"Dad, what are you doing?" Rubbing her eyes, the girl was guided down the stairs by her panicked father. "Don't worry sweetheart, everything will be OK. Just do as I say."

The girl stopped when she saw Mors' intimidating figure, standing in the middle of the dark shop as rain poured down the windows. "Dad, who's he?"

The father had always kept himself between Mors, and his daughter, knowing full well that if Mors decided to act, it was nothing but a meaningless gesture.

The moment his feet touched the bottom of stairs, he started to beg. "Please... she is all I have in the world, take whatever you want. Do whatever you want to me. Just let her go."

Mors looked past the pair and into a back room that contained a dining table, a couple of cauldrons set up along the back wall and a stove. Pointing towards the chairs furthest from the doors, Mors issued a command, his voice making apparent that he would not tolerate any disobedience. "Sit."

Both immediately complied, however, the girl was too young and innocent to truly understand the situation they were in. "Dad, what's going on? Why is a city guard here? Have you done something wrong?"

"SIT!" Hissed Mors, causing them to flinch and quickly move to the indicated seats.

The father's face was pale, displaying a conflicted expression as sweat dripped down his face. -"I must make sure Mira is safe no matter what. He hasn't killed us yet so I just need to give him what he wants."

Touching a crystal on the wall, lighting up the room in a warm yellow light, Mors walked up to the table before dragging a chair out and sitting down himself. "Unnecessary noise, lying, withholding information and you die. Do you understand."

The man nodded his head fervently. "Yes, sir. My name's Aldrec, I am at your service."

"Mana core poisoning... how would I disguise its effects for 3 to 4 hours?" Asked Mors, the question completely taking Aldrec by surprise. "Errr what?"

*BANG*

Slamming a guards dagger deep into the table, Mors spoke again, his irritation hanging heavily in the air. "How do you mask the symptoms of ingesting a mana core?"

Realising that he didn't have a choice the man began to speak. "Ferris root will conceal the stomach pains but will cause blindness. To counteract that you will need karn's tail infused with water mana."

Mors watched emotionlessly. "If powdered, how will diluting it in a liquid effect it?"

Sweat was now running down the Aldrec's face like a river. What he was talking about had been banned by every nation long before the Starfall disaster and its knowledge severely restricted. "You can use a hydra's blood, or any high ranked reptile to bind the primary elements, that way it will only weaken but not dissolve. Not that it matters, ingesting even the smallest amount will be enough to kill."

A flicker of a smile momentarily crossed Mors' face. "How much can you produce in two days?"

"I CANT! the punishment for this is to have your soul torn from your body and imprisoned until the end of days. Also, it's forbidden to trade in the high-grade mana cores needed without a licence, I don't have any."

"..." Mors stared at the man and placed the bloody mana core he recently acquired from the guard he met in the alley on the table.

Aldrec's hands started shaking. "O...okey, I will do it, but you need to get the mana cores and swear that you will not harm us. If anything happens to me, you must make sure my daughter is well looked after."

"Answer the rest of my questions and I will swear it, on a pact as a demon as well as my pride as a dragon." Mors leant back into his chair, his eyes unwaveringly locked onto the Aldrec.

Aldrec eyes went wide in surprise. "You're a demon? But those eyes are that of a dragon. I have only seen them once in my adventuring days, but I will never forget them... You're a hybrid?"

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Mors Ignored the man. "I need to locate the following. A map of the city, showing transportation, guard posts, beast trainers, slave markets, water supply and food depots. Transmission, vibration, ignition magic scrolls, around about a hundred of each. A beast emperors translation stone, pure sulphur, A way to enter the city barracks without arousing suspicion. Explosive and smoke crystals, as many as possible and finally."Mors' eyes sparkled with malevolent intent. "The location of the angels, the city lord, his son and every high-level adventurer, soldier and mustering field in the city."

"What are you going to do?" Asked Aldrec, his complexion worsening with every item Mors listed as it became apparent that the demon was not planning something small.

Sitting up, Mors placed his pale, bony hands on the table as his face revealed the first emotion Aldrec has seen. "Ringing the bell, announcing the fight... calling the contenders."

Mira had been silent the entire time, picking up on the tense atmosphere however the curiosity finally got the better of her. "You're that demon, right? the one, the angels, are hunting?"

"MIRA!" Shouted the father as he went to cover her mouth, fearing that she would anger the monster in front of them. Just as he was about to reach her, he stopped in surprise at the sadness and pain emanating from Mors' reply. "...Yes... I am."

Before he could stop her, Mira stood up and walked towards Mors. Coming to a halt in front of him, she suddenly moved forward wrapping her arms around him with a small tear in her eye. "I'm sorry."

Stunned, Mors looked down, his emotionless mask slipping for a fraction of a second. "What are you sorry for?"

"For how they killed your wolf... no animal... friend should go through something like that... I couldn't watch."

Mors stood up with unbelievable speed, grabbing Mira by the throat, lifting her high into the air causing her feet to dangle.

"MIRA!" Aldrec panicked, however, the moment he stood, the point of a sword was grazing his neck causing him to freeze.

Looking into Mira's panicked eyes, Mors searched for deceit or mockery, however, what he found appeared to be genuine sadness. Letting out a sigh, he dropped her to the floor where she coughed and gasped for air.

"You're the first truly genuine person I have met in this world." Said Mors as he lowered the sword pointed at Aldrec's neck, allowing him to rush to his daughter's side.

The moment he reached her, like a striking snake, Mors grabbed both of their arms, causing them to shout out in pain as their skin hissed.

Looking down at his daughter's arm, which now had a black handprint similar to the one on his own, burnt into it, an enraged Alderic stood up. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Mors sat back down as if he didn't have a care in the world. "For the next 72 hours, if you talk about me, or any subject related to anyone else, a curse will activate and shatter your souls into a million pieces... In two days, after you have prepared what I need, and told me everything you know, you will leave this city and never return. If I am happy with your behaviour, I will remove the curse then."

"Be warned. I am only sparing you because of the innocence your daughter has. Do not test my patience." Although on the outside, Mors was calm, internally he was furious with himself. -"Why do I care about these people... I should have stuck with the plan and killed them the moment I have what I need. Pretending that I have an ability to curse is utter madness... This is only the start, and already I am leaving loose ends."

The man immediately kneeled on the floor and bowed his head. "Anything for family."

Mors nodded his head before looking out of the window at the side of the room. "Yes... anything for family."