join the Night Wolves as well, otherwise things will get even worse for me than they already are.

I was in desperate need of sleep, for a full day had passed without me closing my eyes. But the problem was that the Masked most likely sleeps upstairs now. I found no other solution than to lie down on the chair, an uncomfortable way of sleeping, but better than nothing.

Before I could sit, the blond man, whose name I finally managed to learn, Vensen, approached me. He stood in front of me and said urgently:

"I need your help quickly, we're in danger."

I stared at him with suspicion, but he did not wait for my reply. Instead, he immediately began explaining the situation to me.

...

After he finished, I looked toward the man sleeping in the corner and asked:

"Do you mean that this man was part of the Claw gang and you as well?"

"Yes."

I did not expect him to dump all this information on me at once. He had barely spoken about himself before, and now he reveals all this?

I turned back to him and asked:

"Why are you telling me all this? Why don't you tell the Masked?"

"I want you to tell him."

"Me? Why me specifically?"

"Consider it a favor, I'll repay you anytime you ask."

I exhaled deeply, then turned toward the stairs leading to the second floor and said:

"Remember you now owe me a favor, along with the answer to one question."

I moved until I stood in front of the stairs, then looked upward for a moment before I gathered my courage and began climbing.

The reason that pushed me was not only Vensen's words, but also my desire for the Masked to move and leave this place himself, then I would not have to wait for Verona's permission.

Morc is not someone I want to face. I have heard many rumors about his strange abilities, and he did not become the second man in command of the Claw for nothing. Moreover, the area is now nearly surrounded by Claw men, and it will not take him long before they reach here.

I stood in front of the room's door where that lunatic stayed. I knocked hard; I did not wait long before the door opened and he stood directly before me. At that moment I felt my knees trembling, so I quickly said:

"We must leave immediately, the Claw have started searching the neighboring shops."

The Masked approached me, he did not ask for details, all he did was pat my back lightly then continue descending toward the lower floor. I looked at his back as he walked away in astonishment, he did not even ask me for details.

Does this mean he already knows? Did he discover the trap? Maybe he has planned a counter trap of his own?

***

[Jevan perspective]

As I descended the stairs, my mind was racing. How do we escape from this neighborhood? According to what Corvin said, the Claw had already started searching the neighboring shops. Maybe I should use the Mask and hide? Yes, an excellent idea if I were walking alone. But that is not the case; there are five of us if we count the crow. Moreover, I do not think we can leave the Lower District on foot.

As for the idea of fighting? No, that is not among my desperate choices. Just last night, during my nightly round, I saw enough Claw men to fill ten more graves. I do not think I can face that many, and even if I could, I am sure this time there are many assimilators, not just one or two.

As soon as I reached the ground floor, I found that the talking crow had awakened. He immediately leapt and flew until he perched on my shoulder:

"Master, was your sleep comfortable?"

Comfortable sleep? Is such a thing even possible while I am in this situation now? I ignored his question and continued on my way, passed by Vensen sitting at the table, then glimpsed the crow's servant lying on the ground. Only this time did I notice that he was looking at Vensen with a kind of gratitude, extremely strange? Yes. But is that important? The answer, most certainly… no.

I continued walking until I reached the shop door. Then a sudden, powerful headache struck me. I felt like a horse drawn carriage moving at great speed had trampled on my head. I pressed my temple tightly with my hand, but still opened the door. I do not know why I did that, maybe because I needed a breath of air, or maybe just because I am stupid.

And I wish I hadn't.

Right in front of the door, a group of people appeared out of nowhere. A man with grayish black hair. Beside him stood a giant with a lot of muscle and little body, his hair was long and black, dangling, and his green veins bulged under his skin. As for the third, he was a short dwarf, but his hands transformed into long metallic claws the moment he saw me.