On the thirteenth day, the group returned home, their path clearing out before them.

At first, they were slowed down by Noir needing to adapt to the things he changed in his body, the thicker muscle changing his way of movement entirely.

Soon after that, Fenrir and The Grafter galloped across the streets, achieving speeds thought unimaginable within a few seconds, and continuing at that pace for hours.

It was late afternoon when they finally arrived, their home no longer looking the same as before.

Two skeletons guarded the shop's entryway, and a hellhound came to him, sniffing his pants as he scratched its ears.

Mia and Marc soon came out at the sound of the fiends barking.

A mote spanned around the area the shop was set up in, a small fence erected behind it and Famine bubbling inside happily.

"Noir, those people have rallied to your call, and want our help in avenging their homes. Most of them are atheists driven from their home, but we couldn't guarantee them anything other than temporary shelter.

We even followed your advice on how to handle minions, and their behavior was quite fitting to the one described in the book. We haven't figured out that whole ascension rite business so far."

It took the self-proclaimed dark crusaders his every inch of will to not fall over laughing, the mask almost slipping for a moment as he nodded and hugged the avatar of death for a moment.

"I will make sure everything goes as it should, and will meet with their leader in my office. Thank you both for managing this while I was gone."

He said, the smile impossible to hide as the bitterness from the last day's failures was pushed aside by a spark of light from his innermost self.

He had taken responsibility for those two, his thoughts should not be as dark as they used to be.

"Back then, I wasn't me."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He mumbled as he went to his room, an elderly woman following soon.

This needed to be the peak of his show, his best performance so far, and thus, he guided her into his lab, a place held clean by him to the best of his ability.

"Welcome to my domain, I am Noir, lord of flesh and fortune and the avatar of pestilence. You have come to ask for help, if I understand this right, thus I ask what you offer and what you ask as exactly as possible."

She nodded, holding his gaze even as he did his best to look at her forehead.

"My name is Esmeralda, and I hold dominion over the mind, though yours thinks about everything slightly before it happens, I can hear my every word resound a tick of a second before I even say them. I am certain I and those who voted me their representative can help you quite a bit on your war against those sacred orders. I cannot bow because of my back, but I wouldn't even if I could.

I and two friends of mine call ourselves the Coven of the mind, and our powers concern Psionics the way you control Bionics and your disciples control Arcana. The group of younger people accompanying us are professional LARPers, all pretty good at playing a role and fighting. Their powers are of the Martial variety, utilizing Focus to enhance their already impressive moves. We consider those four as the flows, and I offer more of our knowledge and research into these new powers that have manifested, as well as our powers if you promise to protect our coven and the forsaken legion while we are within your domain."

Noir raised his eyebrows at that, folding his hands behind his back as he clicked his tongue.

"We have a somewhat limited amount of supplies, but if you promise to guide me and my Disciples on our way to power, I will freely allow you access to decades of research on Necromancy, the Infernal and cultivation techniques in the form of the books I wrote, even as my powers were quite different from how they are after the cataclysm. Normally, I would require swearing fealty to the dark crusade for this knowledge, but a mutual exchange of knowledge is often better. I will however hold any and all body enhancements and eternal youth behind the Initiation ritual or further pacts. Is this something you can agree to? I would add a mutual defense pact, if you are comfortable."

He felt a chill run through his mind, like something much larger than himself was slowly searching through it, a sensation that stopped within seconds of him noticing it.

"I cannot read your mind, it's as if millions upon millions of primal desires fought to eclipse your body, masks upon masks of lies and deception hiding you from yourself. I agree to this pact, and my sisters do too. We can start tomorrow at first light. I will send the lost legate, because they are quite a prideful group, and would never have us represent them."

Both felt the bonds before they could see them, Mia concentrating her power on the outside in a training that coincided with their words.

"It seems that our souls are on the line by the terms of this pact. "

Noir grinned from one ear to another as he heard that, his mask slipping once again as he heard the title.

"Tell him to meet me in the kitchen, we will have to celebrate."

He announced, heading over as the hag left the shop, immediately taking one of the books from the shelf as she did so.