Uriel

            A small push of power is all it takes for the burly guard at The Opal Den's door to turn the other way. Uriel brushed unnoticed and made his way inside, into the massive throng of moving bodies. Pounding music pumping through hidden speakers in a heartbeat to the dancing crowd. The smell of sweat, smoke, and other things done in dark corners hung heavy in the air. Spotted throughout the crowd scantily dressed women with their elaborate headdresses prowled for the vulnerable to entice into their bed for the night. They lapped up the power carelessly wasted for this night of revelry by more inebriated patrons as they brushed their carefully dusted hands over exposed skin. All the while behind their ornate masks hid disfigured faces, no doubt a steeper price than the one they thought to pay for their seductive abilities.

The beast inside Uriel clawed at him like a starved animal it was, desperate to join in.

Pushing the beast back into its cage, he pulled a glamor around himself and make his way through a kitchen, into a dark hall, and past several unmarked rooms. Ignoring the moaning and grunting coming from there behind closed doors, he came to a stop at the very back wall. There was another door here, but a heavy glamour ingrained into the wood cloaked this one from sight. It urged Uriel to look away, but he placed his hand in the center of it and gently stroked the power woven into the glamour allowing his own to flow into it.

We are one, he told it, let me pass.

The wood gave way easily, letting him slip past with a caress of its own.

The room on the other side was a statement of status. Along the walls, glass cases seeped in protection spells housed rare talismans, the floor a dark polished marble, and an intricately carved desk stood as the centerpiece. Three men occupied the space, but none notice the man's presence. One stood guard by the door with a leashed dog resting at his feet; he had a knife and gun concealed under a dark jacket, but they are only a minor threat and quickly dismiss. The dog raised its head at the man's entrance, but a quick suggestion sent its way and it returned to slumber before it could raise alarm. The second occupant lounged on a coach picking imaginary dirt off his expensive suit while he waited. He wasn't a threat at all. Judging by his low level of power he was just human. Probably a businessman in over his head but too stupid to realize it.

It is the third Man that held Uriel's interest.

The Viper

He too wore an expensive suit, a noticeably pristine white one, and leaned against the front of his desk facing the door and speaking harsh Japanese into the phone held in one hand as the other gripped a long ivory cane. A Chinese dragon was carved to wrap around the cane's length, its head resting just below the handle and face twisted into a snarl. The energy it emitted marked it as a powerful talisman. Uriel could feel the pain of its creation as it spread into its welder, leaching all color from his body, and corrupting his flesh. A patch of pigmentation stretching a few inches above his hairline to just below his eye and spanning from his left ear to halfway through his iris is the only color left on his person but even that is slowly being leached away.

Walking over Uriel sat in the chair behind the desk. It's a nice chair, Comfortable and not too soft. Putting his feet up on the desk he leaned back and waited.

It is several minutes before the Viper slammed his cane down in obvious agitation. Switching to English he hissed "Find him," then ended the call and turned to his companion. "Get Ikanoru"

It was then that Uriel dropped one of his glamorous, allowing them to see him. They stiffened, and turned, finally noticing him.

"How did you get in here?"

Uriel tilted his head and studied the Viper.

"Is that really the question you want answered?"

He spoke in English, but his words rolled with the hint of his native Russian. The Viper studied Uriel in return but found it difficult to look directly at his face. The glamour Uriel still wore showed the Viper many shifting features and if pressed he wouldn't be able to recall what Uriel looked like after their meeting.

"You are the Shadow?"

Uriel smiled.

"I'm a lot of things."

The Viper considered this for a moment, then asked "does this mean you've come to accept my deal?"

Uriel shrugged.

"Twenty-five thousand U.S. dollars is a lot of money, but not something I have any use for. What else can you offer?"

"What do you want?"

"hum" Uriel taped the desk and glance around the room "I suppose a favor would do."

The viper's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"A favor, that is all?"

"Yes, and in return, I will take care of your little problem. "

Satisfied with the request the Viper nodded and offered a hand.

Uriel stared at it.

A test.

He could take the offering and complete their bargain by accepting a small fracture of the Viper's power, but any exchange of energy was a two-way street. If he shook the Viper's hand, he would also be giving something up.

Looking into the Viper's red eyes, Uriel let the power of the beast reach out.

It is a hungry thing, more alive than he'd like to admit, and it urged him to take everything from the viper. To drain him dry and watch the life leave his body. But Uriel leashed its hunger, forcing it to take only enough to tie the viper to him and ensure compliance when it came time to call in this debt. The Viper grimaced and pulled down his sleeve to look at the mark now inscribed on his wrist.

This time when the viper looked at Uriel there is fear in his eyes.

Uriel's smile widened.

Yes, he thought, I'm not what you expected am I.

The people he dealt with often underestimated the extent of his abilities, and there was always a certain kind of pleasure to found in revealing his true nature because he was not one of their henchmen looking for the scraps of power thrown to them by their masters.

No, He was a Mage just like them.