[i]Thomas Joren, Personal Lab, Ukatan University[/i]

Everything seemed to be ready, as it was. The summoning circle was drawn on the floor, using a jar of blood he kept on the far back of one of his shelves in case a situation like this arose. What kind of blood, he couldn't exactly say... He'd bought it from someone who claimed it was the blood of a cow, and he'd known better than to ask any further questions. It was blood, and that was what mattered. The relic was in place as well, from a specimen jar that his predecessor had left hidden away behind a cinderblock in the wall of the lab. The pride of his collection, a root from the legendary tree Yggdrasil. Professor Thiverson might have been somewhat foolish and absentminded, but all of his supplies were carefully labeled and always exactly what they said they were. If he thought it was a Yggdrasil root, it was a Yggdrasil root.

Thomas glanced at the mark on the back of his hand and smirked. He was participating in the grail war, a quest for what amounted to essentially unlimited power. And all he had to do was get the right, powerful servant. He cleared his throat, reciting the carefully memorized incantation he had written.

[color=ed1c24]"Let the parchment of legends be the binding, 
The shackles that free you from your prison.
Let my power be what keeps you in this world,
Your fury my weapon and your strength my shield.
I call you, Beast, unleash your anger upon this Earth
Free yourself from the past, make the present your new berth
Unchain your wrath across town and field.
End your enemies, your actions my bloody flag unfurled.
From your legends, my power calling you, risen.
No respite from your fury my enemies finding."[/color]

A glow came from the circle. Everything, it seemed, was going according to plan.

As the circle began to glow, a foul odor permeated the air, the scent of death and decay. The root began to wriggle and roll in the jar, suddenly bursting through glass and slithering to the center of the circle, burrowing into the floor until their was not a trace of it left, and the glow died down. For a second, it seemed like nothing else would happen, when the circle began to pulse with an ugly red light, the oder in the air growing stronger as the pulsations increased in frequency. From the hole the root had left, a root rose up, blackened and putrid, leaking a foul ooze from gaps in the outer layer, red as blood.

The root rose up to take up a large portion of the room, splitting into a swirling tangle of tendrils, wriggling around like maggots feasting on a rotting corpse. From this slimy entanglement, a pale hand shot out, taking a group of tangles in it's hand and wrenching it to the side, unleashing a torrent of more ooze to come pouring down onto the floor. White eyes glared from beneath lanky raven black hair, a row of razor sharp teeth shining from a crooked smile. The figure was naked, almost as if he was just born, a tall figure that was unnaturally thin and whose skin was such a disgustingly sickly shade of pale white, yet it radiated a sense of power and evil that it would make those of weaker will to be shaken with fear. 

As the figure stepped out of the tangle, the roots reared back, only to spear into his back. Surging forth like hungering worms, they slipped into the body, working their way through the body until not a single root could be seen out side of it. One could still see the roots wriggling for a second underneath pale skin, before falling still, settling into place till they were called to rend the flesh of the enemy. The figure took a second to test out his new form, wriggling his fingers, cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders, and even taking a second to stare at the new appendage hanging between his legs, before he deemed it time to actually address his master. His stare was piercing, and it was clear he did not see being worth acknowledging before him, but a meal that had yet to be fermented by the sweet embrace of death.

[color=9e0b0f]"And who are you, [i]Boy[/i], to think you can summon and control me? Since you used a relic, I doubt I need to introduce myself, and I doubt I would've bothered to even if you didn't, as you surely don't look like much of a Magus. To be honest, you look more like one of the corpses I used to pick my teeth after a good gorging."[/color]

Thomas, on the other hand, felt no fear. Only a slight uneasiness prickled at the very back of his mind. What he was focused on was the almost tangible presence of raw power that the macabre figure in front of him radiated. This... Was a truly strong Servant, even if he didn't look it.

"I'm no one important, really," Thomas said, smirking, rolling his shoulders. "I'm just Thomas Joren, a professor at a University. Not a famous one, either, nor a prodigy of a Magus. Luckily for me, how important I am to the world at large doesn't matter. How important my continued existence to you is what matters, and considering that my magic is the force letting you be here threatening me right now... I'd say that I'm fairly safe from you. Especially since I don't think you enjoy being trapped in a plane of nonexistence."

"I'd demonstrate what power I do have," Thomas continued after a pause, "but I have no wish to get into a contest with an ancient and powerful evil like yourself. There's no point to it, and it wastes energy that would better be spent doing productive activities like winning a grail war."

Nidhogg frowned, before fading out of sight, only to appear in front of Thomas with his hand grasping the magus by the throat. From his skin sprouted a barrage of the blackened roots, which would quickly wrap around and restrain him in a tight embrace, nearly to the point of fracturing bone in some places. There were also roots pressing tightly against his mouth, gagging him and preventing him from using his Command Spells.

[color=9e0b0f]"Don't take that tone with me boy, I couldn't give two shits about this damn war to be honest. All I want to do is kill, feed, and rampage. I don't need you to do that, just the prana that you provide me. I could just leave you like this as I go to town on this city, razing it all to the ground, but I won't. I'm sure there are countermeasures against that set by that damnable grail, and while it would be fun, it would be a short-lived fun. So then, if you understand what I'm saying, nod your head, and I might just let you go without seeing how much pain you can take without screaming."[/color]

Thomas nodded slightly, that smirk never quite disappearing. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but Nidhogg had no need of knowing them. Not now, anyway.

[color=9e0b0f]"You don't seem to understand how serious I am, do you? Much as I would love to make you suffer right now for your continued insolence, I have a hunger to sate, so lets hit a graveyard, shall we?"[/color] The roots retreated back into Nidhogg's arm, and he nonchalantly tossed the magus into one of the holding racks for the preserved specimens that were everywhere in the lab, making sure to hold back enough so that he wouldn't be injured by it, but he would be feeling it in the morning. As Thomas crashed into the rack, a number of specimens fell over, only to be caught and brought over to Nidhogg, who took his time opening them and devouring the putrid morsels one by one, his sharps fangs easily slipping into the long dead flesh and meat of the preserved body parts, which included things such as hearts, brains, eyes, and a few limbs. 

[color=9e0b0f]"Thanks for the appetizers, I do hope they were important in some way."[/color] The Beast said with a grin, baring his sharp teeth and staring at him with his deaden eyes, before turning toward the exit. As he did, thread-like roots came out of skin and wrapped around him, soon forming into  an exact copy of what Joren was wearing, except it was entirely black, the contrast further bringing out the paleness of his skin. [color=9e0b0f]"Come, come, boy, the night is still young and we have much to do, places to be, corpses to eat, and humans to torture."[/color]

Thomas shrugged, thoroughly unimpressed by Nidhogg's attempts at pointless destruction, managing to contain the twinge of pain that went through his shoulder. "You just ate a dead duck, three snakes, a frog, a weasel, two human hearts, one liver, and a brain. Oh no, looks like I'll have to put my platypus Frankenstein plans on hold. Luckily you didn't eat my other duck, then I'd have to start completely over."

He rolled his eyes. "The only thing important in here was the root I used to summon you, and that's gone."

A sigh, and he pulled himself up off the ground, dusting some shards off broken glass off of his coat. "Graveyard nearby, though I'd suggest being careful. This is the biggest magic university in town, if the Grail war is happening here there are bound to be other servants. Perish the thought that you might actually be forced to do what I summoned you for."

[color=9e0b0f]"Food is food, I'm not to picky as long as it's meat, though my preference is for things that have had time to properly ferment."[/color] Nidhogg jotted down Thomas' tone and would handle it later, but right now he was too focused on the thought of his next meal. [color=9e0b0f]"So then, lead me to my feast, boy, I'm more cooperative when I'm not hungry. You do want me to work with you, yes?"[/color]

"Sure." The magus pulled a hat off of a hook nearby and put it on, opening the door out of the lab and starting out of it, adjusting his coat as he went. "Shut the door behind you, if you would, Devourer of the Damned. Not everyone enjoys the stench of burning blood as much as I do."

***

Getting out of the university had taken some effort, and the walk to the graveyard wasn't terribly short. Still, they made it there without a hitch.

"Here we are." Thomas looked over at his servant, then pulled the brim of his hat down slightly. "Looks like it's about to rain, if that's relevant to you. Eat up."

[color=9e0b0f]"Well, since I have a choice, I don't think I will."[/color] Nidhogg said as he followed Joren. After a period of time where he was seriously considering just breaking to a home and dealing with fresher meats to sate his hunger for flesh, which had only grown larger with the few morsels he eaten in the lab. When they finally arrived, Nishogg noted that the graveyards of this era where rather nice and inviting, and many of the graves look remarkably well-kept. It's always a pleasure to see put an effort in making your meal options look nice.

He quickly moved Thomas as he sniffed around, sensing through the layer's of earth, the scent of rot and decay that called to him with a passion. He quickly found one that seemed like a good place to start, an old grave, but not too old, that had a dying bouquet of flowers in a vase near by. Nidhogg kicked it over and summoned his roots, having them pierce the dirt and bring up the coffin in an explosion of dirt and grass. He ripped off the top of the casket, revealing a rotting corpse, the flesh peeling and decayed. It still had a good deal of meat on it, and the Corpse Eater wasted no time in digging in, using his hands to rip of chunks of putrid meat and stuffing it into his face. The clotted blood was like fine wine, the maggot-filled flesh like the most delectable of steaks. It had been so long sense Nidhogg had truly been able to eat, and this new body helped him savor every bite.

Suddenly, a scream cut through the night air, drawing attention to a young man and woman who looked upon the scene in utter horror. For a few seconds, Nidhogg ignored them, continuing to furiously dig into the corpses, but then he caught it, a scent that made him smile a sickeningly gleeful grin, his head half turned to stare at the two with his blank eyes. And then, he was behind them, roots wrapping around both the woman and the man, restraining and gagging the both of them. [color=9e0b0f]"How fortune it for us, boy, that I get to not only have dinner, but a show as well. Please don't interfere, since we'll have to kill them anyways. No witness may speak of the war, as you very well know."[/color] As Nidhogg spook, his roots went about tearing the clothes of the girl, leaving her naked before his hungering eyes, which took immense pleasure in seeing the fear in her eyes, as well as the rage and desperation in the man's. [color=9e0b0f]"Oh don't give me that look, I have no interest in her body. . . at least not in the way you are thinking. Who are you then, her brother, or maybe her lover, coming to visit an deceased relative. How thoughtful of you."[/color]

Nidhigg walked over to the casket, pulled out the head of the corpse he had been eating, chuckling to himself as he stuck his hand in through the flesh of it's neck and began using it like a sock puppet. [i][color=9e0b0f]"How very sweet of you both, to visit your elder while I rest. If you had only come tomorrow night, you might've lived."[/color][/i] He spoke using a mockingly grandmotherly voice, indicating that the corpse must've have been female. The two looked on in silent horror, tears flowing from their eyes. The man struggled with all of his might, but only won himself an intense tightening of around his wrists and ankles, breaking them. His muffled screams brought forth another wave of tears from the girl. Nidhogg tossed the head back into the casket and walked up to the girl, grabbing her face as he lapped up her tears with his long, blackened fork tongue, hands trailing across her body as his claws slowly began to slice into her soft, supple flesh.

[color=9e0b0f]"Tell me, boy, do you wish to join in the fun? Any regrets you have, perhaps a virginity you wish to lose or anger you want to vent?" [/color]Nidhogg stepped back to show Thomas the girl, reveling in the smell of fear that came off her in waves as she uselessly tried to struggle against his tendrils, only to cry a miffed scream as the roots began to dig into her flesh, spreading painfully inside of her body. Just like him, the roots loved to kill and inflict pain and will do so on their own accord if left unchecked and unattended. Nidhogg made them pull back, not wanting the fun to end too soon.

Thomas' crimson eyes were focused completely on Nidhogg, his expression entirely detached from everything that was happening. He really didn't care what Nidhogg did, so long as it served his aims. But this show was going on a little too far, and a little too long.

"I desire one thing, Devourer, and that kind of gratification is not it. Stop playing with your food and eat it, before more people show up. No doubt you'd enjoy it, but I'd rather not a police investigation start because too many people have disappeared." Thomas shrugged. "Or don't, but I'll have no part in this."

[color=9e0b0f]"You do have a point,"[/color] Nidhogg said, walking around the girl, continuing to slice into her skin with his claws, [color=9e0b0f]"but I oh so love to play. Oh well, there will be time for it later. For now, I shall feed on these, and many more in the days to come. You should be glad, as this places less strain on you in trying to maintain my presence on this plane."[/color] Nidhogg then stepped away from the two, black smoke encompassing his form, growing large as he changed.

A primal growl emanated from the cloud, before a blur darted out and chomped down on the girl's body, retreating back into the cloud and only leaving her arms and legs left, which were quickly consumed by the roots, hungrily wrapping around her and dragging the limbs into the dirt. The cloud dispersed to show Nidhogg in his true glory, a black, serpentine dragon that radiated such an intense force of presence that it caused all plant life with in a certain radius to wither and die. The man was dragged screaming into the ground, a meal for later, as Nidhogg finished off the corpse in the casket with a single bite, casket and all. He then  went about to eat 5 more corpses, and 2 more mourners that had the misfortune of meeting him. From one of them, he collected a medical mask that was obviously more for decorative purposes than actual use, as it had a drawing on the front that looked like a mouth full of sharp teeth. 

Changing back into human form, Nidhogg picked up the mask with a smile, which was quickly hidden as he put it on. [color=9e0b0f]"Very nice, I'll be keeping this as a little reminder, until I next change that is, but I can remake it when that happens."[/color] Turning back to the mess he had made, he returned everything to normal with his roots, making it looked like almost none of the graves had been disturbed at first glance, and hiding all the remnants of his feedings. His roots would be underneath this place and would grow throughout the underneath of the city at a fast pace, collecting corpses and victims for Nidhogg to feed on in due time. With that down, Nidhogg smiled at Thomas before dispersing into black dust, entering his spirit mode to rest of is meal for now.

[color=9e0b0f]"I'll be staying like this until I feel hungry or you need me to do something, I'll stay nearby for the most part, as I can't have you dying on me yet. And you should learn to loosen up a bit, boy, nobody likes a stick in the mud."[/color]

"I just let you eat several people without batting an eye," Thomas said, adjusting the collar on his coat and starting back toward the university. "I'd say I'm fairly loosened up. My name is Thomas, by the way, if you ever choose to stop calling me boy, and I'm fairly hard to kill."