**Baulder** - *CQBEXPT, Rtron, Fallen*

Baulder darted up from the bed into a sitting position from where he was just sleeping. He took a moment to make himself the blackness he had just escaped. The light was always welcome, lest the black swallow him whole. He scratched his arm extremely hard trying to relieve an itch that wasn’t there. His eyes rolled back into his head a little bit as his barely exposed claws almost drew blood from his arm. He closed his eyes and swayed back and forth for a moment. His eyes slowly opened and he exhaled slowly. He was alive, yesterday was up for debate for him however. He twisted his double jointed legs off the bed and flexed his “toes” on the floor. He leveraged himself off the bed not needing to apply much of his weight forward seeing as he legs were rather good at pulling weight at this angle. It took Baulder a moment a moment to realize he was not wearing pants, which he then promptly pulled on the pants that had carried him all the way to this place.

He looked over to the window which was displaying a light akin to dusk. Baulder quickly punched the wall next to the window rather hard. As the pain shot up his arm he let out a primal grunt from his throat of pleasure. He was alive yet, perhaps. No no he thought to himself, he was definitely alive. Otherwise that wouldn’t have felt so good. He then felt his face around his jaw and felt that it was rough. Perhaps grooming was in order yes Baulder? Yes sir it was Baulder. He let out a slight chuckle as he extended the claws on his right hand and began removing excess hair from his face. Though he left some near the back of his jaw, mainly because he felt like it was a good decision. He then walked over to the basin that had yet to be removed from the stand next to his bed and put as much of his face in it as he could. He began letting the burning sensation build in his lungs while he deprived himself of air. The burning was nice addition to the pain in his hand. He took his face out of the water and wiped his face off on the shirt the old man had given and that he was wearing.

Uicle slithered into the room, quite enjoying his new body. As long as he avoided open flames, a nice little tip Zaad gave him while they were walking, there was essentially nothing Aarem could do to him! It was almost like having Lyn around. Only without the annoying voices in his head. _You know,_ Uicle mused to anyone who might be listening, _I might just keep this body. It's nice and reconstructable, and really hard for Aarem to damage! In fact, the more I think about it, the more I actually like this idea._ 

_Just try it buddy and I'll be sure you take a trip with me to the Inferno. In cement shoes..._

_Tsk, Tsk Zaad. Don't you realize that even if we both go to the Inferno, it'd only make things more hellish for you? After all, Aarem would have so much more tools to torture my, your, body with. I'm used to it by now. You, however, would not like the added attention._

Zaad was quiet... for a moment. Then without warning or a hint, his face turned to eye the nearest flame then slammed his face into it willingly. It was painful as hell, the sand crystalized and hardened for the few seconds he had managed to gain control, taking the damage but enjoying the fact Uicle would've felt the unique...hurt. Namely of having his flesh burned until it meld, hardened then cooled rapidly when Uicle took control. 

_My pain isn't quite like humans...Uicle, something you've now learned._ 

At first Uicle gave a, mental of course, shout. Not of pain, but of surprise. When he finally regained control, he laughed. _Hahaha...Zaad, that was cute!  I'll admit it was unique, and that I've never experienced anything like it. But I've been tortured by the God of Evil, my crystal faced friend. Pain and I know each other as intimately as lovers. Still, I hope you enjoyed that moment of freedom. It won't happen again._ 

He turned their face too the new student. "Why hello there. My name is Uicle. Care to explain who you are and what happened to you? It's not to often we get someone horribly injured at our gates, unannounced and unexpected." He smiled, crystal features cracking audibly as he did so. "Though I admit, it's happening more often."

Baulder breathed in deeply with his eyes closed for a few moments. He did this as he cracked his neck side to side. But once he heard a deep voice say hello his eyes darted open. His pupils dialated fully and he let out a angered "Fuck!" as he swatted a lit candle that was at the end of the bed at the large black creature.

Uicle raised an eyebrow, cracking crystal again, before giving the candle life and having it float back into place. "Thanks for the offer, but I haven't been interested in that for a few centuries now. Lets try again. Who are you? What happened?"

His eyes rapidly went back to normal as he gave went from fear to a stone face in a mere moment. He ran his hands through his hair towards his back and began breathing normally again. "I'am Baulder. I've been coming here for awhile? Yes, I have been travelling here for sometime. A village north if I remember, I was told to come here by a psychomancer there. Something to do with demons if I recall. Well yes demons was what she said. Either way I'm here now and would like to be a part of this." Baulder said motioning around the room as if it meant something.

Uicle returned the spirit in the candle to the Pit, before responding to Baulder. "Welcome Baulder, I'm assuming you want to learn how to control the demons of the Inferno. We're making progess, far more than I thought we would, but you still haven't explained what happened. Why were you in the medical ward? And why are you so far from your island?"  

_Khan, do we have to take him? He's all kinds of crazy. He makes Tyrael look sane._

_Uicle... I think you're exaggerating. Besides, sending him away will only encourage him to seek aid elsewhere and likely bound to Djarkel or Earnia's wars. The college is open to all as well as will offer santucary to all those who request it. Are you going to be the one to tell Ovak you chose to ignore his rules?_  Khan said, his tone calm and firm in reminding Uicle that Ovak was impossible to argue with. 

_I agrued with Aarem and won, didn't I? But fine. We'll add another level of crazy to the College. This can't go wrong at all!_

_It will be fine and if I remember right, you did attempt to argue with Ovak once. I don't think you won that so unless you have better tactics this time, I suggest just telling the other teachers and sticking a Golem on him. Namely a wind one. I'll also have Tyrael and Lucilia help. No more arguing._  

Baulder paused for a moment. "I....I don't know, I'm here that's all I can......." He thought for another moment. It was like hitting a brick wall with his foot. There was nothing there and nothing to touch. There was nothing in any direction he reached through his head. Just the village was there everything else was blank. "I don't know si the truth.......just nothing. It dosen't matter though. Does it? I've come from quite far. I believe controlling the demons is what I've seeked. I assume I have not been led astray then yes?" Baulder kept reaching out in the blackness for nothing. He never really thought about it before. He didn't want to think about it.

Uicle chose not to mention the memory lapse, though stored it away for something to mention to Satori, should he ever have the chance. "You've come to the right place. You're not astray. We'll make sure you don't end up losing control of your powers. And, you know, not get yourself horribly killed doing that. You still haven't answered my question. You were found bloody, ripped clothes, the works. What happened to you?"

_I let him win that arguement. It is...unseemly to beat a man crippled in bed._

_I would find it hard to stomach as well. Then again, I wasn't the one that had Ovak smiling and standing toe to toe with me in the arguement...was I, Uicle?_ His tone seemed slightly playful at the memory and the fact Ovak was perfectly healthy at the time of the conversation. 

Uicle muttered, mentally, something in ancient Yarosmerian(his native language centuries ago). Undoubtedly it was unflattering to Khan, but the Esyire would never know that. _I swear, the bastard loves to argue and be contrary more than I do!_

_Ovak's good at that. Though he's also good with languages. Namely Ancient Yarsomerian, which I'll have to ask him what you just said means the next time I visit him._ 

He thought about the question for a second. He didn't think that he had actually gone to the inferno. No no it would be best if he just the beast what he usually told people. It was always easier that way. "As I've said I have been travelling for awhile. I think it was a year ago I left ,I walk too much sometimes. I'm told we do that sometimes, Revenites? I think that's what I'm called. I would really just like to get papers signed and get to the whole demon thing." Internally Baulder was becomming increasingly annoyed with this question. He couldn't answer the question and he hoped this creature would get that. 

He geniunley didn't know, not that he wanted to anyways. He wanted to be here now not anywhere else. There was nothing else for him even if there was he didn't want it. However outwardly he was keeping an intense neutral tone and body movement.

_I never should have corrected his awful skills at it in the first place._ Uicle grumbled before continuing. _I think you can imagine what I just said Khan. You don't need a translator._ 

He sighed at Baulder's, what he percieved as, evasion of the question. He let it drop however, and shrugged his shoulders. "Very well, we'll 'get to the whole demon thing.'" A golem walked in at that point. One used to guide the students around, and as such was much smaller and less threatening looking. "Perfect timing!" Uicle said, having the golem stick it's hand out, palm up. Uicle held his staff directly above the opened hand. "If I suddenly disappear, do not panic. All will be explained soon after that."

What happened next was a bit...complex.

A medical attendant was walking by with a bowl of some sort of chemical, near a torch. He slipped on some of Uicle/ Zaad's sand, causing the bowl and liquid to go flying in the air. A gust of wind blew the torch flames into the liquid, and the liquid onto Uicle/Zaad. The chemical ignited, which put fire on Zaad/Uicle, which crystalized most of their body. It was...a unique agony. Uicle ignored it, however, diving into Zaad's memories. _Where is it, where is it..._ 

Baulder was immensley confused by what he had just seen. The black sand creature turned into a hard substance in a bright flash of light just by dropping it's staff. He watched as then the creature became pure solid while the golem grabbed the staff from the air. Baulder started laughing at the absolute madness and improbability of what just occured. He grabbed his stomach laughing so hard. Tears even began flowing from his eyes. Yes, today was off to a good start so far. Assuming that just happened anyways.

Managing to choke out between the near cakcling of his laugh he said. "Well, I assume that was supposed to happen."

Uicle didn't respond immediately, as Khan noticed almost immediately what he was doing. Without warning, Zaad was banished back to the Inferno. Uicle's staff, however, was dropped into the waiting golem's hand. He turned to face Baulder. "That was expected, yes, but not supposed to happen, no. _This_ was supposed to happen. But we'll get into this little detail later. By which I mean never. All you need to know is that I have _extremely_ bad luck. Now come on. We have to go get you signed up." He ignored Baulder's amusement, chalking it up to madness once more.

_Why do we always attract the crazy ones..._

The large golem lead Baulder through the halls of the college towards what he could only assume was his office. He was fascinated with all that around him. Well what wasn't behind a closed door anyways. Though the college had some nice destrucable looking arches.....which Baulder made note of. Once they finally reached a door that the golem bothered to open and went to fetch the documents he would need to sign. It only took a moment however as he assumed this was not an unusual thing to happen. 

Once given the papers given the papers Baulder read the first word on every page and then signed it. It took him a moment however to decide how he would write his name. He knew people did whatever they felt like for signatures. Though that was true with most things, a thing he learned when he was at the village still. He acted rather annoyed through the whole ordeal of signing the papers. However once he got to the last paper his eye twitched slightly. He quickly handed the papers back to the golem wielding a staff. "Alright alright, when do I start? Yes that sounds right." Baulder said with a bit of aprehension and excitement, whilst itching a deep itch on his scalp.


Uicle  had bigger things on his mind then the madness of the College's newest  student. Like the fact that Khan was doing everything in his power to  hide Kudd's artifact from him. So rather than give a sarcastic comment  in response to Bauldur's previous annoyance and obvious excitement, he  moved to get the student out of his figurative hair as fast as possible.  A gargoyle suddenly stood attention as Uicle looked at it. 

"Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.......s-...staff person?" Baulder said curiously. He then followed the creature through the once again great hallways. He continued to stare at things much longer than any sane person probably would. In particulaur a few people gave him weird looks as he stared at them while walking by. He just found everything so....interesting.

Once they came up to the room the beast opened the door and pointed him towards his side of the room. He walked over to the bed and set down his burlap sack and then slid it under the bed. He then layed down on the bed on top of the sheets and looked at the ceiling for a moment. He then got back up and asked the gaurgoyle to take him to the "Ty-real" guy. He had a feeling he was going to have an aweful time here. This made Baulder laugh.