Strange Bed Fellows

[Symbiosis]

The sun above Salvar shone with a brilliance that seemed to spark the inner light of the fall trees. The ground even radiated to create a golden glow that added to the serenity of the peaceful clouds overhead. Song birds sang their melodies while all form of creatures peacefully went about their life in the forest below, while flowers stretched upwards to reach the heavens and drink in the sun.

The beaten path to the docks was filled with traffic going both ways, families large and small moving to the wooden shipyard that would take them on vacations, new homes, or adventures yet realized. There was a buzz of chatter, the clopping noise of horses in a steady trot, the rustling of barrels and crates and all other manners to create a cacophony of noise. It was life, raw and untainted, moving about according to their destinies.

Baxter Arlington walked alone on the side of the road, a pleasant smile on his face as he adjusted the traveling sack over his shoulder. He was in high spirits as he clutched the ferry ticket to Corone. Aside from a series of bad events that had happened the man still kept optimism alive in his heart. Perhaps the change of scenery and a two month vacation would do him good.

Baxter was a pen write for the Salvarian Herald, a publicly recognized newspaper that was widely spread throughout Knife's Edge and the surrounding provinces. He had recently been dumped by his girlfriend for a noble aristocrat of one very wealthy government family. He was devastated by the events and was suffering the heart ache badly. He had hit a low point, a very low point, and thought to himself that he would make a deal with the devil himself just to find someone who could bond with his soul.

That would be the next unfortunate part of his tale. A slimy substance had pooled around his feet that dark night, and in a drunken haze he began to whisper all his desires. Clarifying that Baxter wanted a soulmate the disgusting apparition claimed that for a ticket to Corone he would have a soulmate there and then. Baxter agreed greedily, his eyes wide with anticipation. The pool of black inky like goop drew up his leg, and in his terror he screamed allowing the vile thing to enter his mouth, nose, and eyes. He felt a gripping pain in his chest, like a hawk talon was gripping his heart, his brain felt like it was being sawed in half as he watched his fingers flex and curl unnaturally. That night he got his wish, and now he found a soul that literally combined with his.

Now he walked with a demon inside him. It slithered around his body like a snake, and every now and then he would feel a sharp pain in his body where the demon was looming for extended periods of time. The more annoying part is that though it had no face and moved unseen within him, it could speak, loudly, as if he was right next to him. Not even his thoughts were private, for the demon could intrude upon there as well. Thankfully, however, the demon seemed content to leave him be most of the time.

Still, despite the situation he felt a measure of comfort in knowing that his boss had faith in him. He said a piece on the island of Corone would be a great centerfold for the second page and offered to pay expenses. So with enough money to fund his getaway the pen write felt content. The demon, who got his wish, was also curiously content with the arrangement.

When they hit the docks the bustle of activity picked up, the many walkways akin to a labyrinth of legend in their complexity. Ramps were lowered and risen as large nets lifted up and onto the large trade ships. There was a man standing upon a large podium with two guards at his side, a large chest at his side that looked filled to halfway with golden and silver ovals. Baxter entered the line and remained patient as he slowly moved forwards, looking over his documents as he slowly approached the dock master.

"Papers?" He asked in a bored fashion, the repetition clear in his voice. Baxter slid them over the wooden edge, and the dock master looked to them quickly before nodding. With a practiced ease he lifted up his stamp and slammed it on the paper approving his transportation. Baxter handed over the transport fee and listened to the directions given to him. He would be boarding the small ferry Emerald Beauty and it would depart in less than an hour. Finding the ship was no trouble, as the boat was a luxury liner for middle class people. The hull was painted in a forest green, accentuated with bone colored seams. A large emerald gem was painstakingly painted upon the starboard, a flowing parchment held by two flying naked babies proudly proclaiming the name of the vessel. There was a gangplank off port side and Baxter approached with his bag clenched tightly in his hands.

"This may not he so bad after all," Baxter whispered lightly into the breeze, the salty tang of the sea tingling his senses. The demon within him made no motion or indication as he stepped on board the ship, walking upwards to see the attendant look to him with a smile as he shook the Salvarian's hand with eagerness.

"Welcome aboard sir, may I take your bag?" The youth was eager in his speech and Baxter nodded handing the child a gold coin as a tip. The kid smiled wider as he took the man to his room, another attendant rushing to replace the vacant spot.

As they walked Baxter politely nodded to a gentlemen in a large overcoat, moving aside so the man could look at the ocean undisturbed. He smelt the air again as he continued to walk, when suddenly the demon within him stirred, a low predatory growl emanating from the bowls of his throat.

Baxter turned to look, the gentleman smiling as he merely gazed to the sea in bliss. Thinking it odd, Baxter paid it no more mind, and went to his room without further interruptions.

It did not settle well with him though that demon had yet to calm itself.

[Symbiosis]

Baxter turned in a pirouette as he collapsed on the estate bed, his legs dangling off the side as he let his back sink into the mattress. He sighed in relief, a long gratifying release as he put his hands behind his head lazily. His estate room was the size of a small living den, complete with table, dresser, circular rug ornately woven with greens and blues, and a full sized mirror bolted to the floor in the corner next to the closet. The quality of everything in the room was not masterwork by any stretch, but it still was of a high quality that the pen write felt like he was living the good life. He made a motion to kick his boots off when he felt a terrible twinge near his ribs.

"Ow!" He shouted sitting upright as he felt the demon swirl around his body.

"I smell his works..." The creature growled lowly, making the Salvarian very uncomfortable. Confused as to what he meant, Baxter looked to his chest and spoke in a fearful manner.

"What do you mean, smell?" The demon growled again, before it swirled and moved upwards to Baxter's head, the feeling like a snake crawling just under his skin. The pen write did not enjoy the feeling at all and had expressed that before, but it never seemed to matter to the demon how he felt.

"That blasted Wizard!" The demon boomed, giving Baxter a slight headache. "I can smell his disgusting tricks at play on this ship."

"Who is this so called wizard? What do you mean you can smell him? What in Jomil's name are you getting so worked up about?" Baxter could feel his heart begin to race and he clutched his hand over his chest in an attempt to calm himself down. The demon angrily let out a hiss, before suddenly it relaxed. All the energy building up within Baxter slowly faded and he breathed heavily to normalize his system.

"You talk too much, but I suppose this time would be prudent. Alright, where to start, where to start..." The demon mumbled. Baxter sheepishly offered his advice.

"Perhaps the start?" There was a long pause before the creature within him chuckled.

"Good a place as any," He agreed. "So, maybe two hundred years ago-"

"This wizard is two hundred years old?" Baxter blurted, disbelief in his tone. There was a low hiss that whispered in his ears and Baxter shied away like a turtle.

"Yes, you idiot, he is. Some people got such an aversion to dying that they'll spend their life just to prolong it. Guess what this dip shit wizard did? Go on, say it."

"Prolong his life?"

"Very good! Any other stupid questions?" Baxter shook his head. "Good. Now anyway, back when I was a youngling, only the spunk of youth as my guide, I was in Hadia being utterly bored. I had just watched a buddy of mine screw over some soul, and I had to get in on the fun. So this wizard does a ritual, wants to make a deal with me. He tells me he wants to find a little toy box. I agree, and I lead him through hell and back to get there. At last he reaches his goal and I get ready to consume his soul when he pulls a fast one and manages to seal my soul. Now I'm free and looking for revenge. The end."

Baxter looked at his chest before rising, pacing around the elaborate circular rug that covered the gap in the room. He lifted a finger to his chin, tapping it before he started shaking his head.

"You're lying about something," Baxter said slyly. "What is this item that bound your soul, and how did you escape? What is the man's name?"

"I'm not lying, Baxter," The demon replied mocking hurt feelings. "I am however deciding what you need to know, and what you don't." Baxter let out a pout as he sighed. "What?"

"It was sort of an interesting tale, I was merely curious to know more," Baxter explained frankly. "Can I at least know the name of the wizard? It may help in tracking him down."

There was a long, drawn out silence as the demon swirled back down to Baxter's chest. Baxter narrowed his eyes. "You, you are kidding me right? You know the wizard's name don't you?" More silence, more awkward shuffling. Baxter let out another frustrated sigh as he pinched his nose.

"I didn't ask, alright! I was just so excited about killing him that it never crossed my mind! And he kept asking me questions and keeping me distracted that I just lost track of the details!"

"Didn't think to ask? What are you, four? How can you do business with someone if you don't even know their name?" Baxter spoke like a parent who caught their kid talking to strangers.

"Hey, Baxter!" The demon howled, an edge of mirth in his tone like he was taunting the man. "Why don't you look in that mirror across from you for me."

Baxter angrily lifted his head, looked to himself and prepared a retort when he noticed his shadow casting a demonic leer. He caught onto the joke and ripped his eyes away as he glared at his chest.

"I," He was so angry he had no clue what to say. He took in a deep breath and then calmly let it out as the demon chuckled. "I get the point. I suppose we can be blind to the obvious when in the face of that which we want most. However, I do think it is high time you told me your name." The demon chuckled again as it swirled back to his head. There it resided for a moment as Baxter looked to the mirror again.

"Not gonna happen. A name means power, Baxter. Demons don't like to give it out. That's why we have so many nicknames. But I suppose I should give you something to call me."

"How about Tim?" Baxter offered. "It was the name of my imaginary friend when I was a kid."

"How about you shut up?" The demon offered back. There was a silence as Baxter let out a long sigh.

"You're nothing but a parasite," He muttered. "You take whatever you want from me!"

"Now that isn't true," The demon said slyly. "If anything I think of this more as a partnership, like a symbiotic relationship. I need you, you need me."

"Why do I need you?" Baxter asked dully.

"You were the one who needed a soul mate, weren't you?" The demon swirled within him again, as if getting comfortable. "I rather like that name," He muttered. "Okay Baxter, I got it."

"Oh?" The Salvarian rose his eyebrows. "And what name did you come up with then?" The demon nestled near his heart, keeping its disgusting claws upon him.

"You can call me Symbiote."

[Symbiosis]

Symbiote had not spoken much after he gave the pen write a name, claiming he was going to sleep for a while. The human pondered exactly how something that shared his body could sleep, but decided not to dwell on it at all. He felt his stomach rumble and decided it was time to head to the ships dining area.

As he expected, the Emerald Beauty had a dining floor that was simply stunning. Several tables made from exotic woods littered the area, their surfaces kept with fine fabrics that had all manners of patterns upon them. The seats were each elaborately hand crafted to resemble miniature thrones. A waiter spotted him and approached quickly, moving through the throng of people that seemed to cover every place setting. When the man arrived he bowed politely and lifted up a menu.

"There is seating available at one of the shared tables, if you don't mind sitting with someone else's company." Baxter nodded as he headed forwards and through the twisting maze of organized seating. He smelled all sorts of exotic foods from around the world and vowed to try something from Fallien if he could. The waiter stopped him at a table near a window of the ocean, and spoke lightly to the man sitting at the table. He was the same gentleman who he had seen earlier, and the man glanced upwards to him and nodded with a smile.

"It would be my pleasure to speak with other company," The man, who looked to be hitting his late fifties stood up and offered his hand out to the Salvarian. They shook hands, his grip very firm and full of confidence. He was a little portly, a small bulge in his belly area. He wore thick winter clothing, the burlap smell reaching Baxter's nostrils. He had a very white beard that ran to his chest, and his greying hair was thick like a forest, slicked back in a controlled fashion.

"Thank you kind sir, my name is Baxter Arlington." They both sat as the waiter moved to another table.

"Alexsi Karmov," The man replied, his accent as thick as a tree trunk. "And your name is ringing bells," He looked to Baxter with a curious eye before he nodded slapping the table. "Ah, yes, you are scholar!"

"Oh my, you know of my works?" Baxter blushed as he watched the waiter return with a water. There was a pause in their conversation as they ordered food, and when they were alone again the man smiled warmly lifting his wine glass.

"Ah, yes," He said laughing. "Your works have inspired many fellow colleagues of mine. You seem to have affinity for archaic history, and your column in herald is very intriguing. I keep old stories in my suitcase."

"I say, Aleksi, this is rather odd for me. I have never met such a huge follower of my works." Alexsi merely scoffed in pleasure as he waved Baxter's bashfulness aside. The man looked out to the sea again and sighed in content as he lifted the red drink to his lips.

"You seem fascinated with the ocean, may I know why?" Baxter asked. There was a pause before Alexi spoke, his speech slow and solemn.

"Long ago, when I was but young child," He spoke, his accent getting thicker as the memories surfaced. "I once grew up in port Kerkanascheif, do you know this place?"

"Yes I do," Baxter replied honestly. "The port was destroyed in a vicious sea storm nearly fifty years ago. Most that remains is nought but seaweed and rotted wood. The terrain was deemed unworkable and the end of the village there."

"You are bright, Baxter. I was one of few survivors, my parents had died in storm," Alexsi seemed to be getting more and more reserved as he spoke. "Many long years I spent trying to live; churning blood from stones with bare hands. It was no life I wish to live again."

"Your tragedy must hurt you deeply," Baxter said sympathetically. Alexsi nodded, but then ripped his gaze away from the ocean.

"I have been rude, as I did not answer your question." Alexsi smiled, watching as two large lobsters were placed before both men, a tray of butter and small bowls left to discard the food. A small plate of Fallien desert dates were placed next to Baxter and he thanked the waiter for the food.

They both took a small portion of their food before they began talking again, the older man talking with food in his mouth.

"I respect ocean's power, and what it can call upon, the force of nature it can create. I appraise the sea like I would enemy, and I keep constant vigilance. Call me superstitious," He smiled politely.

"Considering your history, I must admit that even I would be wary of the ocean." Alexsi laughed, a booming, boisterous laugh that filled the air easily drawing attention.

"You must not fear life, you must embrace it! Things, terrible things happened that day, but I refuse to let it bring me down. I have," Alexsi waited before he nodded, the nagging thought he must have had now gone. "I wish to talk to you, tonight, about what I have done to overcome sea. If you would like, of course. I do not even mind if you wish to pen it, if I may be so bold."

"I am honored," Baxter said lightly. "To record your tale. Perhaps Six o'clock?" Alexsi shook his head.

"Please, come around eleven, I have prior engagement." His accent once again picked up, a darker tint to it.

"That seems rather late, perhaps another time? We have quite the time to kill on our way to Corone." Baxter said with a forced smile. Suddenly he felt a chill down his spine as an uncomfortable feeling stirred within him. Symbiote awoke himself, his soul twisting within Baxter's chest like a master who was awoken in the middle of the night. Now that the demon felt his unease Baxter was positive something was a miss.

"Please, there no need to worry about dawdling about. For the same reasons I see no reason why two fine gentlemen like ourselves can not enjoy conversation and nightcap."

Baxter looked to Alexsi with a studious eye, careful not to respond in a manner that would offend him, but the social delicacies as well as not having a good excuse made it rather hard to excuse himself.

"I'll be there," Symbiote said suddenly, stirring up within his body as he voiced thoughts for Baxter. The man seemed not to notice the slightly different approach Baxter used in speaking with him. Satisfied he ate a large portion of the lobster and then stood dropping coins on the table in a large sum to pay for both meals.

"Good!" He said, smiling brightly. "I'll see you tonight!" Alexsi walked by Baxter, patting him on the shoulder leaving the Salvarian native alone with his demon, who started to growl making Baxter uneasy.

[Symbiosis]

"Why did you agree to join him tonight?" Baxter asked as he checked around the walkways for any eavesdroppers. "I would have thought you would want to stay away from him."

"What makes you think that?" Symbiote asked coyly. "He's got that prick Wizard's scent. I wanna know more about him." the demon seemed to pace around his rib cage making his chest heavy.

"The scent?" Baxter asked trying to ignore the pain. He reached his room and began to fish in his pockets for the key.

"Yup, the magical residue the wizard leaves behind. You see magic and the users of it both combine to create a sort of identifying marker. For some people they can see the veins of magic and follow it, for others they can tell what magic is in the area by the winds, for me I can smell it. Everyone leaves their own brand of magic behind."

"That's fascinating!" Baxter exclaimed as he pushed the key into the door and turned his knob. He was about to go on further when he looked into his room and found it in a heap of a mess. His traveling sack was pulled inside out, the contents left in a heap on the floor. His bed was overturned and the dressers open, the top drawer teetering precariously on the edge of falling.

"I like the place," Symbiote joked. "Kinda has a homey feel to it." Baxter ran over to his journals and found several of the papers torn into pieces, ripped by what looked like talons. He gripped his hair in rage as he noticed an entire decade of his workings were suddenly gone forever.

"Who would do this?" Baxter seethed angrily. He looked to his other books and found all their details ripped as well. Splotches of ink lined the edges and spines of his works, like blood seeping from an open wound.

"By the looks of it, someone who was looking for a specific something," Symbiote hissed. "While you were crying over your precious scribbling, I was actually looking to see what was actually taken." Baxter looked to his chest, an unease tingling washing down his spine. Symbiote waited for the exact moment Baxter was about to explode before proceeding. "It looks like nothing was taken, just shoved around as if you were hiding something. So, Baxter Arlington, what are you hiding?"

"You know perfectly well that I'm hiding nothing," The Salvarian native stood up from his fallen books and turned towards the door.

"What are you doing?" Symbiote asked darkly, as if what he thought the human was doing was suicide.

"I'm reporting this to the cruise staff. A thief on board is an event people should be made aware of." Baxter explained rudely. Symbiote swirled quickly to the bottom of Baxter's feet and began to numb the nerves. The pen write wobbly shook as he fell onto his butt letting out a gasp of pain.

"Now why in the name of the Thaynes do you want to do something like that?" Symbiote asked. "Let's actually think about this. You go squealing to the cruise line and they'll investigate, and when they find out nothing was stolen they'll start to wonder why. Then comes the questions, hundreds of them, and each one slowly incriminates you as you're forced to answer in a manner that makes you feel like you did something wrong. Then they'll ask you what you're hiding, and there is something you're hiding, Mr. Arlington," Symbiote slowly crawled back up to Baxter's chest. "The same thing whoever was in here was searching for."

Baxter gave the demon a confused look as he stood up slowly. He turned to his things and thought long and hard about what it was he would be hiding. Then like a house bricks tumbling upon his brain it all made sense.

"You," Baxter muttered. "I'm hiding you." The pen write sighed audibly as he began to clean his room. As he lifted his hands to his writings he pouted, lifting them up reverently like they were corpses. "Wait a second," Baxter suddenly turned to the mirror and glared at his own reflection as a thought occurred to him. "If our assailant was searching for you, than I must ask how he knows! It's not like I'm proud to show you off to the world."

"There is only one way on a piece of shit boat like this that someone could track me, and that's if there's," Symbiote said to Baxter, a solemn tone in his mannerisms. Baxter finished his thought for him.

"Another demon."

[Symbiosis]

"You know," Baxter muttered darkly. "My life was far more simplistic before you showed up."

"And before the wizard came into the picture, I was peachy just ripping off heads and watching the brain slowly drip out. Your point?" Baxter nearly wretched at the mental image he conjured up and shook his head irritably. "So now we need a new game plan."

"For what?" Baxter paced his floor. "You make it sound like they'll attack me!"

"Hey, if a demon is looking for me I won't be hard to find. I never run from a fight," Symbiote said pridefully. "And before you go whimpering to me I want you to chew on this nugget of a thought. Do you truly think the demon that is looking for me is gonna give two shits about peacefully settling things?"

"Do you have to be so rude when you speak to me? I gather that you always like to charge forward and kill kill kill, but I don't! Call me old fashioned like that."

"I'll call you what you are," The demon replied dryly. "Stupid. Now that we got that out of the way, I have to do some thinking, what time is it?" Baxter looked to the wall.

"Three minutes to one."

"Hmm, that's a lot of dead time. Wanna go upstairs and play shuffle board with the older folk? We could get lucky and smack the little disc into someone's face."

"No, and I thought we needed a new plan," The pen write said in a snarky manner. The demon chuckled before responding.

"And I thought you just wanted to play circle jerk until the end came. Why, you want to actually do something about all this?" Baxter let out an anger filled groan.

"Do you have any idea how incredibly frustrating you are!" Baxter's hands softly tugged at his hair. "I already got the impression that we need to be proactive against this demonic incursion, and now you are telling me you want to play shuffleboard?"

"Ya," Symbiote replied calmly. "I told you we had time to kill. The plan is rather simple, we're going to see Alexsi, and you're going to ask him about the demon he's keeping."

"How do you possibly know that?" Baxter asked incredulously, his eyes narrowing in confusion. Symbiote shuffled around his ribs in a bored fashion.

"I can tell when other demons are around. All demons can to an extent. Like calls to like, as they say. I just happen to pay more attention to that than other demons. Also, don't forget I can smell the Wizard's magic on that old fart."

"If he consorts with the man who imprisoned your soul, then don't you think he'd be capable of stopping us?" The demon said nothing for a moment, simply rotating around in Baxter's body like he was wading in a pool. His levity made the Salvarian upset, but he decided not to egg the bastard on.

"I don't think so," Symbiote said at last. "Remember what I said about magic. Everyone who uses it leaves a rather unique smell. But there is something off about him. I noticed it when we first passed him, but I never noticed it at the lunch until the very end. He's got an ace up his sleeve, but I can't really say exactly what it is."

"Well then we wait until eleven, and then go from there?"

"Yup," Symbiote rested just beneath his heart. "So, wanna play shuffleboard?"

Baxter howled in frustration.

[Symbiosis]

At long last the hour of eleven had chimed on the main deck, the sea rolling smoothly up against the Emerald Beauty harmlessly like blades of grass. The moon was brightly overhead, a slight shadow hiding part of the great light in the sky as it had yet to reach its full potential as sentential in the sky. A soft wind blew from the north, but its intensity was naught more than a mild blow from a lover’s lips upon warm porcelain skin.

Baxter still dressed in his evening attire, a modest button shirt with frills, his gentleman’s jacket, and lightly shaded trousers tucked into his nicer set of boots for evening events. Though he was hardly intent on dancing or heading to the symphony halls. He carried one of his tattered tomes with him, a hurt pride in his eyes to carry the lost knowledge he had learned over years of researching. If Alexsi had anything to do with his lost works, he would have words with the man.

Alexsi was located to the rear of the boat, his room in one of the suites reserved for high nobility. This made Baxter wonder just exactly who Alexsi was, and what he did, but the demon’s growling only served to bother his thoughts. Symbiote swirled within him in laps like a pacing dog in a yard, just waiting to sink some teeth into the enemy. What enemy that was, Baxter was not so sure.

“He reeks,” Symbiote at last spat with venom. “I can smell the wizard’s taint all over him now. He’s not even hiding it anymore!”

“I’m more concerned about the demon, myself,” Baxter admitted.

“I got something planned for such an occasion,” The demon muttered. “Just keep your eyes peeled and stay on your toes…”

“Oh,” Baxter said dryly. “I thought I would, I don’t know, just barge in there and wave my hands around like a lunatic.” Symbiote chuckled as they turned towards Alexsi’s quarters. He could hear the soft sound of a very old record being played, the music a solemn, deep theme. It had several men almost chanting in the way they sang, a low rumbling sound that picked up with the music.

Light illuminated in flickers from the door frame, the stark contrast to the night hard not to notice. Baxter looked to the door and felt a coldness tingle down his spine. His hands began to sweat, his nerves fast leaving him as the hairs on the back of his head had rose. Something dark and sinister was happening within that room, and suddenly Baxter wanted nothing to do with it.

“You are not chickening out now,” Symbiote cursed. “Grow a fucking pair and knock on that door, or I’ll do something worse than this!”

“What is he doing in there?” Baxter mumbled fearfully. Symbiote took a whiff of the air like a dog, the feeling unnatural considering he lived inside the pen write’s chest.

“Dark magic,” He growled in a low tone. “The wizard’s magic…”

[Symbiosis]

“AH! Comrade Baxter, come, come!” Alexsi ushered the Salvarian native in with his hands, gripping the pen write gently on the arm as he slammed his cabin door shut. The room was far more grand than Baxter’s, for it was twice the size of his room. Everything in here was hand crafted, it seemed, with a dangling chandelier in the center of the vaulted room. It was lit by candlelight, but something about the way they did not flicker even as the candelabra teetered to and fro bothered Baxter. The man was a mess of a person, his suitcases and bags opened and littered all over tables and the floor. He tacked on a few papers to the wall, strange runes and symbols surrounding a humanoid like shape.

Symbiote hissed darkly as Baxter finished looking to those sheets, and took stalk of Alexsi for the first time. He was very animated in an excited manner. He wore a set of glasses that rested on the edge of his pudgy nose, his hair still slicked back. He wore heavy evening robes, slippered feet moving along the exquisite rug in a shuffling manner. He seemed very well tempered as he gestured to the trolley.

“Drink?” Alexsi asked politely. Baxter quickly shook his head as the man lifted a wooden chair up and over with a slight grunt, propping it just before the pen write. Alexsi took the chair just before him, tapping his fingers on the trolley cart as he looked to what he would drink. Settling for a clear crystal container filled with a deep crimson hue and popping the cork, Alexsi began to speak.

“I told you, I would not let ocean get better of me,” He spoke as the soft glug glug of the liquid splashed into a wine glass. “In my travels, I search for way to make myself better!” He gently lowered the flask and corked the top with a pop, his hand tapping the tip with a satisfied nod. He lifted the wine to his nose and sniffed sweetly, letting it run in circles as he rotated the glass.

“Like you, Baxter, I am scholar! I search for knowledge, but you see, knowledge is not just ancient civilizations, but more! So much more!” He smiled as he sipped the liquid, letting out a loud sigh of pleasure as he lowered the wine goblet. “Knowledge is another word for power.”

“Some say that, yes, but I also think that power is different,” Baxter said pointedly. Alexsi leaned back in his seat, a smug look on his face as he lifted his hand in a showmanship like way, asking for the pen write to elaborate. Baxter thought for a moment, before he nodded thinking of the words to say. “Knowledge is just that, the information of life, its history, its present. Knowledge is used to better ones understanding, but power. Power is nothing but just that. It has no life, no history, nothing that knowledge can best. Power is just the application of might over another. Those who seek power just want to destroy, not learn. No, the pursuit of power is corrupting. The pursuit of knowledge is enlightening.”

“A well thought point,” Alexsi chuckled. “Very well thought, but perhaps maybe not looked at from al angles. Could not one wish to learn knowledge to topple foe? Could one seek knowledge to save lives? Perhaps one seeks knowledge to find hidden strengths. Knowledge by its very nature is empowering. To have information on someone gives you the power over them.”

“But the application of such things is used in the pursuit of power!” Baxter countered getting a head of himself. “You are talking about seeking knowledge only to gain advantages!”

“Yes, and by simple pursuits of knowledge have you not gained power over others?” Alexsi replied hotly, but still smiling. “I ask this question; why do people choose to protect their knowledge. Ancient civilizations would ward off people like us with booby traps and labyrinths! They protect knowledge because it is power!”

“Some things are better left alone,” Baxter mumbled thinking about Symbiote.

“You see, I have been rude again!” Alexsi smiled standing up. “I provoke you into debate, and still not answer your question. I apologize, comrade, I made you upset.”

“A spirited conversation is nothing to apologize for,” Baxter said automatically, his years of interviewing leading to situations such as this. Alexsi nodded before he picked up something from his desk. Symbiote immediately began to let out a low wet leopard snarl. Baxter felt incredibly uneasy. Alexsi turned with a pen in his hand, a thick dark blood colored pen that had a wicked looking fountain tip. He rolled it around his fat fingers with ease, coming back swiftly to sit. He lifted the pen upwards and showed it to Baxter, his breaths labored as he let out a wild smile.

“This is power,” Alexsi whispered. “This is knowledge’s fruits. I have found a man, a wizard, who showed me how to get back at ocean! It was no act of nature that destroyed my village, it was demon. A demon created by foolish man! He could not contain demon’s appetite for carnage, and that demon saw fit to purge the life around him!” Alexsi spoke through his teeth, hatred etching through every word as he narrowed his eyes upon the pen.

“This man offers to help me, If I help him! He needed scholars like myself to find knowledge for him! In return, he would make that demon pay! He showed me power he held, and I agreed. What is price of selling soul to avenge so many others?” Alexsi spat. “He held up an ancient artifact, a cube of power. He bound the demon’s soul, and then shove it in this pen like shackled prisoner!” Alexsi licked his lips as he looked to the pen.

“YOU FUCKER!” Symbiote shouted suddenly, all of Baxter’s adrenaline starting to pulse as if he was in combat. He stood, the volume of the demon loud and obnoxious and catching him off guard. Alexsi merely laughed at Symbiote, pointing the pen to Baxter’s chest.

“I knew you had demon in you, Baxter,” Alexsi said knowingly standing up as well. “I knew I found what wizard sought out! My pen can let out a liquid that will eat knowledge like rampaging bear. It absorbed all your texts while I was at lunch with you. He told me Baxter of your knowledge, and now I have knowledge of you! I will show you, pen write, why knowledge is ultimate power!”

The demon of the pen slowly slithered out in a black inky like fashion like a snake being charmed. The pen glowed with a soft red light as the ink continued to flow out and softly ensnare the flesh of Alexsi. It grew over his arm, steadily as he let out a laugh, Baxter taking fearful steps backwards as he looked to the madness that was before his eyes.

Alexsi’s skin was being devoured by the demon, a sickly howl of agony from an ethereal source as it covered his arm. He stood, removing his robe and exposing his naked flesh as he laughed, lifting his arms upwards like an occult leader. The pen flowed more ink to the floor that gooped up and rose along the man’s body, covering his torso and rising up to his face. His arms seemed to expand, his feet twisted to look like a wolfs. His fingers grew hawk like talons as his eyes cast with bright green eldritch energy. All that was Alexsi was covered save his face, which laughed with the gripping insanity an overdose of power could offer.

When the transformation was complete Baxter stood before the horror in abject terror, eyes unable to remove themselves as gripping fear paralyzed him. He felt weak and ready to collapse, but still his blood kept pumping furiously. Symbiote seemed to look at Alexsi as he pushed against the pen write’s chest, before he chuckled darkly.

“My turn!”

[Symbiosis]

Baxter had no clue what Symbiote meant when he chuckled those words. His blood still ran rickshaw through his system. He looked to his chest, the first thing besides the hideous Alexsi/Demon that he was able to concentrate on. Symbiote still moved around his body, his energy cascading downwards and spiraling upwards in violent arcs as he felt his muscles tingle. There was a primal call that howled deep within Baxter, and soon he knew exactly what the demon meant.

Bones snapped creating a sick noise in the air that paused Alexsi’s advance. Baxter felt nasuea grip his stomach and he felt like purging, but instead he let out a yelp of air as one of his shoulders exploded in size. Muscles ripped apart and reknitted increasing his mass until it looked like a small cannon. He heavily leaned on his newly created arm, the pain akin to growing pains in a dull ache. His other arm suddenly throbbed as he felt his fingers curl outwards as his nails grew into tiny gnarled daggers. His mouth opened in a scream, but instead of sound being produced it was replaced by the popping of his dislocating jaws, causing the older man to back away in confusion as Baxter’s teeth extended in length, creating a demonic, wicked looking set of filed incisors.

The pen write felt everything within him flutter and his eyes rolled with the emotions into the inside of his, replaced with a pasty milky colored orb that showed no signs of a soul. His clothing, what was left of it from his grotesque change, suddenly scattered outwards as his ribs snapped apart and made room for his expanding chest muscles and extended lung capacity.

With a roar of defiance Symbiote shouted through Baxter’s mouth, while the pen write looked to his changes with a freighted look. He cast confused glances to the deformities before he turned to look at a closet door mirror, seeing himself and what he looked like for the first time. His eyes lit up in shock as he felt his pores open and cold sweat dripped out, but instead of dripping away it congealed around his flesh in a clear coat, making him look rubbery in nature. He felt the urge to vomit at his own hideous and terrifying look.

“Come on, Baxter, the shock and awe of it all is wearing off and Alexsi’s coming for you!”

“What did you do to me?” Baxter shouted. Symbiote snarled in time with the demon from Alexi’s inky like suit.

“I leveled the playing field, now shut up and fight!”

Alexsi was the first to strike, bringing one fist downwards in a hammer blow aimed for Baxter’s shoulder and head. He flinched away, lifting his shoulder up and the blow landed with resounding thud, knocking Baxter to the floor in a spin. He turned his body and rolled back to his feet as Alexsi lifted his leg out in a stiff kick, catching the pen write in the mouth.

“You are scholar!” Alexsi shouted. “You do not know combat! I will crush you like bug!” Alexsi mirrored this by slamming his fists into each other, spilling ink all over the floor that quickly rejoined at his feet. The demon hybrid lowered his fist to grab Baxter’s throat, but fear turned to heights of courage and Baxter managed to grip his wrist.

“Throw him!” Symbiote commanded. Nodding as he did so, Baxter turned his torso and forced Alexsi to collapse forwards in a stumble. The man traveled for a few steps, crashing into the closet and knocking the door down shattering the glass. His face came up in a snarl, a few pieces of superficial wounds stuck in as he stalked forwards.

“Get on your feet!” Symbiote shouted. Baxter quickly rolled back to his feet and looked up to see Alexsi charging him now. The man collided with his stomach knocking the wind out his sails as he flew backwards, his body crashing on the trolley destroying the liquid flasks and obliterating the wooden cart. Baxter’s assailant quickly mounted him, one fist clenching his throat as the other began to pummel him in the face as the demon of his inky armor roared with sadistic glee, Alexsi laughing like a madman.

“Cover your fucking face! My god, do you not know what you are doing?” Symbiote shriked. The Salvarian quickly lifted his hands and covered his face, but the man still had a hand on his throat. Baxter felt panic grip him and he placed both hands on Alexsi’s wrist, pushing the man’s hand upwards. Alexsi snarled and brought back his fist and prepared to punch the pen write, but Symbiote willed Baxter’s fingers to open and catch the fist.

They stood awkwardly in a test of strength, the demon’s snarling and gnashing their teeth as the humans fought. Baxter managed to lift one knee up and roll to his right, breaking the hold as the older man rolled to safety, standing up. Baxter lifted his body up slowly and watched the man charge him again, but this time the pen write panicked and did something about it. He grabbed a piece of the broken trolley, the wheel and leg piece, and used it as a makeshift club bashing it into the head of Alexsi.

He spun with violent force to his side, landing in a tumble as he clawed at the side of his face in pain, and Baxter looked for something to use to stop the deranged grotesque Alexsi. The older man was up quickly as he snarled and spoke in heavy accented Salvarian low common, his words shifting into grunts the pen write could not understand.

“Hello?” Symbiote shouted rudely. “There’s a sword over there, you idiot!” Baxter looked to his left and found the ornamental sword handing to the wall. Though it looked tacky and cheap, it was a weapon. However Symbiote, who could be heard by anyone when shouting, caught Alexsi’s eye to the weapon as well.

They both scrambled towards the weapon after a pause of reflection, the pen write gripping the handle and ripping it off the wall as he swiped for the monstrosity. Alexsi quickly leapt backwards to avoid being his as he growled, looking for an opening.

“Come on now! Chop chop chop!” Symbiote teased as he spurred Baxter onwards.

[Symbiosis]

The two stood off on opposite sides, their eyes casting murderous looks. Alexsi was careful in his movements as he dropped into a low hunch, his eyes never leaving Baxter’s. The Salvarian native felt his blood sing to be in the rush of combat, but he himself wanted to do nothing more than cry with all the strange mutations that have been going on in his body. He was not meant for this kind of combat.

“I just want demon, Baxter,” Alexsi spoke irritably. “You give him to me, I’ll spare you. I know you don’t want to fight me! I know you want to be rid of demon!”

“Don’t listen to that asshole!” Symbiote barked. “He’ll take me and kill you!”

“You and I are fellow scholars! We have different methods of why we seek knowledge, but there is no reason we cannot leave on peaceful terms!” Symbiote growled lowly.

“Says the guy who’s possessed by a demon. You can’t trust him, Baxter.”

“And you can trust demon?” Alexsi said in high spirits as he spat blood and a tooth out his mouth. “I have not lied to you, Baxter. I showed you what I am!”

“And he attacked you, unless you forgot that!” Symbiote replied.

“You don’t need to be a slave, Baxter,” Alexsi said as he inched closer to his right. Baxter thought about it, and the more he did the more Symbiote got angry. It was true, Alexsi never had lied to him. And to be rid of this demon did seem like a great idea. He could get away from this madness, get away from Symbiote. No more sharing his soul with someone! The appeal was very tempting, and Baxter was not a strong willed person.

Yet just as he was about to agree to Alexsi’s terms, the man suddenly jumped to his right, grabbing the chair he sat in earlier and tossed it with violent force at Baxter. He lifted his sword up and swiped the chair aside, but Alexsi rushed forwards in the wake of splinters as he pushed up against the pen write. He grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the wall creating a hole, pulling him out and turning before running him through it again. Baxter gripped the sides of the hole he made, ripping out large chunks until it resembled a deadly maw of snaggled wooden teeth. Alexsi tossed him onto his back, the boy tumbling as he looked to the chandelier.

Alexsi stalked over to him, eyes cast with mischief. “You trust too much, comrade,” Alexsi said darkly. “You do not know what it is like to not live pampered. To live like horrid dog. I had to find knowledge to protect myself! You sought it because you were bored!” He kicked the other chair to the side, shattering in into pieces as he moved towards Baxter. “You insult me with your petty words of praise! I’ll enjoy ripping demon from your chest!” His taloned hands reached out to grip Baxter, but the pen write lifted one hand up and out in a violent swing of pure desperation.

The sword in his hand cut into Alexsi’s wrist, but did not much more than push the inky substance aside for a fleeting moment. Still, it was an opening that allowed him to stand and throw a punch at the exposed face of his opponent. Alexsi teetered forwards from the punch, twirling to face Baxter as he woozily looked to him.

“Let’s finish this, Baxter boy!” Symbiote cried happily. “And everybody up!” Alexsi watched as the demon enhanced human jumped upwards and grabbed hold of the chandelier, ripping it easily off the hook and smashing it down upon the man’s body. It completely ensnared the old man, and Symbiote laughed wildly as Baxter grabbed hold of the candle hooks.

“Swing your partner round and round!” The demon chuckled as Baxter began to turn, adding velocity as he let out a bellow of exertion, throwing the man down on the ground with a distinct thud. He landed hard on the floor, the chandelier ripping into his flesh as he let out a wild cry of agony.

Baxter heaved with spent energy, his lungs felt like they were on fire, but with a growl of frustration he lifted his body up while Alexsi shoved the candelabra off him in a frenzy and charged. Symbiote let out another riotous filled laugh, pushing power into Baxter’s legs. The man rushed recklessly forwards, and Baxter fell back in time with his run.

“We do hope you enjoyed your stay here,” Symbiote taunted as Baxter reached for Alexsi and grabbed him in his fall, placing both feet on the man’s lower stomach. “And please think of us in the future on your one trip to hell!” Laughter echoed in the room as the demon used his all energy to push Alexsi off his feet in a stubborn kick, body flailing as he soared through the room, landing upon the hole in the wall where he was impaled through the stomach, the left arm, and the left lung.

He let out a gasp as blood flecked lips let out a crimson spittle, his eyes losing their eldritch glow softly. Baxter moved towards the man, looking to him as he knelt before the old scholar. “You think you're clever?” He wheezed in his thick accent as the inky entrails started to slowly drip away towards the pen in his hand. “You think you…win?” Alexsi softly shook his head. “You are just as corrupt as I am, Baxter Arlington.”

“I seek knowledge to learn to avoid the mistakes mankind makes.”

“Yet all you found,” Alexsi said smugly, his right hand weakly lifting upwards to Baxter’s arm and tapping the demon skin. “Was power…”

Baxter used Epic Leap, which is why the enemy soared so far in the room.

[Symbiosis]

Baxter breathed heavily as he watched Alexsi’s eyes softly close, the energy long gone and his life at last fading. He looked around and wondered about the damage he caused, and if someone would have heard it. Surely, someone would have heard their fight. That familiar feeling of panic began to creep outwards, but Symbiote swirled lazily about in his chest, happy to have expanded room.

“Don’t worry, the man wasn’t an idiot,” Symbiote said lightly. “ If you could do me a favor and listen real quick, you’ll notice something.”

Baxter did as he was told, and titled his head and listened. He heard nothing, which did not seem odd or out of place, but soon he narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at the wreckage for something in particular. He searched the shattered trolley, he looked towards his bed, the closet. Nowhere he looked had what he was searching for.

“The music,” Baxter whispered. “Where did it come from, and where did it go?”

“The man used one of the wizard’s little tricks. An enchantment he could place on rooms just like this so that he could do whatever the hell he wanted in peace. Inside, you cannot hear a single noise, but outside the door, all you would hear is the soft sound of music. Clever little trick, but I’m used to smelling the Wizard’s scent. That was that foul power you felt tingling up your neck. Magic has that effect on people who don’t use it.”

“Interesting,” Baxter admitted.

"My turn for a question," Symbiote hissed. "Were you really gonna fucking sell me out to that fat bastard?" Baxter felt his cheeks flush as he debated on what to say. In truth, he had indeed thought about selling out Symbiote to be rid of him, as all of this was his fault. But before he could answer something took both their attention away.

“You two gonna ignore me forever?” A voice shouted out into the air. It was feminine in nature, a slight purr to it as well as a teasing pout. Symbiote chuckled as he swirled up to Baxter’s eyes, looking out for the source of the noise. Baxter was confused as he knew nobody else was in the room. “Hello? Are you two that blind, I’m over here!” The voice shouted.

“Who’s there?” Symbiote asked. “I know that voice from somewhere!”

“I’m sure you would, considering all the time we spent together! Come on you idiots, look over here!” Baxter turned his head towards Alexsi and found nothing that would indicate the voice of a female, but then again…

He looked down to the pen and saw the crimson colors ripple along the surface, swirling and forming like lava in a crevice before it dissipated and reformed elsewhere. Baxter carefully walked over and knelt to Alexsi’s hand and gripped the fingers off until it collapsed on the floor. Stupidly he lifted his enlarged hand out and picked it up, looking to the pen.

“Bout time ass hat,” She muttered.

“That you Fateweaver?” Symbiote chuckled.

“Sure is, that you Cabal?”

“Cabal?” Baxter interjected looking to his chest.

“Demons have many nicknames, shut up and let me catch up with an old pal of mine!” Symbiote said sharply. “So the wizard got you too, huh?”

“Sure did, hook line and sinker. Tubby over there decides to help his village by asking me to bring in good amounts of fish. In exchange, he’d offer me bodies. Sacrificial offerings, you know it’s my weak spot.” She said whimsically. “So anyway, one day he decides he can’t pay up. Well, the deal was if he couldn’t I could go on land and take the offering myself. So I did, I took the whole damn place.”

“How horrible,” Baxter said in a snotty manner. “You killed all those people?”

“Did you miss the part where he was sacrificing his own people to me?” Fateweaver muttered back to Baxter. “Fucking humans, skip right past the details.” She seemed to take a pause before speaking. “So, deals over. I get my village, and he gets screwed. Well he really got all pissy about this and found your buddy and mine, the wizard.”

“Does nobody know this man’s name?” Baxter blurted incredulously.

“For the last fucking time, you god damn moron,” Symbiote hissed. “Name’s mean knowledge! And as our departed comrade Alexsi Karmov said, knowledge is power!” Baxter shook his head. “Go on sweet tits,”

“Thanks,” She said politely, non-phased by the crude nickname. “So he shows up and asks for me again, and I show up. He says he has an offer for me. So I get ready to listen thinking it should be another romping good time when the Wizard shows up, blasts me with this toy box, and next thing I know he sealed my soul into this pen.”

“Brutal, so what happened next?”

“Well, he bound me to the will of Alexsi, so I was forced into slavery. The prick had no problem abusing me either. Raped me once or twice, beat me a whole lot, and used my power for his own when things got hairy. Shit man, I really hated him. Thanks for killing him.”

“No problem,” Symbiote muttered. “So who else do you know is missing?”

“The wizard, last I knew when I was in the toy box, had captured Uzuhl’s soul, M’Kar’s, and a few other of the gang. Placed them in the care of his coven of inner circle or something like that.”

“Wow, he got M’Kar?” Symbiote whistled, impressed to hear that. M’Kar usually did not deal with humans.

“How’d you get out?” Fateweaver asked.

“Trust me, you don’t want this way. But you’re free now, right?”

“Hmmph,” She sighed. “I wish. New rules. When we get bound we’re stuck to that item until we are freed by the power of the toy box.” Symbiote sighed with her. “Hey, you’re trying to get your body back, right?” Symbiote nodded, forcing Baxter’s head to do so. “Mind springing me free as well? I’ll make a fair deal! I’ll help you as best I can, you help me get my body back!” She spoke excitedly and Baxter nearly tossed the pen into the ocean.

“No! No more demons possessing me!”

“Fuck do you not listen?” Symbiote growled.

“I just said that I’m bound to the item I was imprisoned in, you idiot!” Fateweaver grumbled. “Had to pick a moron, didn’t you?”

“All I had at the time.” Symbiote swirled back to Baxter’s chest. “So, where do we sign?” He joked.

[Symbiosis]

The next morning there was a flurry of activity as deck hands called for a general meeting. Baxter’s grotesque changes had disappeared, and once more he looked like a regular old human being from Salvar. His pale complexion had returned and even the wounds he received had healed nicely thanks to the demon’s ability to regenerate him. What could not be healed was easily covered by his clothing, the scraps of his previous clothing thrown overboard.

Symbiote had chuckled the entire time the captain of the ship explained there was an incident involving several people’s items being stolen, but nothing seemed to be mentioned of Alexsi or his fate. Either the cruise ship did not wish to reveal a murder happened, or they still did not know, but either way, it was a blessing to Baxter.

He reported his room to the ships guard like Symbiote told him to, and when he explained several gold coins as well as property damage was dealt to him the guards sighed giving him an insurance claim form. Baxter wrote the details of his books that were trashed, and made up a sum of two hundred gold coins, a minor amount that would not show he was thieving them, as some of the passengers were attempting to do.

When he returned to his room he found the pen on his desk dribbling ink onto a paper, and he looked to find all of Alexsi’s works softly being formed on the large parchment scroll. Fateweaver seemed to flow around the pen like Symbiote within his body, and he had started to learn when the demonette was addressing him by the sudden forming of lines on the pen’s housing.

“I got all your works still in my head, so I’ll give them back under one condition,” Fateweaver said lightly. “Promise you won’t rape me. I hate the way humans feel inside me.” Baxter looked to the pen, pondering how in the hell it was even possible, but decided not to even bother asking. He never intended to sleep with the demon anyway so he had no qualms agreeing to her estranged terms.

“So what is our plan now?” Baxter asked to his reflection as he gingerly lowered his hand. “I do not wish to sound callous, but I really do think you are asking the wrong guy to do this for you. Once we hit Corone the deal is off, Symbiote.”

“Hmm, you think so?” Symbiote chuckled. “You know a way to get rid of me?”

“I sort of thought,” Baxter mumbled fidgeting his feet and fingers. “You would kinda, just, leave.”

“Oh no, Baxter boy,” Symbiote hissed lightly as he nestled to the spot just beneath his heart. “I’ll never leave you…” He whispered before he started chuckling, scraping one hawk like talon along his heart. “I think the Citadel is a grand place to start your vacation, don’t you think?”

“But only warriors go there!” Baxter said in a high pitched whine. “I am no killer!”

“Could have fooled me,” Fateweaver muttered as she began to ink the script back into Baxter’s books.

“You need training, Baxter, because we got lucky this time. I’m thinking the wizard stopped dealing with idiots like Alexsi and started handing his power off to the real deals. If I want my revenge and my body back, we gotta toughen you up.”

“This seems hardly fair to me,” Baxter whined.

“It’s the price of Love,” Symbiote replied sarcastically. “When you deal with a demon…” Symbiote softly chuckled as Baxter looked to the island nation of Corone, a foreboding omen of hardships and trials looming on the horizon.

[Symbiosis]

Baxter Arlington and Symbiote wish to gain the following SKILL spoils.

Fateweaver Pen: The demonette Fateweaver has agreed to join up with Baxter and Symbiote in their hunt to defeat the wizard and free their souls. The fountain pen has a wicked looking applicator tip, and the ink can spread on the pages of a paper and literally soak up the script.

In games terms, this allows Baxter to read twice as fast as normal, as Fateweaver can soak book information at the rate Baxter can read. The demonette inside will not aid Baxter in transforming him, will not help him in battle, and this skill cannot be used on an opponent's possession to remove knowledge from their texts and scrolls. It's just meant to help him read faster and retain knowledge he writes down with it.

[Breaker]

Mood: Sunny
Music: Maniacs by Hawksley Workman

Fairly basic as an introductory thread overall, it seemed hurried and more built around getting the spoils than the actual circumstance you put Baxter into. While some of your character work made me chuckle, the fellow was definitely strangely okay with suddenly having a demon inside him. As a reader, the only thing that really grabbed my attention in this story was the demonic possession, but rather than getting into that you sort of skated around it some places and oversimplified in others. Anyway, on to the categories...

Plot Construction ~ 14.5/30

Story ~ 5/10 - Your introduction was extremely simple (personally I find the use of omniscient narration to immediately give the reader the backstory required a tad transparent and boring), however it actually served your purpose here. Coming out of the first post, I was wondering what happened next. The rising action really fell through though - you covered what could have been the body of the thread in your second post, then skipped straight to the dialogue with Karmov. The one thing you did that would have "raised the stakes" was the tossing of Baxter's room, however you killed the suspense by simply saying it's "another demon" at the end of that post. The climax was discernible but not particularly exciting (see comments further on), and while you tied up the few elements of plot with your conclusion, it didn't leave me satisfied or wanting more. In all honesty, there's no way I'd have made it through the third post if I wasn't judging this.

Strategy ~ 6/10 - Baxter's profession as a writer actually influenced the story fairly heavily, and I gave you a bonus here for that. Overall though I wasn't fascinated by the use of skills and abilities here. I had trouble following the majority of the action sequence - I read it fairly carefully, went back in a few places, but I could still only picture what was going on for a very brief period when they were grappling. I should also mention here that despite his "epic leap" ability Baxter, even with his symbiote strength, should not be able to kick a man hard enough that he soars through the air and gets impaled on a piece of wood. That would take much more power than he currently has, and if this were a battle I'd have made a significant deduction for it.

The other thing that really confused me in the action was Symbiote's dialogue... was he saying those things out loud? Because if he is, he's using Baxter's lungs, and Baxter doesn't have the cardio to fight while yelling shit. Even hardened warriors wouldn't, and the fact it was a repeated part of your combat sequence really made that less interesting. This is also less serious powergaming, and you'll lose points for it in battles, especially if its a tournament or somesuch.

Setting ~ 3.5/10 - This was weak right off the top. In the very first paragraph you describe the Salvic landscape as if it were Corone, and all descriptions thereafter seemed written in a similar spirit. I never developed a cohesive idea of what the yacht, or any of the characters for that matter, looked like. Writing setting is more than just describing "a dining room" or "a bedroom" or "a forest" and then having a conversation in it, it's about using every aspect of that setting to make the story richer. I felt very much like this was a thread in which the setting provided a mere backdrop rather than really being an integral, tangible part of the story.

Characterisation ~ 12.5/30

Continuity ~ 4/10 - I got a decent idea of where the characters came from and went to, but nothing about this thread felt, looked, sounded, smelled, or (god forbid) tasted like Althanas. A little effort can go a long way in properly situating a story in our magical world, but I didn't see much of that here.

Interaction ~ 5/10 - I noticed some decent body language work, but had numerous problems with the dialogue. Primarily, almost all the characters (except Karmov) tended to talk like North American 18 year olds. Secondarily, I lost track of who was speaking on at least a half dozen occasions, which is weird when you consider there was usually only 2 characters to keep track of. And this leads me back to Karmov... introducing and killing a character who is by name and accent a middle aged Russian gentleman isn't going to get you any points here. I'm glad to see you expanding your horizons in terms of how different people talk differently, but using a definitive earth based persona with no justification whatsoever is just... weird and offputting. If you had used a derivation of Russian inflection to craft an original Althanas accent, or explained why a Russian man was on Althanas, Karmov might have made a more positive contribution to this story.

Character ~ 3.5/10 - Baxter seemed to have almost no personality whatsoever, and the other three characters were consistently predictable and not terribly original. Portraying demonic characters as being the exact same as humans with constant attitude problems is weak and tired - I'd much preferred it if Symbiote actually had some substance to him, some reason for his actions (beyond what you covered in this thread, that is.)

Writing Style ~ 17/30

Creativity ~ 4.5/10 - I noticed almost an equal number of good metaphors, okay metaphors, and metaphors that either made no sense or actively detracted from the word picture. You really need to be more selective of where and how you use literary devices. I'm not saying use them less, I'm saying pay more attention to where they go, and not only how they sound in your head when you write them but also how they sound when read from a neutral perspective (reading out loud works for me). Also I just didn't recognize much effort to make this original.

Mechanics ~ 7.5/10 - Fairly impressive editing through most of it, though not the kind that results from careful proofreading.

Clarity ~ 5/10 - In general this moved along okay and was fairly easy to follow, but in a handful of places (such as the combat sequence) I lost track of what was going on. Also, your overuse of dialogue (post 10, for example) ruins your pacing, which otherwise was pretty good. I'm guessing you were trying to draw the reader in/make them want more with all the dialogue, but it really just gets confusing and takes the reader out of the scene. You want to engage your audience's mind, and when prose becomes that script-like you do just the opposite.

Wildcard: 5/10

Total ~ 49/100

Symbiosis receives 450 EXP. You can also have the pen and the personality that goes with it, however whether or not that is a skill or an ability will be decided in the RoG... as all skill and ability spoils go through there, anyway. If this doesn't level you up, you can always make a mid-level update.

[Breaker]

EXP added, thread archived.