A Bone to Pick

**Date Started:** December 26, 2019
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Users Involved:** User:Starving Skeleton User:TheHandOfZeus
**Setting:** Mausoleum of the Fifth Templar
**Characters Involved:**
* Crow Feet: Bastian Beauregard
* Riku Kallabaan

Ancient Mausoleum's are a trove for treasure hunters. Despite the religious spirit himself, Bastian found joy in taking from those who used the innocence of the lord's word for their own personal gain. Golden objects. Rich fabric. Things that should've been liquified and then redistributed to those in need. The hoarding of such expensive items made jobs like these all the more interesting. Sneak into this place. Find what he's looking for. Donate the rest to some nearby town. The MO of the Crow Feet's number one fighter, Bastian Beauregard. A brilliantly dressed man who wandered the hallways of this *haunted* resting site. He did not fit in a tunnel of stone, decorated in old fabrics and curtains. Damp lightening only illuminating the hallways to come.

*Should've brought the others along.* Bastian thought to himself. His hands in the pockets of his blue blazer. *This silence is killing me.*

The sound of wind rushing through the hallways accompanied his footsteps. Becoming his only companion on this boring trip. He took the job because nearby adventurers said that a monster lurked within. Not only that, they spoke of a legend that the Coat of Many Colors was buried with the former priest who ran this place. When do treasure hunters become grave robbers? Still, the illusory powers of this coat was said to surpass those who spent decades mastering the art of illusions. Maybe it'd allow him to finally sneak up on Ghost.

The thought of finally beating *her* brought a wide grin to his face.

"The priest was buried nearby." Bastian said aloud. He stopped at an forked tunnel and made a left.

Most independent mage, and mages in general, took any job that they could find. Although some jobs weren't posted on job boards for mages. Some were told by word of mouth. A haunted religious site. A monster stalking any who entered. Most mages would have ignored it as rumors, but not Riku. Being a demon hunter made him cautious of these types of rumors and he would always check them out. But this time was different. This time the rumors were coming from his birthplace, and it worried him. When he arrived at the site of the most traumatic day of his live, he thought he would freeze.

"This should be interesting." Riku thought aloud. He took a single, deep breath as he walked to the doors of the ancient structure before he heard it. A loud, angry scream echoed in his mind. Whether it was real or not. Well, that remained to be seen.

Once through the doors memories instantly flooded back. Images flooded his vision of his childhood, playing in the tunnels and being scolded by his father afterwards. It didn't take long for the muscle memory to kick in as he made his way to the tomb. The chamber was small with a single slab of carved stone at it's center. His father's tomb. He placed a hand on the cover and let a slow, ragged breath escape his lips. "I'm home."

Bastian continued making his way through the countless hallways and tunnels. He opened a wooden door at the end and entered the room. A velvety red decorated the furnishing. From bedding to desk. Even the curtains matched the rug below. It reminded Bastian of his room except everything had a mixture of black and gold. The true color of his people.

"What happened to this place?"

Usually churches of this size don't go out of business. And how could a holy site suffer from a haunting? So many questions. Bastian started to open the drawers. Maybe someone decided to write down what happened. Anything. Information is an adventurers best friend! The words of Baba Yaga haunted him. "There." He said softly. Bastian pulled out a leather bound book and began thumbing through the pages.

"Bishop James has been acting weirdly lately.."
Bastian squinted his eyes. Besides his need for glasses, the handwriting was atrocious! Chicken scratch. Still, he needed to make do with what he had.

"Disappearing for long periods of time.."
"Smelled like blood."
"I'll follow him the next time..."
And that's where it ended..Bastian nodded and placed the book back where he found it. *So this bishop was playing around with something he had no business with.* Magicians and the religious didn't get along. Especially those who saw Bastian in action. But Bastian always felt as if his magic was heaven-sent. A devil meant to kill devils. Someone who would stand before the innocent and protect them. Immune to the evil of this world. Maybe one day they'd thank him. Bastian exited the room and continued down the hall. He needed more information.

Riku had left the burial chamber and made his way through more of the corridors and tunnels before turning at one particular tunnel with an open door. When he got to the entryway he saw a man standing by a drawer, holding a leather bound book. Clearly too engrossed in thought to have noticed his footsteps.

"Find what you're looking for?" He asked from his spot at the entrance.

Usually Bastian was the one to catch others. But he'd let his senses down for a split second. A rookie move for an entire life could be extinguished in less than that. Still, he didn't sense any maliciousness from the newcomer. Bastian took a deep breath and smile. Time for his best act!

"I'm so sorry. I must've gotten lost. Some friends said this place is haunted so I decided to check it out for myself." A gentle lie. Which he hoped worked alongside his small attempt at hiding his famous guild mark upon his neck.

Had this been at any other location, Riku would have believed the man. But he wasn't in the best mood from being in this location. He eyed the man up and down with a stoic glare, a sudden shiver running from his neck to the bottom of his toes. It was a feeling he had felt before, and one he was accustomed to, demonic magic. He could feel it coming off of the man even if it wasn't his intention. He was about to go on the offensive until a thought occurred. If the man was here to hurt him, why lie?

"It's certainly hard to get lost around here. And harder still to find your way into this room. You must have a bad sense of direction." He said, both as a joke and as a prod to see what the man's reaction would be.

"You're telling me." Bastian grumbled playfully. He took several steps forward and looked beyond the man. Careful to remain on the defensive as well. Something stood out. He could feel it maneuvering throughout the halls below. Something ominous. Dark. Negative. Much like the magic he'd grown accustomed to. The key of his signature thaumaturgy was a complete comprehension of the creature he *knew* best. And so the energy almost entangled one another throughout the building. Almost calling out in a tempting voice. But Bastian couldn't just push pass this guy.

The idiot might actually follow him into the danger. And besides, a dove should never fly with a crow.

"Though, with that being said, were you lost too? I think I can remember the exit if you need help."

Continuing to look the man over his own magic giving a read on him, he felt another dark chill run down his spine. This one differ than the memory from before, this one was real. *So there is another demon here...* He thought to himself as he kept his stoic demeanor. Though he knew it wasn't the demon he was afraid it would be. The energy was different, still demonic, but not the same. Still whoever this person was he had a similar magical signature to the creature roaming the church.

"No thank you. I have been here before and was paying respects to a friend. But I'm sure I can show you the way out." He said as he called the man's bluff. Riku just wanted to get the man out though, lest he be swallowed by the leviathans wrath.

Bastian sighed. Why did he have to run into this trouble now of all times. But he wasn't in the babysitting service. If this dove wanted to fly into the lions den, who was Bastian to stop him? The ebony mage rubbed the back of his head. "Nah, I'm going to let my bad sense of direction get me out of here." Bastian teased lightly. He started towards the priest and brushed past him, turning into the hallway which would surely lead deeper into the massive church.

*I wonder what that demon is doing here.*

Riku continued to watch the man walk down the hallway, deeper into the church he once calledThe home. He knew the man was going to go further into the church, looking for something, but Riku didn't know what. Turning back to the room he looked at his father's old work study, memories of the harsh words spoken, and the teaching that he received. Repressed pain and frustration bubbled under his skin. Walking in he inspected the journal the man had been reading he identified it as his father's. He hadn't wanted, nor intended to let his emotions get the better of him as he felt his rage and sorrow building up as he read the passages before closing the journal and putting it in his back pocket.

Turning back to the door he utilized his magic and pinpointed the demons location at the lowermost portion of the church. He knew exactly where to take out his anger as he walked out. Making his way through the hallways and down the stairs. The dove was becoming its true form, and the leviathan was hungry.