The Order of Blackened Denarius

Feeling the cold air on his back, Gregori paused outside the cave and looked up at the moon high in the sky. Rain fell down, soaking the rocks around him as he channelled magic into a barrier to keep him dry. After making sure his surroundings were clear, Gregori stepped inside the dark cave, a ball of light escaping from his hand and illuminating his path.

Eventually, as he continued down the narrowing path of the cave, he reached the end. A wall of rock that Gregori knew to be nothing more than a lie. Pulling out a small knife, Gregori cut the palm of his left hand and squeezed it tightly, blood dripping down over the rocks.

Then the wall shimmered, melting away to reveal an open passageway, lit by burning green torches. Dismissing the ball of light that he had been using to guide his way, Gregori stepped through.

It was long, but straight, lined with bones that crunched under foot. However, Gregori dismissed it all and continued down, eventually coming out into a large open chamber. Pillars of ancient design decorating the wall as what seemed to be an entire civilisation seemed to have at one point lived here.

Now, as he continued down the empty an ancient hold, Gregori began to feel a chill down his spine, as if he were being watched. Then, perhaps intentional or purely by luck, he managed to pick up the sight of movement.

"Come on out, Nicodemus, I know you're here." Gregori called and it was followed by the sound of laughter, a woman's laughter, sharp and piercing. Then the chamber shimmered once more revealing the once barren chamber filled with over a dozen people. And in the centre, right before his eyes was a man and a young woman.

All of which possessed great power that emanated from them, but none more so that the man who reclined comfortably on the throne-like chair. A young woman, resting upon the arm rest, his hand gently stroking her bare thighs.

"Gregori, my dear boy, it has been too long." He greeted, an amicable yet arrogant smile upon his aged, handsome face. "Tell me, what brings you here to my humble abode."

Gregori took another glance around the chamber, one that could hardly be called, humble. Even shrouded in darkness and shadow, one could not deny the majesty of the room. So to call it humble was quite an ironic statement for sure.

"I have come to call in the favour that you owe me." Gregori said, earning quite a few mutterings of discontent. Even the young woman, once smiley and happy changed to be angry and frowning. Outraged at the mere thought of Gregori demanding anything from Nicodemus.

However, the man in question just laughed. "As forward as always, Gregori." He said with a smile. "So, come, tell me what favour you would have of me. I haven't forgotten your aid in returning free of our brethren from the clutches of the council. So, what is it?"

"Harry Potter." It was but a single name, but one that sent a ripple across the room.

"The Archmagus?" Nicodemus asked, a hum escaping his lips as his lips curled, not completely a smile nor a frown. It was something that lay in between the two, showing both and neither, amusement nor confusion. "That is quite a tall order."

"Is it a problem?" Gregori questioned and Nicodemus shrugged his shoulders. This was something that made the wizard frown, looking around at the various figures all around the room. Each of them were vicious beings, all of which had obviously seen a great deal of combat over the course of many years.

"No, I'm just curious as to why I should risk so much in order to do so."

Gregori seemed pleased by this. "So you agree that he is a threat then?" That was good news and proved his fears right if even Nicodemus, the leader of the Order of Blackened Denarians was wary of what Harry Potter symbolised.

"No, not in the slightest." Nicodemus spoke, amused by the entire idea. "The boy is untrained, inexperienced and the very thought that he could pose a threat to me is both amusing and insulting. Try not to do it again, Gregori otherwise I cannot promise that you'll get out of here alive."

Gritting his teeth, Gregori warily looked around at the other Denarians, all of which seemed to give no outward sign, yet he could feel it bearing down upon him. A pressure, an intent to kill and Gregori could feel a cold sweat forming upon his brow. Restraining the urge to gulp audibly, he rose his head as to not appear weak, something that he knew would ruin any chance of gaining anything of note from this negotiation.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Well, you wouldn't come here if you had access to the Councils resources." Nicodemus pointed out. "And you certainly haven't been fired otherwise I would ben unable to keep a straight face throughout this negotiation." That earned a bit of laughter and Gregori grit his teeth in annoyance. "So that leaves only one possibility, the White Council have in their…infinite wisdom, decided to leave Harry Potter as he is. Something that you for whatever reason, cannot allow to pass."

Gregori glared at the man, angered at the way in which he was being mocked constantly. "Spit it out, Nicodemus, what do you want in return for this?"

"The location of my estranged wife and her faction of followers." This request made Gregori laugh out loud, completely ignoring the ripple of anger that spread across the room as a result of this.

"You, you must be joking?"

Nicodemus frowned. "Not in the slightest."

"That's too much." It was one of the most ridiculous requests that Gregori had ever heard. He certainly had the location of Polonius Lartessa and her faction, but that was information that he had hoped to keep for himself. Something he could use as leverage in another negotiation with Nicodemus in the future. Just like he could use the location of Nicodemus as leverage in a negotiation with Polonius.

But now he was being pressured into giving up such valuable leverage, despite being owed a favour. "That's your problem." The Denarian leader returned. "You want my aid in killing Harry Potter, the last living Archmagus, favoured son of Britain and person of interest for the White Council, you're favour, does not cover that. So I need extra incentive. At the end of the day, it's a question of how much you need him dead."

And as those words were spoken, Gregori clenched his fists tightly in anger.

-X- Line Break -X-

"Magog." Nicodemus called.

"You called for me." A dark skinned, muscular man clad in a brown jacket over a black combat pants and a bulletproof vest. Magog was a rare case, having managed to completely dominate his host, and a powerful one at that. Originally, the host whose name escaped him, had once been the plaything of Rosanna, the righthand servant of his wife. However, upon learning that Rosanna was just playing with him, the host had attempted to discard the coin of Magog.

It had failed, eventually giving into the corruption that Rosanna had created within him. He took up the coin once more and this weakness of mind, gave Magog all the strength he needed in order to conquer the host entirely.

Nicodemus could feel Anduriels jealousy, as while they had come to terms the two of them, it was in the nature of a Fallen Angel to attempt to possess its host entirely. But Nicodemus was certain that by this point, he would never fail in retaining control of himself.

"You will deal with the Archmagus, make a show of it." Magog nodded his head, turning on his heel and walking away. Deirdre, his beloved daughter releasing a huff of discontent at his decision.

"Why not send me?"

"Now why would I risk my beloved daughter over something so petty and inconsequential?"