7 Shaderunner

"Corvis is a raven, and an abnormally large raven at that. His size rivals golden eagles. This might be due to the fact that Corvis has pica. Pica is a condition where someone feels compelled to eat things that aren't food. It often manifests as very odd things like a child who eats paper, an iguana who eats coins, or a raven who eats shiny, magical objects. Birds can see ultraviolet light which is typically, but not exclusively, the spectrum that magical radiance shows in, and often why humans can't see it. Likewise, the natural inborn ability for birds to see magic lent them to being associated with omens. Corvis really didn't care so much about magic or being ominous, he just found it irresistible and wanted to consume it wherever it was. Constantly ingesting magical objects had both its pros and cons. Corvis had definitely grown since he started binging on magical things, but the habit also got him frequently and bizarrely cursed. Does that answer your question, Lucky?" Zion asked.

Lucky nodded.

"Ok so who wants to bet Corvis found the enchanted water Lucky accidentally had and drank it already?Let's see a show of hands." the lich announced. Cerberus raised his palm and Lucky stood up on her hind legs and lifted up one of her front paws. "Now raise your hands if you don't understand how a rhetorical question works." Lucky raised her paw again. The lich gave her a pumpkin seed then turned to Cerberus and mouthed 'she's so adorable'. "Lucky, did you feel like using your highly developed sense of smell and wereabilities so track Corvis? Cerberus's sense of smell isn't quite as good in his human form. Also, you're quite small and can easily get places where Cerberus can't."

Lucky chirped.

"No, not by yourself. Cerberus would go with you." Zion answered.

Lucky chirped again.

"No I won't be going with. I have work to do here, magical stuff. Oh, and Lucky, you'll have to wear this." Zion waved their hand and a harness with magical leash that looked like it was made of pink smoke appeared on Lucky.

Angrily she chirped.

"I'm sorry, but you haven't shifted yet, and even if you were my familiar they would arrest you without hesitation the moment you left the property." The lich replied.

Lucky bent her ears back and chirped again.

"I don't have enough time to explain the stupid politics behind magical society, but whether or not the laws make sense, they are enforced by a large system of equally violent and incompetent jerks under even more violent and incompetent bigger jerks." Zion explained. "Regardless, the harness will protect you with wards, tell me where you are and prevent you from shifting so you don't have to worry about going through that in a strange environment."

Lucky still bent her ears back annoyed and glared at the lich.

"Why do you think Cerberus wears the collar?" Zion asked.

Lucky cocked her head to the side and made some quiet embarrassed chirps. Cerberus blushed.

Zion started to laugh. "No, it's not for that, also I thought I warded the tunnels to the dungeon."

Lucky looked guilty.

"Let me see your teeth." Zion said opening Lucky's mouth with magic. "Well that's interesting. It looks as though a certain, very special, werechipmunk has been chewing through magical wards." Zion gestured and Lucky was able to close her mouth. "There is a valuable lesson at hand here which is that when you know someone who has successfully cheated death for thousands of years, death which claims everyone and everything else, that someone is much more tricky than the reaper, so it stands to reason that if you ever feel crafty and think you can put one past them, you who can't even cure sickness much less become undead, you should remember that that person probably set those circumstances in motion to test you. You're smart enough Lucky, so take this lesson to heart. I'll see you later. Cerberus will explain to you on the way what you need to do if you run into magical trouble that needs my help." Zion then hugged Cerberus and patted Lucky on the head.

After Cerberus and Lucky left, Zion closed the door mumbling under their breath. As the lich turned around they drew a circle of fire in the air with their finger, blew into the center and a dark fog settled like the switching off of a light. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Silence filled the room.

Angered, the lich made a black flame in their hand and then spoke into the flame in a strange language. The black fire then spread across the room burning across everything highlighting a figure that was otherwise invisible.

The figure, stepping out of the flames surrounding them became less transparent with each step until a creepy humanoid in khaki was standing in front of Zion across the room. "Hello Medora.." the figure was interrupted.

"Don't you dare use that name, you have no right to use it." Zion's eyes started blazing with rage. Before the figure could say anything back Zion pulled lightning out of the sky and channeled it through the lightning rod to the khaki clad figure. It dropped dead and Zion vanished with it into purple smoke in the basement.

Angrily they set the figure down in a predrawn pentacle on the ground. They said an incantation over a vial they materialized in their hand, then threw it on the body. Flames in the shape of a shade reached up from the body and were subdued as Zion's eyes blazed while they said "Giver of death your job's been delayed. Restore to this corpse its wandering shade." The corpse wailed as its soul crawled back in through its throat. Zion walked over to the reanimated corpse, pushed their foot down on its chest, opened its mouth with a magical gesture and stamped a sigil on its tongue "Talk." they growled.