Well, this was a fine mess. Ian had returned from the mucky swamp nearby, and was using a pool at the bottom of a waterfall to wash himself off. He had taken his cloak and shirt off, and was currently washing those in the basin. What a hassle. Ian berated himself for not carrying some form of significant heat with him. All he had was a fire that he had perched a basin on, which he was mixing an old family recipe in. The poor tree that loomed several hundred feet above the basin didn't like the brew one bit, and it was visibly dying due to the concoction's vapor. What the hell WAS that stuff!? It smelled like a brewery. A brewery on FIRE.

Ian intended to pour the contents out once he was done with it, and put his wet shirt and cloak in the empty hot pot to dry them faster. He had also taken this chance to wash his hair in the river, and he had currently slicked it over his shoulders to keep it from dripping in his face. Sitting down, waiting for the brew to finish, Ian stirred the pot a few times.

"Ah...Warlock Punch...my favorite..."

Warlock Punch? Oh HELL NO. Anyone who'd ever heard of THAT mythical beverage knew that, inevitably, anyone who wasn't used to the drink would be bleeding from every orifice and crapping their stomach out in a matter of MINUTES!

Sadly, the vapor of the brew being made was pungent as well, and it had quite a rnage. It extended high up into the air, and even managed to intoxicate a few birds, sending them plummeting to the ground. It wasn't strong enough at that altitude to do that to a human, but boy, if anyone flying took a whiff of simmering Warlock Punch, they'd be in for it all the same.

For awhile now, Ein had been flying along the side of a stream of a river, until he met the end of a waterfall. He smiled at the beautiful sight, and continued flying on. He saw a figure below him and it looked....Familiar. It was a man...Though it looked almost like a woman. He then remembered who it was. It was Ian! He was barely clothed and mixing...Something. Ein's senses tingled. Not his Evil Sense, but he didn't need them to tell whatever Ian was mixing was SOME form of tainted since several birds nearby him were felled. He suddenly caught a smell. It was...A alcohol?...No, not just that, after another wiff, he suddenly felt like he was clubbed in the head by a iron bar and a lemon at the exact same time. Needless to say, this made it EXTREMELY hard to concentrate on flying and he fell like a rock into the pool, yelling on the way down.

Ian saw Ein plummeting, and pondered whether to save the boy. Ah what the hell. Ein would probably survive the fall, the pool WAS rather deep. More importantly though, Ian felt like messing with someone's mind, and his half-angelic "pupil" of sorts fit the bill. Einl would weigh more than a human due to the added muscle mass of his wings, but the wings would act something as a parachute, due to how he hadn't furled them when he fell, he just stopped flapping them, essentially.

Springing into action, Ian grabbed his wet Cloak, and hooked the hood of it over a boulder, and held onto the other end, and set this arrangement under Ein. While it'd be foolish to think this would catch Ein, it WOULD serve to decelerate Ein enough so that the impact with the water wouldn't hurt him too much.

Ian grinned. This would be both funny to watch, and he had been wanting another feather off Ein's wings. He was only half-angel after all, you'd need two to get the luck! Ian thought back and tried to recall which wing the little girl had yanked the feather out of. Ah yes, the left one. So Ian would pluck one from the right.

Ein continued yelling until he hit the cloak which slowed his fall a bit, and then he fell into the pool, the cold water knocking out the heavy scent of Warlock's Punch from his head and bringing him down to Earth. Almost literally. Ein immediately got up and out of the water and crawled back onto the land, due to the fact his wings were extremely heavy from the water. He was breathing rather heavily. "Ian! What in Lothlómendil's name is that foul brew there!? Some form of anti air weapon?! It took me and several birds around me out of the sky!" Ein said somewhat in a annoyed tone. It wasn't normally a trait of his to be angry....But THIS was a exception for getting knocked out of the air by a smell!

Ian quizzically looked at Ein. "Anti-Air weapon? Oh no, that's just the side-effect of the brewing process. It's a beverage actually, a family recipe. It should be done soon. Ah..."Warlock Punch", it's called. Named because the brewing process involves enough boiling away of alcohol, that the untreated version of it is enough to make a drinker, the first being a warlock, feel like they had just been punched in the gut. Once it's distilled though, it's very tasty, and provides a lot of energy."

Ian briefly felt a twinge of regret. He could SEE Ein's big, brown, trusting, innocent eyes. Tricking Ein into drinking Warlock Punch would be like kicking a puppy! Gah! Ian had to think. Should he, shouldn't he...Was he the sort who would kick a puppy? Would he slip Ein some of the most volatile beverage he knew of? Hmm...Ian settled on letting Ein choose for himself. He wouldn't pressure Ein, but if Ein went for it, he wouldn't stop him. He'd describe it in detail and let Ein pick.

"Warlock Punch starts off with a lot of wine ingredients, as well as unfermented grape juice, and a few secret ingredients. Sorry, can't tell you those. You boil the ingredients together in the pot for a while, until all the alcohol boils away, which is probably what you encountered up there. After that, it's all pretty much fermented sugars and energy. I love the stuff, care for a sip or two when it's done?"

Ein's eyes rose a bit as Ian revealed that it was a in fact, a beverage that had knocked him out of a sky. The Warlock's Punch smelled almost like a poison, and Ein could swear he detected evil in it. Or something else. "THAT was a beverage?!" Ein said eying whatever was brewing. It certainly did look....How could he explain it? Well, he had heard somewhere that nasty things did good things at times. Perhaps he could try a bit?

"Well...You said the alcohol is gone, and it would be rude to refuse. I suppose I'll have a little bit...When it's done." Ein said as he rung out his clothes a bit. He also removed his cloak since it weighed about 10 pounds now from all the water it just absorbed into it's cloth.

Ian was a bit unsure HOW he would share it. "Here, I have a mug or two. I'll give you the mug, and you can try the drink with it. I'll just sip from the pot, using my cloak as an "oven mitt" of sorts. Here, let me make sure it came out well."

Ian took the mixing spoon out of the pot and tasted it. "Ah good. It sometimes gets too hot, and some of the flavor boils out too, but not this time." He offered it to Ein. Truth be told, not ALL the alcohol would have been boiled out, but more then enough of it would be gone to not have any signifiant effect on Ein, unless Ein was hypersensitive to alcohol or something. Ian was worried Ein would think he had poisoned the drink, which he hadn't.

Ahhh...Warlock Punch....such a delightfully potent drink.

Ein nodded as a thanks to Ian and too the mug full of Warlock's Punch. Somehow, it seemed...Familiar to him. Perhaps he had drunk it before? Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought it was before? Who knew. Ein took of sip of the liquid, which didn't taste TOO bad. Tasted like normal alcohol. He didn't see how this would feel like a hit to the stomach. Then he swallowed, and that was when it happened. A few seconds later after it went into his stomach, he immediately felt like someone kicked him in the stomach. Wincing a bit, Ein ran over to the bushes, and threw up. Apparently his body didn't like that so much. "That....That drink is a threat to all of humanity, I SWEAR IT!" Ein said in between coughs.

"Can't keep it down, hmm?" Ian amusedly chuckled. "Well, I can drink it just fine." And he proceeded to glug from the pot.

And began twitching violently.

"SOEINHOWHAVEYOUBEENI'VEBEENPRET
TYOKAYSINCEISAWYOULASTHASTHATFE
ATHERGROWNBACKYETFROMWHENTHELITTLEGIRLPULLEDITOUT?"

This wouldn't end well.

"YOUKNOWEINI'DBEONTHELOOKOUTIFIWERE
YOUIT'SPROBABLYNOTSAFETOOPENL
YWALKAROUNDWITHYOURWINGSOUTTHOU
GHYOUPROBABLYKNOWTHATALREADYHAHAHAHA
I'MRATHERFORGETFULSOMETIMES!"

Not AT ALL.

Ein looked rather frightened when Ian had drunk THE WHOLE POT of Warlock's Punch after he threw up after drinking a SIP. Ian had suddenly begun shaking....And then began spouting nonsense, which Ein could faintly make out as extremely fast talking. Ian was talking about his feather being previously pulled out....And then the rest he couldn't make out. "....Ian, maaaaybe you should lay down awhile." Ein said loudly and slowly to keep his distance from Ian. Worse come to worse, to would attempt to knock him out if Ian became too uncontrollable.

Somehow, Ian had casted the Haste Spell. This resulted in a string of gibberish, before Ian ran over to the river, dunked his head underwater, and threw up BLACK.

"Cough.....Sputter..."

Ian apparently couldn't handle that much. Or was that the point?

"Hooo...one good batch right there...you drink it, it invigorates, and you puke. Good for getting rid of poisons you may have ingested. What I was trying to say though, Ein, was, how have you been doing? Gotten anywhere else with your memories?"

Ian had to admit, he liked Ein. It was a real shame he was now an abomination to all things good and holy. Maybe he could sway Ein. He HAD already shifted his viewpoint somewhat thanks to him.

"Isn't that drink a poison itself?!" Ein asked wide eyed as he saw Ian puke BLACK. That COULDN'T have been a ordinary form of drink. That was something he would never touch again. EVER.

"Errrr...Nothing really much happened with my memories since I last saw you. I'm a bit more carefree than I remember, but otherwise nothing." Ein said scratching his head a bit. He once again, detected evil within Ian, but felt like Ian had evil intentions towards him for some odd reason. Good for him at least.

"Hmm...I seem to be detecting evil from you. Again. Or that could be the Warlock's Punch talking. Doesn't seem as bad as the first time I met you, but oh well." Ein said. His eyes then widened, and he threw up again. This time, throwing up the same BLACK color that Ian had thrown up.

"Ohhhh thats not good." Ein said as he wiped his mouth a bit.

Ian laughed. "Yeah, the first wave can be resisted, but the second wave is black. Don't worry, it's just for effect, it's a magic reaction that dyes your stomach acid black. It's pretty good for scaring people. I can hold back the third wave, but the third wave actually makes you "

Ian was happy to hear Ein apparently didn't detect as much evil as he had before. Actually, Ian had gotten quite a bit darker last time, but evidently he was somehow hiding it.

"Well Ein, that's just who I am. I haven't done anything to hurt you, have I? You're like a little kid, It'd be wrong to take advantage of your naivety. Lacking memories makes you a target, especially to those with a "Modify Memory" spell. I lack magic of that potency, sadly, so you don't have to worry around me, though."

Ian figured he would play with Ein's psyche. Get the boy to trust him. Confide in him. After a while, he'd ask for a small favor. Then he'd invite Ein to travel with him. Perhaps get a poison and an antidote, and poison Ein than cure him. Yes, it would be fun to try to manipulate someone, and it helped that Ein was a "Clean Slate" of sorts! If he could get some mind magic, he'd have an upper hand, but he lacked the ability to obtain the higher-powered ones. But alack.

"I haven't gotten significantly stronger since we last met, though I DID get my sword replaced. How about you?"

"Well, no. I suppose you haven't done anything to seriously hurt me ye-" Ein was interrupted as he began throwing up in the bushes again. NOT a pleasant experience. "Ohhhhh.....Well, you have hurt me, but not in too bad of a way anyways....Oog." Ein said holding his head a bit. He felt slightly dizzy. This was NOT fun at all, and he could not see how Ian could handle it so well.

"I haven't gotten much stronger either. I seem to have trouble meeting other people, since apparently I'm rather...Shy around others. Especially girls. I met a Half Angel girl and I looked like a idiot since all I could do was wave." Ein said with a sigh. He then remembered something. Meglumar. Ian was supposed to be not so fond of Meglumar, but he had a feeling he knew how Meglumar was doing.

"Ah, nearly forgot. How is Meglumar fairing? You two haven't tried killing each other too much I hope?"

Ian's face soured when Ein mentioned Meglumar. "He fired a holy spell at me! "Oh no Ian, you're evil, I'm going to have to destroy you!" Geeze! Last I saw the bastard, he was face-deep in swamp muck, after we both had a brief fight. Holy burns. I mean, you light-affiliated types won't ever have to worry about it too much, but that stuff BURNS! It's like getting hit with a red-hot cannonball fresh off the forge, complete with kick in the chest! But I digres...Women troubles, eh?"

Ian had to grin at THAT. Womanizing had never been a serious issue for him. He had nymph heritage, and he knew how to use it. "Well, my advice is to let them come to you, Ein. It's a big world, eventually you'll no doubt run into a few good lookers who get drawn in by your personality. And THOSE are the one's you stick with, the kind who go for your personality. They're a lot more loyal then the one's who just go for the best looking one, or if your rich or something."

"I have to admit, I've sort have become a mentor to you, haven't I?"

"Ahhh...I'll take that statement as you two were fighting." Ein said with a bit of a sigh. It was a bit of a unfamiliar feeling at the moment, but perhaps it was along the lines of...Stressed by people like Ian and Meglumar? It felt almost like he was in the middle of it all....Because he was in the middle of it all.

"Anyways...I've had a few women look at me odd, maybe it's because I look like a full Angel. I'd like to try and find a person to be with, I am still a teenage boy after but....I feel as if I already have someone and, well, if I already did, wouldn't it be right to look for them? It's not right to have such thoughts." Ein said with a yet another heavy sigh. It was rather difficult not retaining memories.

"That's a problem, yes. Odd's are though, anyone who would recognize you would have by now. My suggestion? Find someone to be with, stay with them, and if someone shows up saying they know you, tell your girlfriend that this is the most important thing to you. If she doesn't understand THAT, she's not worth it. "

Ian wondered something though. "You remember your age, apparently. There's probably SOME arcane method to fgetting your memories back, if there's spells to alter memories and potions to enhance them, after all." And this was true. Ian kept a list of what shops carried what on him so he could keep track of things. Being discreet let him into ANY shop, Even Raku and Lothlomendil's."

This brought on a new train of thought. "Do you think, Ein, anyone would recognize you? If you know how to fight and have a name for your bizarre weapon, it probably mean's you had to at least have been trained before."

"Maybe....Although I was found just about dead in the Misty Woods by Meglumar. I dunno what I was doing there." Ein said. For all he knew, he could have committed what was considered treason to his clan or towards the Angels and was banished, and yet...Here he was, free and happy as a bird, but memoryless.

"Also, I think I might have done MORE to her than what a normal boyfriend would have. I just get this bad feeling in my gut whenever I think about finding another." He said with a blush. He didn't know why, but he felt that he already HAD some unforgettable experiences with his former girlfriend. His body seemed to remember SOMETHING going on, and it was his responsibility to make sure nothing bad happened. And then Ian brought up the topic of Ein being trained.

"I dunno...Maybe someone does, maybe someone doesn't. For all I know, my fighting techniques and sword could have just come from my family and nobody else would know about them." Ein said shaking his head a bit.

"Ever thought of traveling in a group, Ein? Or at least with someone else? More people would mean you'd have a better shot at recognition, not to mention overall safety."

Ian pondered the possibilities. On one hand, Ein could be the naive trusting little kid he thought he was, or Ein could get suspicious. Ian had his way with words, though, so he wasn't altogether worried per se about any sort of verbal argument between them. The main issue was discreetness. Ian would have to keep a low profile if he was going to make Ein a "Fallen Angel" of sorts.

Suddenly, Ian was struck with just WHY he was trying to brainwash the poor boy. He wanted company? Perhaps...Ah yes. That, and he'd be defying the gods by succeeding, and Ian had a strong desire to be able to do such a thing, and as such, this sort of thing would seem like an achievement. And on top of that, it'd hurt Meglumar, that dogmatic pansy, no doubt. Yes, Ian concluded, I have every reason to do this.

The main issue was HOW he'd go about doing this. First he had to assure Ein's trust. After that he'd be slipping Ein drugs and potions at any chance, to encourage darker behaviour. Ian had to, sadly, rule out mind magic. Quick and simple as it would be to do so, he probably wouldn't reach that level of power any time soon. Drugs and misplaced trust wouldn't do it though. He had to change Ein's view of the world. He had to make him see it as something foul. That would be hard indeed, as the boy was very purehearted. Perhaps he could purchase a dark magic spell for Ein at some point...Ein would be too polite to refuse, and once an evil spell was learned, it would have the possibility of corrupting the soul. That would work, that would work...Very well, Ian had to begin with step one of his strange plan. He'd have to gain Ein's absolute trust.

"You know Ein, you really do interest me...I'm considering taking you under my own wing...er, best to choose a different metaphor in this case, hmm? What I meant was, I'm thinking I'll look after you. Watching an amnesiac develop would be interesting, and you could even be targetted for simply being part angel...I'm not too sure though, It'd be a great deal of effort and selfless sacrifice on my part..."

Well-calculated words, to be sure. Making Ein think that Ian was doing this for his good would blunt his danger perception, and on top of that, it would serve to ease tensions. Should a situation arise, Ian could simply guilt Ein into doing what he told him to do with the "I'm giving up so much for your sake, the least you could do is..." route.

Ein listened at Ian's reasoning to traveling with him. Ein pondered a bit....A person who had evil within their presence was inviting him to travel with him. Ian was something like that of a mentor or maybe even friend to Ein, since he retaught him how to fight. It was clear that Ein liked Ian, but the more he listened, the more it gave him reason not to travel with Ian. Mostly related to what he remembered from the past. Ein smiled softly with a hint of sadness to his smile as well.

"Indeed, it would be a great deal of self sacrifice on your part....Which is why I must refuse. You see....How should I say this....Until I atone for what I've done in the past...I must remain alone. I know it might sounds stupid saying this after the talk of women we were having but...." Ein looked down, his hair covered his eyes as he talked and looked like he just accidentally killed someone. "I can't completely remember my past, but my body remembers many feelings, such as the way to swing a sword, and also...The feeling of tearing into flesh with a sword. When I rediscovered that feeling, I also discovered some memories of myself killing what I believed was evil, and....It was not a pleasant experience. Even if they had a insignificant amount of evil, or if they were simple children that contained evil...I killed them. I killed them all." Ein said as he looked at his hands. He remembered the phrase "This is the will of the Gods", and he remembered how many people died after him saying that, but whatever happened afterwards was a mystery.

"Thats why...I've killed more people that I can count, and until I can atone for those deaths by protecting those that I can to my best ability, I must be alone to fulfill it." Ein said as he gripped his hands.

Ian saw a chance. Ein doubted himself. Ein had probably killed before. Ein regretted what he did. Ian knew how things like hate and fear worked. Turn doubt into confidance, and Ein would see himself as indebted to Ian. Turn sadness into anger, and Ein would begin his descent. Ian took his chance.

"Well Ein...what prompted you to do those things, you think? You sound regretful. If it was your own hand that slew them, then that puts evil in YOUR hands, not that of the people. But if you were ordered by someone...that somone is at fault for all that death. Tell me then, Ein, what happened?"

"Ha. You speak the truth. So...I suppose I have evil in myself, perhaps more than you." Ein said, looking even more down. He looked something along the lines of a puppy who was just pet and then kicked the next moment. "I myself killed all those people. I was a child when I first discovered how to sense evil, what did I know? Just the amount of evil I sensed in the world corrupted me, and perhaps made myself a form of evil as well. I guess you can say...I was driven insane. Every person that I saw could have been a enemy."

Ein kicked the ground a bit bit before continuing to speak. "Well, thats pretty much the story. That would be why I wish to travel alone for now."

OOC: Please note, this was a failed attempt at the 60K challenge. Darn!

Ian grinned internally. And mentally laughed like a...well, some demon that laughed hysterically and in an evil voice. There were demons that cried, screamed, made love, and even stirred up discontent between lifelong, sworn friends who shared all relations, demons of strife. But none who would laugh hideously, despite every reason to. But anyway, reflecting on what Ein had said, not the BEST scenario for brainwashing the boy, the best would have been if he was some sort of divine angel sent to destroy all evil, or rather, what the gods interpreted as evil. That would have meant Ian could immediately place the blame regarding Ein's actions on the gods, and that would be all it would take to set Ein down the evil road to corruption and sin. But Ian could certainly work with this! Ein's mind would be naught but Ian's plaything! He decided to indoctrinate Ein with some of his own twisted philosophies. Well, all of them, actually. His feelings of the gods, of men, of good and evil, of racial superiority....If he could get Ein to blame his mistakes on someone else, this would be all over, and Ein would be Ian's puppet on a string. Ian wondered of the possibilities. It would begin slowly. Ein's heart would blacken with hate, envy, and wrath. Then, as Ein inevitably became stronger, Ian would foster feelings of tremendous pride. If he could get rid of Ein's troublesome morals, Lust would also do nicely, as a few mistresses would be a wonderful way of giving the feeling of carnal pleasure, and certainly raise his ego more then a bit. Given that Ein was a teenager, this may actually be rather easy. What was he missing...oh yes, Sloth. Training Ein in the art of getting a lackey or two to do his dirty work would be a good step.

With any luck, he could use Ein as a way to create a guild based on his warped ideals, each new member coaxing and coercing people to join the guild and recruit new members in much the same fashion. He would omit Gluttony from the Deadly Sins he intended to imbue into Ein, as a fat warrior was an ineffective one. Not to mention armor would be more expensive if it had to cover more body mass. Though Ian briefly was treated to the amusing mental image of an obese Ein waddling his way across the battlefield, his wings flapping in vain, unable to lift him. Ah, such hilarity. But, Ian digressed. Ein needed to be slender and muscular, that was ideal for the thick of battle. That would be step two, molding Ein into a hyperefficient killing machine. Some highly destructive spells would do nicely, such as Supernova, or one of Ian's favorites, Enervation. Throw in a nice set of armor, like some Adamantium Armor, and a good magic sword, and Ein would be a VERY effective warrior. When he thought about it, actually, Adamantium armor was the best. Couldn't be cut by anything, much like Mithril, but cheaper. A tad heavier, but the defense was worth it. And it was much more suiting one of an evil alignment. A dragon, perhaps a Bone Dragon, would be an excellent mount and familiar for Ian's ideal Fallen Angel. Yes, Ian could see it in his mind's eye.

Moving on though, Ian decided now was the time to simply shower and bombard Ein with every single one of his own ideals and philosophies. One or two of them would inevitably stick, but he true number was up in the air, though Ian would try everything he could to skew the odds in his own favor. Ian drew upon every fiber of his being, and took a few sips of the remaining Warlock Punch to both wet his throat and to give him the actual stamina to begin and sustain his colossal rant. Ranting was something Ian was more than highly capable of. And so, he got up, and began swishing his hair over his shoulder as he began to speak. This was an old persuasion trick he had learned. His notably metallic bronze hair reflected sunlight quite well, and if he used it to reflect light into his target's eyes, they would be slightly distracted by the glare, and lose a bit of their focus. This would both inhibit their ability to think up any comebacks, and would also, though this was an effect much more subtle, create a feeling of weakness, brought on by the need to squint continually.

In the face of the bright light, anyone Ian chose to shower with his ideals would be no doubt given a feeling of discomfort. They would be unable to do anything about it, unless they averted their eyes from Ian. And ironically, given the subject matter, it was traditional to avert one's eyes from a superior being, such as a god. This was ideal, as making Ein believe Ian to be superior would be an excellent advantage.

As such, it would be a very slight subconscious nudge in the direction Ian wanted Ein to go. Not to mention, it would distract the conscious mind with thoughts such as "Augh, that stupid light is so bright..." and thus, anything Ian said had a chance of acting akin to a subliminal message, sinking into Ein's subconscious. It was a shame Ian hadn't any means of obtaining a "Potion of True Memory", he thought they were called. Anyone who drank one of those would remember everything permanently for a short while, and if Ein remembered every last detail of this, why, all the better.

Ian pondered what this might turn out as, momentarily. If it worked perfectly, Ein would be very servile. "Yes, Lord Ian, I will aid you as you purge the world of the inferior!". Ah, that would be the sweetest of music to Ian's ears. Though that was unlikely, unless Ein had a very weak will, which was equally unlikely. Oh well, quiet obediance would work too. Then again, if it failed, Ian would have to clean up the resulting mess. His views of the world were....extreme, to say the least. Ian could always try to KILL Ein, but he preferred not to have to go to such an extreme. Perhaps he could knock Ein out, bring him with him, and chain him up in captivity until he got his hands on a Modify Memory spell or something. Even then though, magic means of alterign thoughts weren't as effective as good old coercion.

And so, Ian began to weave his words, speaking in a soft, yet firm, voice you would expect a teacher to use on a student. This was but the transferral of knowledge, nothing but absolute fact...that was what Ian wanted Ein to feel.

"Haaa....hahaha....damned gods. Damn them all. Each and every one of them, Ein. It's not your fault at all, Ein. You're utterly innocent, you have done no wrong. You're only "evil" because they SAY defying the gods is evil. But the gods are no better than any scum we call men, or any beasts we call monsters, they had every oppurtunity to make the world a truly magnificent place, free of evil and full of beauty and wonder. But no, they did not. They did the opposite, in fact. The Gods created a world of strife and war. You were born from an angel, you told me that. The angels were created by the Gods. If you couldn't control yourself, that is all the gods' blundering, for they created the ability to sense evil and interpret it's findings, or misinterpret those findings, even. And Paladins like Meglumar make it only worse, constantly destroying anything that would give the world hope and liberate it from these sadistic beings they call Gods."

Ian got up and walked around Ein in a slow circle, gesticulating and getting very involved in his speech. It was a big show, truly, Ian was putting a lot of effort into convincing Ein. If ONLY he had an Enchantment Spell, Ein would be powerless. And it wasn't like Ian was lying either. He really did hate Meglumar and other paladins like him, who would DARE to repress the thoughts of others. Holy spell this, wrath of the gods that. They never shut up about it either, they went on and on and ON. Which was ironic because Ian was really going to lay it on thick here. Ian continued to keep his slightly hypnotic attempt to reflect the sun into Ein's eyes up. Ian was going to make sure he used every trick he had. And he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. So many, in fact, Ian was quite sure he'd actually made a 3 page list of them at some point. A shame he'd lost the notebook he kept the list, among other things, in.

"Gods are perfect, Gods are pure, no one should question the Gods, blah blah blah BLAH BLAH! Lies and nothing but an attempt to control a docile, frightened populace! Think of how much better the world would be without them! No petty theives aquiring the power to wreak true havoc simply by saying an empty prayer and selling themselves to Raku! Or in a previous time, Ita! People would have to WORK for their power, Ein, rather than just muttering an empty "Yes, I will serve you with everything I am!"...And the evil ones would be easy to weed out early! Just think of what a Utopia that would be, Ein!"

Ian threw his cloak off, letting it swirl and flutter about in the wind before it came to rest on a stone, and continued to walk his slow, steady circle around Ein. In fact, he had given a rythm to his words. Each syllable was alternately soft, then slightly louder, like a beating heart, or a hammer slamming away at Ein's willpower. Each step he took matched his beat. Left, soft. Right, not so soft. BaDUMP...BaDUMP....BaDUMP. Heart and mind united, in this wonderfully alluring rhythm. As for his hands, he had begun using them to draw intricate shapes in the air, as if he was painting a great masterpiece. Or perhaps he was trying to hypnotize Ein, who could honestly tell? It was a distinct possibility, given the careful deliberation involved. Ian's tone was also highly persuasive, it was not a tone of uncertainty. Ian spoke with true conviction, as if he had labored over every last syllable he spoke for weeks and months, preparing a grand speech with which to convert Ein. That on it's own would also be an advantage, it would make Ein feel important and cared for, as if Ian were willing to devote all of his time and energy into Ein's care. And at the same time, make Ein perchance have a respect, or, nay, even adoration, of Ian.

"Yes, Ein...Yes...It would be a world of beauty without gods...look at the ugliness, the imperfection, the uncleanlieness that surrounds you! Look at how the world wallows in hideous filth and muck! No one is willing to break out of these Divine Shackles the gods impose upon us all from the very moment we are born! Look at the beasts, look at the evil monsters, look at the incarnations of pure suffering and hate! Look at the Dracoliches, look at the Vampires, look at the Lycanthropes, look at the zombies, the wraithes, the spectres, the very elementals of chaos and sin and evil! These wretched abominations would not exist in a world devoid of gods!"

Ian had quickened his pace. The "heartbeat" rhythm he had going sped up, as if the "heart" had begun beating faster in excitement. He kept his swishing hair going, and added another trick to his speech, he began using "Dark Regeneration" spells on himself. He had no wounds of a sort for the spell to heal, but the dark energy would thus disperse into the air, and perhaps affect Ein. Not to mention, the black glow it cast on Ian's still shirtless body sharply contrasted the light reflection off his hair, thus creating the optical illusion of increased brightness.

"Think about the land even, Ein...Places of perpetual darkness and evil, spawning grounds for slimy, vile, beings who would delight in nothing more than the death of an entire city by their own hands. The land would be a far more wondrous place...a place where no creature would have to tread in fear of being eaten, where no fair maiden would have to worry about going out on her own, where no man would have to arm himself with sharpened blade and wit, ready to cut down at a moments passing any foul creature who would attack him for the simple sake of evil."

Ian's path around Ein changed. Now it was more of a spiral, as he slowly closed in on Ein, then backed away. This was to foster a feeling of uncertainty. Would Ian come ever closer? Would he distance himself? Would Ein have to worry about any sort of attack? In addition to the discomfort from the light reflecting from his hair, Ian now had added even MORE thoughts to Ein's head to distract him. And the undulation of the spiral effect would potentially distract Ein even further. Ian was confidant that by now, Ein's mind was a confused mealstrom of thoughts Ian was forcing onto him. Some needed magic to control the mind, Ian needed but his tongue. Ian's hand motions had also changed. They were more angular and less fluid, more rigid. Every action Ian took, the way he walked, spoke and breahed in and out had a meaning to box Ein in. In this case, the hand movements were intended to make use of the power of association. Rigid, concrete hand movements would potentially correspond with rigid, concrete beliefs to be embedded in Ein's fertile mind.

"And knowledge, Ein! Oh, sweet knowledge...there would be no "forbidden, sacreligious texts", no "unholy tomes"...It would be an age of enlightenment, as people began to wonder the true MEANING of things, rather than immediately deciding that anything they did not understand was the gods' doing! Do you see, Ein? It is even a form of brainwashing! From a young age, children are taught the same mantras. "The gods are absolute, The gods are powerful, to go against the gods is to be evil!"...there is no vast majority of people who realize what a...what a..." Ian wasn't struggling for a word, he was adding emphasis to his speech, and was possibly disrupting any coherant thoughts Ein would have. And he had even managed to keep his "Heartbeat/mindbreak rhythm" up while he did so. "A...deception. What a lurid plot. What a farce! What deceit! What a LIE IT IS, EIN!"

Ian kept at his psychological trickery. He suddenly reversed direction, now moving counter-clockwise, and changing the pattern of his movements to more of a diamond shape. Ian's speech and speed thereof hadn't changed a bit, however. Though his hand movements had changed again. This time they were slick and fluid, like a graceful dance. The intention behind this shift was to disrupt any pattern recognition Ein would be experiencing around now, possibly, and in the case of the hand movements, associate what he was saying with grace and clarity. he hadn't let up on his shining hair tactic, or any of his other previous tricks. Ian began speaking quietly, but the soft-forceful, soft-forceful rhythm remained. This was intended to force Ein's ears to subconsciously strain, much like eyes do when viewing a distant object. Ein would be forced to listen to his words with, paradoxically, more clarity now that he was much more quiet.

"Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein, Ein..."

Simple repetition of Ein's name was meant to yank Ein's emotions around like a fish on a lure. It would create a false sense of closeness, of brotherhood. Another one of Ian's many tricks and tactics.

"The people delude themselves, Ein, so deeply are they drawn into the web the gods elaborately weave. By spreading the opressive teachings, by worshipping every action they take, by even fighting the beings of other gods. Do you see how men, nay, all sentient races have been used as nothing but PAWNS, Ein!? God versus god, nothing but battle after meaningless bloody battle where noble men die in the name of the lying, accursed gods!"

Ian had no new tricks to add in the interval between his breaths, which had become slightly laborious due to the strain on his lungs, but he had kept up his old ones, and had switched directions back to clockwise abruptly and jarringly.

"So you see, Ein...The god's are nothing but liers. The ultimate, most powerful of all liers. No, that is not entirely correct. That would be the easy assumption, wouldn't it, Ein?" Ian had contradicted himself on purpose right there, to break up Ein's thoughts again. "The TRUE thing that can be said about the gods is that they opress everything, that each and every one of them, from Lothlomendil to Curin to Raku, is nothing but an obstacle on the way to the progress of the world! Once you establish that, Ein, other wrongs of the world become obvious!"

Ian had now introduced a new trick. He had now taken Ein's wrist and was leading him around in the pattern he walked, symbolically converting Ein into doing things his way. With any luck, Ein's resolve and beliefs would be breaking down by now, crumbling into a void Ian intended to fill with nothing but loyalty and evil.

"Look at the races themselves, Ein. From Ursula the Unfortunate, a species almost seemingly created to bring nothing but annoyance to the world, to the ugliest goblin to the most bestial troll. Some of them are far superior, the elves, creatures blessed with all but the utmost of grace. The Nymphs, races of pure beauty, of which I am one eighth. The Half Angels, such as yourself, unfortunate beings, products of the tools of the gods and humans. The races, Ein, must be cleansed as well, in addition to our sinister pantheon. Orcs, goblins, Uruk-Hai...All of them must be exterminated. They are TRULY evil, nothing but slavering monsters given tiny sparks of intellect for naught be the sake of being able to misuse it and cause more death and bloodshed.

That was why I was born, Ein. My original purpose in this world, as a member of the noble Vaners' Nacht House! To exterminate the races who would corrupt and foul the world by spreading their bloodlines! Half-Elf...Half-Nymph...Half-Angel...Half-this, Half that, Half something else. Look at how malleable a race humans are. This is the belief of the entire Vaner clan! That all superior races will eventually, and insurmountably, merge and breed into one master race of purity and perfection! And it will be this race which will populate the perfect earth caused by those such as ourselves who wish to overthrow the gods!"

That was a much more subtle trick. He was putting Words in Ein's mouth now, trying to FORCE Ein to believe in what Ian was saying.

"You have no memory of your past, Ein, do you. Almost nothing, nothing but feelings of regret and evil! Do not forget what you could do, Ein! The past is nto what matters most, the future is! Just join up with me Ein, help me acheive the supreme goal of a perfect world!"

Ian was beginning to take a sadistic pleasure in what he was doing. The idea of warping a person completely to his will intrigued Ian greatly. Poor Ein. Ein was an innocent boy, trusting, and here he was, being steadily brainwashed into the darkness. Ian retraced his path, and suddenly stopped moving entirely, situating himself directly in front of Ein. Ian believed he had pried open Ein's subconscious and made Ein sufficiently vulnerable to any new ideas. Perhaps, perhaps not. ain waited to See Ein's reaction to this.

((No, I will not let you drive me insane, unless you have Arcane Insanity, which you don't. Enjoy the waste of your monstrous post and my cop out. XD))

And Ein....Was asleep. Apparently, the effects of Warlock's Punch was too strong for the young boy, and he somehow fell asleep while standing. Probably because his wings let him keep his balance better. As Ian was talking, he was already beginning to nod off, and the fact that it was a LONG rant made it worse. Ein was already somewhat drunken and half asleep, so by the time it reached a critical moment, he fell into his slumber. In his mind, he began recalling times of joy he had, and....He could also see the faint outline of somebody. It was....A girl, with green hair. Her image began to look clearer and clearer in his mind and he observed her. She looked about his age, was very pretty and gentle. She was VERY familiar. Who was she?

"My name is Fia. I'm very happy to meet you, Ecthel-sama." a voice said in his mind. Fia. Fia Fia Fia Fia Fia Fia Fia Fia.

Fia. He knew the name. He knew it very well. The girl he had been talking before, his first girlfriend and his first, well....Yeah. Those titles, belonged to this girl, Fia. Ein's eyes burst open as he immediately sobered up, finally recalling who the girl was. He didn't have all the details, but he knew the basics and most of the things that were needed.

"Fia!" Ein called out as he jumped up and took off quickly. She was traveling, traveling with him before. She fled while he stayed behind and was injured, in the Misty Forest. THATS what he was doing there! He was attacked by demons! He needed to find her.

Ian flicked a lock of hair out of his face. He'd be swearing, but his throat hurt too much. He decided to continue letting his clothes dry, and just call it a freaking day.