[center][h3][color=00aeef]Nicodemus Hathaway[/color][/h3][@Magister][@LorelleQuips][/center][hr]
	
	[i]So much smoke.[/i]

	That was all that Nicodemus could focus on, at the very least for the time being. The last few minutes of his recently acquired control of his mind and body had been hectic, to say the least. He had broken free from the beast containing him, imprisoning him in a state of lucidity so weakened he could remember only these things; the time he had lost, and the name and face of his captor, [i]Eld Fen.[/i] He had been released in a manner quite similar to the one he was contained in, a flash of pain so intense that the simple act of reminiscing upon it sent shivers up his spine. However this time, It wasn't the Eldritch monster that had taken control of their shared form, it was Nicodemus, and he would do whatever it took to prevent the old demon from surfacing again. 

	Having been lifted up by his "captor," or more aptly, savior; John Bellataire, he had stood proudly at the man's sides for several moments before multiple things began happening within moments of each other. The first in the chain of events was John giving an impromptu speech, detailing the nature of the offer the man had presented the filthy collaboration of Ashlanders. It was... a [i]fair[/i] monologue, if one assumed it had been created on the spot, perhaps the extravagant gentlemen would allow Nicodemus to write his future speeches, after all, Nicodemus does have quite a way with words. His speech was of course accompanied by a most impressive show of force, one taking the form of a Nuclear Bomb being detonated a fair distance from the motley crew. This caused Nicodemus to feel a twinge of pride in his gut, he had clearly chosen the right person to align himself with.

	  Then, as he stood practically basking in the glory that was his freedom from the accursed Eld Fen, things took a turn he wasn't all too surprised about. 

	The Ashlanders retaliated.

	First, a young girl stabbed a length of wood through the arm of one of Mr. Bellataire's employees. Then, one of the Ashlanders that had idiotically raised a gun to Johnny himself muttered a name Nicodemus hoped never to hear again, and a grave scowl crossed his face. He began to approach with a rage in his eyes that didn't match the countenance he often displayed, but then a masked man threw two grenades.

	Nicodemus turned to get away from where it seemed they would land, but he was significantly slower than a thrown grenade. As such, when the flash-grenade went off, he stumbled to the ground disoriented. He looked around, his vision blurred and his balance nearly non-existent, after he began to see doubles, rather than dozens, he stood up slowly and attempted to gauge his surroundings. This however, was prevented by the smoke the second grenade had begun producing. So, terrified as he was, he stood still, not wanting to risk separating himself further from Mr. Bellataire. 

	Suddenly, he felt the ash-rat that had previously referred to him by the name of his demented warden collide with him, and with rage in his eyes, he used the ashlanders momentum to shove him to the ground. Within moments, Nicodemus had mounted the man, sitting on his waist and grabbing his wrists, effectively holding him down. 

	[color=00aeef]"Sir, I seem to have caught a rat."[/color] He shouted to Mr. Bellataire, a slight smirk on his face as he continued to hold the man down.