They found him stuffed full and lazing about, a round black ball of fur and gluttony.
He woke up just in time to save himself from catching a cleaver to the throat and had to launch a daring escape to survive. Dashing around like a madman while dodging swings from the knife and deadly curses from the belligerent chef and his assistants
By some miracle, He narrowly avoided losing his head about a near half a dozen times, but a few well-placed turns let him deflect the worst blows as he scrambled about the countertops.
And slid right into the open bag at the end of it.
Darwin struggled and clawed, trying to free himself as his mind went wild trying to escape both his confinement and his feast-induced stupor. The men cursed and swore as he struggled, one of them said something that froze his heart for a moment.
"Throw that thing in the fire!"
"Yeah, Roast him!"
Darwin felt the bag getting swung about as it landed harshly on the cutting board, something hard and metallic prodded the bag as he hissed at them all, he heard an iron door swing open and-
"What in heavens name are you doing in here?!" a woman's voice shrieked.
"Gregor here was about to show us how to make Roast Cat!" one of the chefs called out,
"Not in My oven you're not! Just throw that thing out the back door and be done with it! It's probably one of Ms. Kettlemore's, she has about a million of the horrid things. been feeding them, that's why so many have been showing up lately. Silly old woman."
"Uh, miss?" a confused tone inclined.
"Throw it out, don't just stand there Jonathan, get rid of the blasted thing! I don't want it in My kitchen a second longer!" the bag started moving as Darwin was dragged off the table and walked out the door.
"And if I catch any of you trying to Burn something in that stove again, I'll have your heads on a pike!"
The door slammed at the same time the sack was once again kicked to the literal curb behind the bistro, once last hurled insult as the young chef spat on the rough sack as Darwin writhed inside.
When the sound of a creaking door slammed shut, Darwin Exploded from the sack, clawing for life and tearing into it with his Pneuma as well. Obliterating the coarse fabric.
"Those, Bastards. I ought to set this place ablaze for this. And now I, oh." he held his small head as he realized, maybe he went a little too far with his feastings. It was admittedly, Indulgent of him.
But did he not deserve to be a bit more gluttonous? given his poor circumstances. He ought to enjoy his meals when he can, not knowing when the next one would come. In this he was self-justified in his feasting, storing fat and vital sustenance for later in his unfortunate life.
He shook the thought aside, the tarts weren't that good anyway, they were all stale, and there was nothing to drink anyway. He licked his paw incredulous, and also because there were still bits of tasty jam stuck between his fingers. or his toes?
Ugh, he preferred not to think about it. Eating with his feet, what nonsense.
With his simple bath over, he turned and sniffed as he walked off. Back to business, he supposed, he still wanted to demolish the place as a demonstration, but he would worry about that later after the Demon was gone. His thought drifted towards the Crucible and-
His voice strained aloud as he remembered, of course! He forgot. He needed to return to the apothecary and take another vial of mercury to complete his plans, and he still needed salts. Maybe smelling salt would work? Or did it have to be table salts?
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The morning was starting to bring about some light foot traffic and the early Wakers of the city. He was preoccupied with trying to puzzle out some finer detail of his plan, He might still have the power necessary to perform, but not enough to win. He still needed more mercury and salts to boot. It seemed that all roads lead him to increase his thievery, and another confrontation with, shudder, 'Ivan."
He didn't notice the sound of wheels of cobble. The mad clattering of iron banded rims raced along the uneven streets as it barreled towards the end of the street. A shout of warning to the men in its way, but unheard by the only animal it was racing for. The sun was blotted out for a moment as Darwin looked up, in a moment there was nothing but a loud bang.
Darwin breathed a sigh of relief, as his legs twitched under him, every hair on end.
He'd just narrowly avoided getting struck by the crushing wheels, although, it was a terrible experience. He glanced around trying to see what had brought him so close to an early demise.
The ragged form of the upturned cart lay in ruins, it had struck, and been struck in return by something harsher than itself. An iron lamp pole had split the onrushing creature of wood and nails down the center like a sword, scattering various boxed goods, straw, a length of white fabric, and what looked to be a bushel of red fruit, crushed and scattered across the ground.
Darwin sighed in relief, his small form had sparred him the worst, as the speeding tragedy had passed over him, literally, his smaller size had saved him a gruesome death.
And then someone screamed, and a woman ran from the street towards the cart Darwin huffed and trotted off about his own business. Never once realizing, or perhaps not caring, that the white sheet might have been the hem of a young girl's dress.
Darwin was deaf to such cries, as he vanished into the long curling shadows, hiding from the benevolent rays of the morning sun.
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It was noon by the time he'd returned to the ramshackle place he'd called his lair, he looked over his reagents and began to weigh his options.
His supply of mercury was low, and he still needed salts to complete his weapon. That hadn't changed, but now he needed away past that wretch guarding the vital salts in that butcher's shop.
He still wasn't certain which salt he needed, but vengeance demand a reply to the insult of defeat, and he was willing to forgo making excuses to see it answered.
The swelling of anger made his mind itch, as he resolved to test his new weapon. the ingredients were easily obtained, he was sure the salts were only an impedance, something to restrain the violent reaction. But, if careful and steady control were applied, He was sure the need for salts of any kind would be superfluous.
And was he not a wizard? nay, a Great wizard, great enough surely. to restrain simple burning flame, even in this state. To make the powers of that flame his own, and force it to smother itself? Would that not be power overwhelming? He grinned to himself, of course, he had no such need for limitations.
His first target would, of course, be the ragged friend, Ivan. the white bane of his existence. To reach out and wipe them from the face of the Earth, like Sodom and Gamora, in a pillar of fire.
He grabbed the hard yellow pill and held it for a moment, just above the silver pool below. This would not be without risks, if he misjudges the reaction potency, even slightly, it could well mean his death,
Well, at least he'd make that Demon suffer, a grim comfort as he steadied himself for the ordeal. The rising swell of magic power that was about to flood his system would have to be directed into the Emerald first, and he had to be sure not to let the rogue wave of power overtake him.
He took a breath and dropped the tablet.
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The Fire Brigade scrambled to contain the strange explosion, the fires seemed to leap in unnatural patterns, curling and trying to fight back like a den of viper, several of the men claimed to see cat-like shapes in the Tounges of colored fire, blue giving way to horrid reds, or mixing into stormy purples. Even some reports of a horrid screaming could be heard, something not quite human, but just close enough.
And despite the heat, that was most chilling.
It took several hours to combat the unearthly blaze, even resorting to firebreaks that cleared the block from one end to another to contain it. The Dancing flames kept coming, until finally a priest arrived and declared the fire an act of Magica, using his blessings upon the sand and water, the fire was eventually put to rest. Sparring the rest of the city from a terrible fate.
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Darwin stumbled from the dying glow of the wreckage, clinging to sordid life, a gemstone in his teeth flashing a brilliant green. He stumbles, and the fantastic jewel falls from his mouth and strikes the stones. Its light flickers and cracks and a sound like rushing wind billows forth, exploding from its stony prison.
Everything in the merger alley is thrown away as if stirred up by a great hand. Gathering into a cyclone and vanishing into the night with a howl of freedom and power.
Darwin falls again and curses. Breath ragged and short as his wounds leech his strength
"That wasn't what I wanted, that's-not at all."
The last words before the life inside him flickered and a deeper kind of darkness took him, lifting him with old, wrinkled hands, ever gently into their basket, and quietly slipping back onto the pathway.