120 Liquors Delight

In the town of Hoffen the night was peaceful and filled with stars. The shadows moved by the light of torches that flickered and danced in the chill of the night breeze.

The guards at the north and south entrances were seemingly dozing in and out of consciousness during their guard duty. Monsters or beasts rarely came by these days so the guards and law enforcement had grown lax amidst the peaceful days. Their elven neighbors to the north left them be and more often than not came by for their liquor goods during special celebrations or other parties they were preparing for.

Otherwise Hoffen was quiet and people here liked it that way.

On the outskirts a shadow descended from the skies. At first large in size it shrunk till it was what looked like a normal person. his features weren't anything really good to look at and he seemed a bit under the weather by the bags under his eyes and the stubble left on his face.

A guard seemed to wake from his silvering watch for moment. But after giving the man once over he nodded off once more. ( Just another wanderer in search of a healer I imagine.) He thought as a small snore could soon be heard from under his helm.

And so the man entered. But as he moved he entered the alleyways and back part of the town. whispers seeming to echo hauntingly about him in the dark. Even the townsfolk close by shivered as some voices seemed to fill the air with a chill.

But the man paid them little mind. His eyes were focused on a set of boot prints that led to the back of the bar. The man slowly moved around and entered the bars front. His eyes immediately being attracted to a seemingly empty chair. And with so few people in the bar tonight seats were available almost everywhere.

Noone really pays the man any mind neither do they care about his appearance. He's obviously tired and he even moved to the back corner to not bother anyone.

Soon the normal chatter strikes up again as the liquor flows. Many drinkers hobble out as the hours pass. Some even pass out in their seats in drunken stupor.

But the man in the back keeps knocking back alcohol without a single shift in color. Some are in wonder at his tolerance. Others wonder what kind of life he's lived to be able to drink so much. But not a soul got up to ask the questions. Not one dared to disturb their peaceful mind to figure out this stranger.

And so the night wore on till only the man in the corner was left. The barkeep tapped the bars counter with his finger before looking at the man. "I'm closing up the shop for the night. Might want to get home while you can." He said as he turned around to deal with a couple bottles on the shelves.

The barkeeps was a tall man with a bushy mustache and pale face. His arms were seemingly thin with thin muscles stretched across their bones. His cotton shirt and leather apron were spattered with liquor stains and his boots were worn and cracked from the groaning sound they made when he leaned in them.

The man in the corner nodded slowly as he tapped the side of his mug.

"I'm certain the Barnabus I know would have said something different." The man said fiddling with his mug a bit.

The barkeep froze suddenly and looked over. "I'm not certain what you mean dear customer. I'm the one and only Barnabus. Been tending to my bottles and mugs for years now see." He said waving a hand round the place. "Been in the family for generations it has." He said with a grin.

The corner man stood up his mug in hand before placing it on the counter.

"I'll say this once then. The Barnabus I know has been dead for months. And this business was his original start up to keep coin flowing through this town." The man said slapping a large silver coin on the counter. "And he's not too pleased with a shifter ruining his life."

The barkeeps lips turned into a sneer as he pulled a flintlock from his waist and aimed it at the man's chest. "You should've kept your mouth shut." He said as he shot the man point blank in the chest.

But an odd thing happened. The man didn't even twitch. He lifted a hand to brush his shirt and much to Maalog's astonished eyes the musket ball fell to the floor without a speck of blood on it.

"And here I thought I'd be impressed." The man said as he grabbed the barkeep by the collar and hauled him skyward. The bar shook mightily as a rampaging shadow seemed to smash another into the floor ragdoll style. The flailing shadow in the window shifting into that of a crocodile hybrid.

The tables and chairs were splintered apart with pieces strewn everywhere. The floorboards were cracked and shattered in places where the beating had gotten really rough. Maalog meanwhile had definitely seen better days. His peg leg was broken and many scales were cracked and bleeding. Some of his teeth had been knocked out and his good eye was almost swollen shut.

His voice was a rasp as he choked on the hand holding his collar tight.

"What do you want? I ain't done Nothin to you." He coughed out.

The man holding him glared angrily as his features shifted further and his body swelled. Jewelled scales replaced flesh as his head turned draconic. His hair fell out as branching antlers curled back over his head and his face contorted into a dragons maw. His arms seemed to split at the shoulders and spread out in a Buddha fashion. His feet morphed from boots into curved lizard feet with his toes ending in sharp talons. Soon Ignis was in full view of the cretin in his claws.

A voice filed the bar. Not deep or tenor. But a mixed baritone. It's presence seemed to make the surroundings shiver slightly. In fear or happiness one would never know. But the one being held in Ignis's claws found this voice none too encouraging.

"Not me. No. But you have hurt many people. So many I can't even count how many spirits seek for vengeance against you. And that's what I'm here for. But before that. I need something first." Ignis said.

His hand slammed into the top of Crocs head and seemed to suction cup in place as he pried his nose up to meet his own face.

Ignis's jaws spread wide as a strange green, red, and purple mist filled his maw before spraying out into Crocs face. And Maalog couldn't resist as it poured into his nose and open mouth.

And though he was horrified by what was happening to him. The mist soon stopped spraying and the real horrors began. Images of eldritch creatures with tentacles flaying off his flesh as they began to gnaw on his bones. His head was severed from his body and turned into a trophy on a shelf.

Meanwhile in reality his body quivered and shook as his pants grew wet from urine. He began to mumble and sweat profusely.

Ignis simply sat down and after placing Maalog on the floor whispered into his ear. "Now you will tell me what I want to know. Before I make you into a belt and strap your hide to some disease ridden male prostitute. And if you manage to tell me the truth we'll see where we can go from there."

A chill had entered the bar making all who wanted to enter not even get close before rethinking things. This chill was not from ice or water. No. It was an intent. A palpable feeling that eminated from Ignis as he growled next to this fiend before him.

Maalog whimpered as he began spilling his darkest secrets. From his childhood traumas and worst murders all the way to the latest plot that would destabalize the country. A bid to create chaos and infamy amid the believers of "Mother" as he called her.

Ignis had long since made some form of peace with the fact that an organization seeking power in the shadows was after him. But it churned his stomache that it would willingly harm an entire kingdom to gain more power and influence over the world.

Even if he had little to no connection here. The thought of the suffering that would be put on all those people angered him. The imbalance of it all. A single person had sacrificed a settlement of dwarves to appease something he had little to no control over.

And to make matters worse, that person was willing to use it on an entire city. Not for some petty vengeance or fight for a throne. No. He sought a zealous end to an imaginary conflict.

Soon the effects of Ignis's hallucination mist ended bringing Maalog out of his fear fueled nightmares. Sweat had coated his body till his clothes had stuck to him and he growled in shame and anger at his captor. "If I live past tonight I'll kill you. I swear it." He muttered.

Ignis immediately spun around grabbing Maalog by the throat and hauling him into the air where he thrashed and scratched at ignis's sturdy scales. On which not one mark was left. Like a passing breeze leaves no trace on a mountains craggy rocky surface.

His throat choked out a wheezing growl as he struggled against his captor. But nothing bothered Ignis. Not one thing. Even as he raised this thing above his head. And a clear cracking sound echoed through the bar as Maalog's body went limp.

Beside Ignis stood a pale man. A perfect image of the barkeep when Ignis entered. And even more people stood behind him. But these spirits were more blurred and seemingly lost for what they really were. Shades as Ignis called them.

Ignis turned and looked at them all. "My time here is done and the payment for you all leading me here is complete. Now. Before things are forced I recommend moving on from this world. Before you all turn into something worse." He said as he tapped the floor with his foot.

A near unearthly light illuminated the dark tavern with ghostly radiance. Whisps of energy came from the ground as a cloaked person appeared. His body was bulky but one could not see his face below the hood.

"Calder. I see you were nice enough to show up. Here's the stragglers from this mangy mutts meddling." Ignis said as he picked up his prize. Maalog's corpse.

Calder only nodded as he held out his hand and a almost audible whisper passed through the room.

Every soul roiled as they were turned into little balls of light and sucked toward Calder.

He finished emptying the room in a flash as he turned to Ignis.

"We are done here sir. Thank you for the help." Be said as he bowed low in thanks.

Ignis nodded as he turned to the back of the shop hauling Maalog along with him. The cellar door creaked open as Ignis threw him down the hole before hopping in himself.

The alcohol smell filled Ignis's nose as he quickly chose a barrel of mead and dragged Maalog's corpse over to a barren section of the cellar. He drank the mead barrel dry before lighting the barrel ablaze and placing Maalog's body within the coals. Not log later Maalog was buried in coals to help cook him.

The night wore on. And in the morning Ignis could be seen in the cellar picking his teeth with what was left of Maalog's old peg leg.

"Too greasy to be chicken but tender enough to savor. All in all not a bad meal." Ignis grunted as he tossed his toothpick aside.

/Active skills have been learned.

Liars gambit Master: Allows one to know if another is telling a truth or a lie. Also amplifies the believability of one's own lies.

Pistol Mastery- Self describable ( unless you're an idiot)

Passive Skills learned

Changling: grants enhancements to shifting ones appearance. Ignores body density ratio to size.

Loved of Darkness Master: Dark mana likes you better and is attracted to you more.

Memory Eater Apprentice: Gain more memory fragments from those you consume. (Will grow given time.) /

Ignis heard Sin echo through his mind. And after a brief moment it commented again.

/Gained skills have been absorbed by current superior skills and used to improve similar skills.

Shifter bloodline has been absorbed. Showing host memories of the devoured./

Ignis's eyes suddenly shined white memories flooded his head. Images and talks about uprisings. And some individual called Pallison. And finally a cage filled with a hissing thing covered by dark material.

Soon the rush ended and Ignis's eyes returned to their normal color. His breathing was labored and his eyes darted back and forth piecing together what he had just seen and heard.

Soon a grin showing his sharp fangs showed itself. "I'm coming for you Pallison. I'll see you in one month to reap what you sowed."