Todor came home and ordered pizza. Feeling slightly safer he flopped down on the couch and got his nose stuck in Ezezu's pages. He learned many interesting things but none were too helpful if you couldn't metabolize mana. Todor was getting a bit annoyed at that when the doorbell rang. He glanced at the table where he spread all the things he got that day. Pistol, railgun, dagger and high tech coat, lined up in front of him. He dismissed Ezezu with the mental nudge and grabbed Jolt special. Ticking off safety how Roland taught him he slowly crept to the window. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the pizza delivery guy waiting outside.

Todor put away the pistol on the way to the door. He opened the door, got his food and paid with few banknotes without saying a word. As soon as the delivery man turned around Todor grabbed a slice jamming it in his mouth before he even closed the door with his foot. Then he got back to his sit and resummoned Ezezu adding pizza box on the table next to his weapons. Chewing on delicious baked goodie and reading ancient knowledge of arcane he realized he forgot to try something.

"Hey Ezezu, are there any forms of magic that don't require metabolizing mana?" he asked out loud with a mouthful of melted cheese.

Books pages started fluttering stopping open on something. He glanced at the page and read: 'As it stands, there are forms of magic that are instinctive and everyone does at some level. But doing actual direct magic without actually refining mana is quite hard but not impossible. The fact of things is that everyone can refine it, the problem is not everyone has a way for it to enter their body. During long eons, some creatures just cut themselves off from it, or are born with some strange defect that makes it hard or too dangerous to attempt it. But if you are brave enough you can try the most primal, wild and savage of all the magic forms, fetish magic. In this form of magic, you use a body part of the creature that is a target of your most powerful emotion. If you love your dog so much his skull would be a great fetish to channel mana from the world into yourself. That is the grisly fate for a loyal companion but it is an option. Or if you hate someone so much his rib cage can be used as a medium with which you can cross the abyss.' Todor stopped reading. There must be some other way. He thought, dismayed.

He dismissed Ezezu and let out a loud sigh. His eyes fell upon Mihos. Feline was licking his paws in the corner.

"What do you think, Mihos? Do I love you enough to make a fetish out of your skull?" he said jokingly. The cat hissed and jumped on the cupboard turning his head to look at the wall.

"Guess that is a no," he said with a chuckle.

Should I visit Mind Space? He wondered looking at the cupboard under which he hid that little magical stone. Nah, no one is there now anyway, will do that on Friday. He decided.

"Well Mihos, I guess I should start looking at how to increase the longevity of batteries. It might come in handy in returning Internet as well," he said resummoning Ezezu.

Cat swished his tail still looking at the wall.

"Still angry about that skull joke?" he asked the cat who angrily tamped with a tail.

Todor got lost in reading strange things in the book. He stopped for a few minutes to charge his new coat and rail gun and then returned to his studies. When his eyes got tired he checked how much his new devices got charged then took out spare pistol clips and few boxes of ammo. Then he slowly and meticulously started adding bullets into empty clips. It took him forty minutes since he wasn't used to the action and bullets kept escaping his fingers. He groaned when he was finally done.

His hand went for another slice of pizza but his fingers only grasped empty air. He glanced at the box but other than two grease stains there was nothing there. He let out an even louder groan. Oh, well. Have to shower and get ready for a date! He thought as he got up, dismissing Ezezu in the process.

Todor was ready quite fast. After the shower, he grabbed a pair of black jeans he liked, a dark gray silk shirt that he usually avoided but now looked like a good idea and he was done.

"Something is missing," he said looking around the room. "Ah, my new belt with implements of death."

He grabbed the belt where his new dagger and pistol holster hanged. After he put them on he glanced at the mirror.

"I look silly," he said but he felt better having them then when he was unarmed. He grabbed Jolt special and holstered it. "If only I don't have a need for this."

"What about you?" he said picking up railgun. He checked the battery and it was at full charge. Todor expected the entire weapon to be heavier. Twenty kilograms or even more. But he guessed it wasn't heavier than half of that with most of the weight being dense block of metal grains used as ammo.

If only I could somehow make a higher capacity battery or fast self-recharging battery. He froze for a second. Or even some form of reactor that can produce enough power. Would that be possible? He wondered summoning Ezezu again.

After another half an hour of reading, he realized he could theoretically create such a thing if he could grab his hands on a magical device called 'Pearl of Flame'. Why is it called pearl of flame if it creates thunder? He wondered with a grimace. I wonder if they are rare? One more thing to add to the list on the next black market trip.

He glanced at the large clock. There is still time, I should call Irry and ask her about this pearls.

After few rings, Irry responded.

"Are you sure you have time calling me before your date?" she asked jovially.

"I still have time and besides, I am already ready," he said glad to hear she was in good spirits.

"What do you want?"

"You remember that deal we had last week?" Todor asked, cringing how it sounded.

"Yeah, you show up at my family party, I help you with your Onodori," Irry said right away.

"Well, I might found something that could help me with it. But it's a magical artifact," he said closing his eyes.

"So, you need another trip to the black market or it's something bigger?" Irry asked, her voice still marry.

"I have no one idea," Todor answered honestly. "They are called Pearls of Flame and are suppose to make thunder or electricity."

Irry was silent for half a minute and Todor fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I know of them but they are very controlled. It would be hard for a mundane to get one legally," she finally said, her voice more serious but not gravely so.

"So? What are my chances of getting two on my own?" he asked already knowing the answer.

Irry chuckled on the other end of the line.

"Almost none. But your big sis Irry will get you covered. I gave my word and Sunhawks never break their vow," she said.

"For real? You are the best," he responded.

"No problem. Now shoo, go have fun with your Morg friend."

Todor looked at the phone and chuckled.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," he said to Mihos who was still ignoring him. Todor shook his head at the cat, amused.

"More time to kill," he murmured after glancing at the large clock.

Ezezu, tell me what potions did your last partner used the most? He sent a mental question on a whim. From the book, he got a jumble of emotions that after few seconds he decoded as sadness and approval at the same time. Book flashed in existence in his lap already open. Todor glued his eyes to the pages, overwhelmed by curiosity he started reading. Learning potion and combat potion? He read surprised.

Learning potion description said that it is a huge help with remembering and solidifying every detail you once saw or knew, which includes 'knowledge of the flesh'. Muscle memory, genetic memory? He tried guessing while he listed through the ingredients. Most of the things were mundane items he could get easy, but there was three that made Todor scratch his head. Monthly blood of maiden fare whose parents were like donkey and mare? What the hell does that mean? Hair cut without consent from the person who meant you torment? Guess I understand that one. He made a face at the last one. Potent seed from your loins contains all of ancestors coins. He stared at the outlandish and disgusting ingredients until he noticed added footnote at the end. 'This potion is such a potent tool that I don't know why my other colleagues refuse to use it. Maybe it's the nature of some of the components? That is a small price to pay for the knowledge and skills gained in such a short amount of time. I know dwarvish, akumanish and anadorish language by just staring at the scrolls for an hour. I became master archer in a week while people had to dedicate decades of their lives to acquire such a skill. And there are no side effects to it.' It was signed by 'No Terror, Grand Magi of House of Merlioth'.

Todor shook his head moving his attention to the other page where combat potion description was written. 'This potion doesn't give you otherworldly speed nor strength. It just removes the limits put upon us by gods to protect us from our own power. But in the eyes of common folk, it gives you fierceness of the tiger, strength of the bear, grace, and speed of the horse and eyes of the hawk. But it comes with the price. After it's duration ends, the user must replenish his or her own vigor by eating large amounts of food.' Again there was a footnote by No Terror at the end. 'I added few ingredients to protect my body from hurting itself while in this charged state. While it does make the potion more potent to use, it requires an even larger amount of food afterward. By my reckoning, it is a worthy bargain. All though having a need to eat entire goat can be troublesome, this creation saved my life numerous times.' He glanced at the list of things needed for it and smiled. Very common things you can find in any kitchen with only one strange item. A tiny bit taken from an aged feather. Species of the bird was not important, any would do.

Todor scratched his cheek wondering where he would find such a thing. Then it hit him, upstairs in the room that once belonged to his grandmother was a vase with peacocks feathers. I think those are aged enough. He thought as he climbed the stairs.

After half an hour he had the potion ready. Instructions said that just shaking the vial before drinking one gulp would be enough to activate its power. It said that shaken but not used potion becomes useless after two minutes and all its potential would be lost. The good side is that only hand shaken and with intent would actually do the job. How would I know if this thing worked? He wondered glaring at the muddy water he made. Todor then poured a bit into a glass and shook it. Nothing happened. But then the shaken liquid started bubbling like it was boiling or if somehow it got carbonated. He dropped the glass to the floor in surprise where it shattered into tiny pieces.

"Guess that works," he commented with a grin.

Something pricked at his awareness. He got an unshakeable feeling of being watched which pushed his sense of danger into overdrive. The invisible threat started pressing buttons in his head triggering all kinds of alarm. Heart beating loudly in his ears he jumped into motion running to the living room. In passing he grabbed Jolt special out of its holster. With the gun in hand, he flew out of the house, bare feet tickled by grass in the yard. Sun sent last rays of light and the night embraced the neighborhood for real.

It was very quiet, like everything around him held their breaths. Even sounds of insects were absent which alarmed Todor even more. He gazed left and right down the street but he saw nothing, saw no one. Not a soul was outside since most of the people living in his street were older people, probably getting ready to retire early at this time.

The feeling of intrusion vanished without a trace. He relaxed his grip on the pistol letting out a sigh of relief. Insects started their night song again. What a hell was that? He wondered, breathless, adrenalin leaching out of his body leaving him weary. And what a hell am I doing charging outside like this? He admonished himself getting back inside and holstering the weapon.

His relief was short lived. Once back in the kitchen his eyes went right away to the glass-paned slide doors that lead to the backyard. He froze scanning the entire room, noting shattered glass and the potion that was spilled across the ceramic tiles. The liquid blotch had a streak through it. As if someone smeared it with a finger, he concluded.

"Someone was in my home," he said coldly to the empty space. Somehow he knew that whoever they were, they were gone now. He walked to the backyard door and glanced outside. Wild overgrowth he was too lazy to cut flourished there, now clearly disturbed by someone's passage. He snapped the door shut.