Devon awoke with a pain throbbing in his chest. An odd, dull, yet sharp, pain that seemed to coarse through his veins. He sat up, looking around. Devon was getting tired of passing out so much, but he had also gotten used to it. He tried to remember what happened, delving into his mind to come up with some answers. But all he could see, all he could feel, was heat and anger. His memories would not return to him, but he knew he had done something... violent.

Devon looked around. To his left, Lavernias lay on his back. He was sleeping, or maybe unconscious. Honestly, to Devon he kind of looked dead. Devon walked over and bent down to feel for a pulse. He found one, and relaxed a little. Whatever happened the night before must've taken a toll on the both of them. Standing up, Devon realized they were in the mouth of a cave, and the sun seemed to be well into the sky.

Suddenly, a flashback hit him, hard. Devon squeezed his eyes shut, and remembered running for a cave in the night. He was running, but not moving. Then flames, more and more flames. An all consuming fire filled his mind and seemed to burn his skull from the inside. A flash of light shot through Devon's head, seeming to pierce it in two. Devons eyes shot open. Now clutching his head, he sat back down. He didn't know what had happened the night before, but he knew something wasn't right.

One thing he did remember, was that they were near the capitol, and that they were running from something mysterious. Devon had a feeling that his powers deep within were responsible for his memory loss. Then he remembered the frightful dreamlike transe he found himself in while meditating weeks ago. That incident still concerned him, and he felt, now more than ever, that he needed to get a hold of this power; before it took control of him completely.

Lavernias stirred from his slumber, then slowly propped himself up onto one elbow. He looked around, dazed, and his eyes fixed on Devon.

"You're not making this easy for me, you know that?" He said.

"I figured that was the case." Devon replied.

"Can you remember anything from the night before?" Lavernias asked.

"Just us running. Then, nothing but an intense fire."

"That's not good, but I suspected as much." Lavernias said, seeming very concerned. "I expected that you'd forget the last part. But it's even more concerning that you can't remember anything of the encounter. We were attacked by five assassins last night, one of which was a mage as well." Lavernias paused, seeming to contemplate if he should reveal the rest. "I managed to capture four of them. But, Devon my boy... you killed the fifth."

Devon looked shocked. Never before had he killed anyone, or any living thing for that matter. He wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand they were trying to kill them, so it would count as self defense. But Devon had a feeling he didn't kill in a defensive manner. He knew the rage he felt the night before. He knew the kind of death he brought upon his victim. It was violent, and terrible. Even if the person did deserve it, Devon wasn't sure if he was ok with it.

But with everything else going on, he couldn't afford to focus on this now.

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"What of the other four?" Devon asked.

"Oh, they're over there." Lavernias said, pointing to the other side of the cave. Devon hadn't noticed because they blended into the rock. Or, no... they WERE rock! Looking closer, Devon could see that each of the four remaining figures had been turned to stone!

"What the...?! Lavernias' did you do that?!" Devon asked, shocked.

"Of course I did." Lavernias said confidently. "Damn near kept me up half the night. Flesh to stone spells aren't easy to cast you know."

"Ah. So that's why you slept so long." Devon said. "I thought you might've been dead or something."

"No, no. it takes quite a bit more to kill a mage as knowledgeable as me, my dear boy." Lavernias said.

"Uh-huh." Devon gave Lavernias a flat look, though he knew he couldn't argue with the statement.

Devon looked back to the four statues.

"So, are they like, always gonna be stone now? Or what?"

"No, no, I am capable of restoring them back to their original forms. Though it won't be an enjoyable process. Turning people to stone is arguably easier than reversing the process." Lavernias did not look excited about the prospect.

"So what do we do now?" Devon asked.

"I mean, can we just leave them here?"

"Well, it's not ideal." Lavernias' replied.

"I would like to turn them in to the garrison for questioning." He looked thoughtful. "But I suppose that wouldn't be practical as of our current situation. I would have to undo my enchantment first, and that could take all day. And possibly all night. And I doubt anyone from the garrison would be willing to come all the way out here. We're nearing the city but we are still half a days walk from their. If we leave now we just might make it their by nightfall."

"So, just leave them here then? Like this?" Devon asked.

"Well I don't see another way, unfortunately." Lavernias said, still seeming to contemplate their options.

No it definitely wouldn't be ideal to just leave them here. Devon didn't know how long the spell would last, or even if it had anyone limit. Either way there was also a chance that their allies would find them and somehow set them free. Or they might just die like this and then they wouldn't be able to question them at all. There didn't seem to be any decent options for them. No, the only thing they could do was leave the four figures petrified in that cave, and continue to the city.

"Well, I guess I don't really care what happens to them all that much." Devon said. "But do you think they'll die like this?"

"Oh, no." Lavernias said, assuredly. "The chance that this petrification spell would kill them is almost null entirely."

Devon just looked at Lavernias. "So... you're telling me that it's possible." He said.

"Well... yes, I suppose I am." Lavernias rubbed his chin, as if he hadn't actually considered the possibility. "But I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Ok, I guess that's good enough for me." Devon said. "we should get a move on then, huh?"

"Absolutely" Lavernias' said. "Right away. Perhaps my old master will have answers about these assigns as well as your current predicament."

"Yeah. Hopefully" Devon said.

He was still very worried about everything. But he now knew more about the extent of Lavernias' abilities, and it comforted him a bit. Plus, even if his own powers seemed erratic, and somewhat volatile, it seemed that he was still capable of protecting himself. And while the manner in which that protection came was still very much troublesome, the fact that he could manage any sort of self protection did still lend him a modicum of comfort. They packed up their things once again, and left their temporary oasis, not long for the capitol city of Tamél.