Prolouge

Stephos paced in a planned out circle, his new concubine Melisine
impatiently watched.

"Where is he?" she thought to herself. Watching her "employer" pace
around was obviously getting her on edge, almost to the point where she
couldn't stand it.

"Where is that fool? I sent him out over an hour ago. He had to have
found something by now!" Stephos shouted, his voice filling the
semi-extravagant room. Melisine sat with her legs crossed on the bed in
the far corner.

"Maybe he got caught. The royal pigs are trying to fill their quota,"
the beautiful Melisine said, barely concealing the aggravation in her
voice. In all her years as an escort, she had never had to deal with
this much anticipation. That was, until Eljan burst through the front
door.

"Where the fuck were you? You kept us waiting for over an hour!!"
Stephos shouted.

"Sorry, I tried to help you out. I have really good news," the small
man said, smiling a smile that seemed to make him look like a rodent in
the oil lamp lit room.

"What good news?" Stephos asked couriously.

"Did he get it or not. I'm getting bored," Melisine said in a
particularly sultry voice. The bag of JMGP that Eljan had in his
possession put her in a partially good mood.

"Not only did I get it, but I got it for free!" Eljan said, throwing
Stephos his money and the bag of JMGP that would be more than enough
for three people.

"Who did you stick? Janus, Crystalio?" Stephos asked.

"What does it matter, I got it," Eljan said, already forming a line of
his personal drug of choice.

"Who did you get this from?" Stephos asked again, his voice demanding
an answer.

"Oh god, you didn't do what I think you did?" Melisine said, standing
off of the bed, her hand on her bag of spare clothes. Melisine wasn't
really into the Millstone drug scene, but she'd been on the streets
long enough to know what was going down.

"Eljan, WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT SHIT!?" this time Stephos was
demanding an answer. Eljan's silence only confirmed their fears.

"YOU STUPID FUCK! YOU KILLED US ALL!!" Stephos shouted, looking at the
bag for the seal that would verify his fear. He found the seal inside
the bag, the seal that will be their death.

"Fuck!" shouted Melisine, starting to run out of the room.

Before she got three feet from the bed, the door flew open with such
force that it broke the hinges. In stepped a figure donned in a dark
gray trench coat. The man stood about a hair less than 7 feet tall.
Black pants and gloves added to his wardrobe, and his eyes were that of
thunderstorms, fluctuating dark and light gray.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me, and I'm here to
collect payment for it," the figure said calmly and in a monotone.
Eljan soiled himself before the figure finished speaking.

"Please, Outcast, spare me. It was their fault, the woman's and
Eljan's. They did this, I wasn't aware of anything, I swear!" Stephos
begged.

"WHAT!" Melisine shouted, but then shut herself up as she remembered
who had just walked through the door.

"Enough, all of you. You know what happens when people steal from me.
They must be taught their lesson," Outcast said. "I especially despise
cowardice", pointing at Stephos with his gloved hand. Outcast stepped
towards Stephos, however his hand closed around Eljan's throat. In a
flash of an instant, Eljan's neck turned blue with cold. Then his face
started to blister, not from cold, but from intense heat. Muscles in
his legs and arms shook so violently that they broke free from the
bones and tendons that held them within his body. Eljan was dead, but
not after extreme pain.

"Now, you would be next, however, you have something I require,"
Outcast said calmly, which added to the fear Stephos had growing inside
of him.

"Anything for our lives," Stephos said, shaking.

"Oh, so now you help the lady, fine. You have connections within the
neighboring town of Hinsboro. Connections to the underground. You see,
I am fairly new to the area, and I will be in need of assistance to the
Hinsboro underground. If you cooperate you will be paid in full, if
not..." Outcast waved his hand towards the mutilated body of Eljan, his
dead eyes still filled with terror.

"Anything," Stephos said, still trembling. "We are at an understanding
then, thief," Outcast said as he turned to leave.

"How will I contact you?" Stephos said loudly.

"I will contact the both of you when I need you."

Melisine stood up, her ears perked at the sound of "both".

"Yes, I have use for you, woman." Outcast said, his shadow going down
the hall, and joining with the rest of the darkness out side.

Stephos and Melisine looked at each other, then at the body of Eljan,
just to confirm to themselves that they were still alive.