There was one particular thing about this witch: she always kept her word. Strange, that. But Zugos wasn’t about to complain as he held the crimson gem in his hands, watched as it glowed eerily in the dark. And to think that she was so willing to part with something as powerful as this, just for a couple of half-finished protective spells. The woman definitely had some evil motives that he didn’t know about. But then, he didn’t care. She got her spells, and in return, he had his gem and no nasty curse that came with it. That was more than he could ask for, considering his client’s occupation. 

 With an idle smile, he qucikly shoved piles of dusty old books out of the way, sending them tumbling down the equally dusty floor, then placed the gem down on the now empty table. After that, he took out a knife, began to carve arcane symbols all over the wooden surface. He didn’t have to concentrate so much, as the symbols came naturally for him now and in just moment, he had finished. However, that was just the easy part. Magic was a curious thing. It had a mind of its own, and basically, it did what it wanted most of the time. Most couldn’t control it as much as they claimed. Those witches, for example. He, though, saw the nature of magic for what it was.

 The energy tugged at his fingertips, and he placed them on the table, pouring magic into the symbols. The gem glowed even brighter, heating radiating from its small form in waves, akin to a heartbeat. His head ached, a reminder that he hadn’t got much sleep for a few days now, but it was easy to ignore. After all, he was finally getting some results from an eternity of hard work. With the completion of this spell, he would be one step closer to his goal. Providing that nothing went wrong. 

 One of his ring suddenly heated up, its arcane symbols glowed a blinding gold. He snapped out his trance, lifting his hands from the table instinctively. And that was all it took. The spell fizzled out and died abruptly, left nothing but a strand of smoke slowly rising from the darken gem. “ By the bloody curse…”- Zugos threw his head back in frustration, hands gripping the table with all his strength. Why, of all time? That was one of his guarding ward, which meant someone had been trespassing. The witch had a change of heart and now suddenly wanted her gem back? Or worse, those imbeciles from the village wanted something again? Either way, he would have to try to keep his temper under control before reaching for that door. Zapping whoever out there would probably lighten his mood quite a bit, but he didn’t want an angry mob brandishing pitchforks at his door or a nasty curse on his head. 

 Swallowing his anger, he reached for his cane, a fancy thing that seemed very out of place in this mess of a house and began limping for the door, favoring his left leg. The door opened with a flick of his hand, revealing a young woman with wild hair and torn dress, but still managed to be quite pleasing on the eyes. She seemed to be upset about something. He narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, making sure it wasn’t a witch’s glamor or anything like that. Didn’t seem possible though, as he would have sense the magic right away. So with his doubts cleared, he smirked and tipped his head slightly.

 “Greetings, my lady, and welcome to my humble shack. To what do I owe this honor?”