“Where indeed?”

A voice whispered in Jaeger's ear as a weight settled on his shoulders. Mischief lay over his shoulders like a living scarf. While Jager could feel the cat's weight, warmth, and fur, he didn't feel the additional weight as he walked. Thinking too much about it gave him a throbbing headache, so he decided to accept it as magic and move on.

“Speak of a devil and it appears.”

“Your devils wish they were half as cunning as I am. I heard you were going to a restaurant, hurry along I have a hunger.”

Jaeger frowned at that.

“How did you hear that?”

“Mrrw. I thought you were beginning to understand things, but it seems you are not. I heard because I was there, of course. When I finished exploring the city, I went looking for you and found you talking to a most fascinating woman. She has such a strong and familiar scent; I must find out what it is or who.” Mischief kneaded the shoulder of his coat and Jaeger felt it rip a little, he picked up the pace. “When I found you I sat down to wait, I must say you had some very interesting items and you were good to get rid of that cursed fish item, I wouldn't have kept anything to do with the lusca though.”

“Why not? I mean, Lisette said they were evil and I don't want to worship them, which is why I got rid of the cursed item, but the other items aren't really tied to them.”

“One is made of them, the other makes you work for them or against them. Lusca, my dear, are not overlords or evil monsters of the deep; they are food.” Mischief's voice took on a deeper, more alien tone as he spoke of the lusca. The way he described it was like a chef talking about the finest ingredients. “They are the perfect mix of seafood, with the tender, juicy meat of a shark and the chewy appendages of an octopus. I miss the taste.”

A rumbling ran over Jaeger's shoulders as the cat went on about the deliciousness of lusca. Jaeger wasn't quite sure if the rumbling was Mischief's hunger or his own shudder. For Lisette had spoken of the lusca with a very real fear, and yet the cat spoke of it as Jaeger would of a nice steak dinner. How powerful was Mischief?

“And this is my favorite Lusca dish, if you can get this oily sauce from Yi Guo, the dish is perfect.”

“So if lusca is like a meal to you, wouldn't you approve of me wearing their gear? I mean I like a good steak and seeing someone wearing leather doesn't bother me.”

“Mmmmmrrrrwwwww.” Jaeger was beginning to lose feeling in his shoulders from all the deep purring, but he was also beginning to feel the knots in his shoulders loosen. “When beings use items from creatures, a myth is built and filled in about what that creature is. Lusca are big ocean predators, but with every person who worships or hates them, they grow stronger from the ideas.”

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“So what if I wear the armor, do I start making it stronger or something?”

“Yes.”

“Well, is there any way to prevent this, other than getting rid of this gear?”

“It’s not really something that happens quickly, so no.”

“Wait how long does it take for this mythos thing to build?”

“Thousands of years.”

“Then why are you bothering me? I won't keep this equipment for a thousand years, I won't even live that long!”

“Because I was bored.”

Like a drop of poison in a mug of ale that statement flowed through him.

“These games you play when bored need addressing.”

“Unlikely, they have no fixed destination and I'm unlikely to send them anywhere but to you. Now hurry, you’ve stopped for so long everyone else has left.”

Jaeger had come to a stop in the street, he had been so busy talking to Mischief that he hadn't noticed that the streets were empty. He looked around, he was on a street surrounded by storefronts and yet there was not a soul in sight. He adjusted his pack, loosened his axe and drew his pistol.

“If it makes you feel any better I didn’t plan this.” Mischief purred out.

“Come out, as far as ambushes go this isn’t very subtle.”

Mischief purred happily and jumped off Jaeger's shoulder, landing on a nearby rooftop. As he did so, a group of men emerged from the shadows of an alleyway directly in front of Jaeger. The group was obscured by a layer of shadows that revealed nothing more than their silhouettes.

“Hmph, I told ya he weren’t no novice adventurer. He killed Calico Pete and grabbed up that old inn keep. Plus you know we wouldn’t get hired to deal with some jumped up farmer.” Said one of the men as he left the unnatural cover, revealing himself.

This man was dressed in tight black leather with a knife-bracer running across his chest and a pair of nasty short blades on his hips.

He was followed by his opposite. Where the first man had been slight and dressed like a back alley hitter this man was large and dressed like a butcher. He wore a sleeveless top that showed off his granite skin and slabs of muscle. His pants were so bloodstained that it was impossible to tell what color they were.

This man was not as tall as Crusher, but he looked like he was well on his way. To add to the image of overwhelming power, he carried a large hammer that was as tall as Jaeger and probably weighed more than him.

“Right, well I didn’t really think he was a novice. I was just saying that’s what the contract said.”

“Shut up, both of you. I’m for wenching after this and I want to be done.” He held a long sword in his hand and wore an outfit more suited to a duelist. It was black leather, but with a half-cape and chainmail peeking out.

A fourth member was there as well, but they had remained silent and hidden the whole time. They just watched and made no move to join the others. The swordsman looked back, he didn't reprimand them or say anything to them.

Each man before him was of a different build, style, and possibly even race. Aside from wearing black, the only thing they had in common was a black thief's mask with a red smile on it.

The swordsman's condemnation seemed to put the other two in order, and they charged Jaeger, the man with the hammer in front, the swordsman behind him, the knife-fighter seeming to fade back into the shadows, and the cloaked man not making a move.

“Kill him!”

“Blood and coin!”

“Loot and mayhem!”