Finally. Three months of surveillance and tracking, three days of hiking, and four more just waiting for the damned thing to leave. I pop a few more pills, drink the last of the water, slip on my glasses, turn systems up to combat levels, and leave my perch to set out for the cave. Everything's working well, I hardly twitch at all now. -- Just over an hour before I reach the perimeter and have to start the concealment spell; it takes another twenty minutes, god I hate magic. I move on and switch to IR for a quick look; good, just as I'd hoped, nothing creepy-crawly guarding the place, it'll wish it had learned that sooner. There's no barrier spell on the entrance and I almost smile, this one's a cocky bastard. All the better. It's humid in the lair, almost damp, hope it doesn't cause any problems. The tunnel winds for fifteen or twenty yards and I pass a receiving chamber or living quarters or something before I get to the workspace. This'll work. Hmm, looks like a holding circle of some sort in the middle of the floor, some kind of chair over in the corner, some high counters next to it, and a couple cocoon-looking things on the wall opposite from them that almost make me wish the light amp hadn'd worked. I open my pack and start setting the trap: pyro here, here, and there; projectors by the door and the chair; and a small charge behind the cocoons, I hope they don't stain. I finish up and pick a high natural shelf on the far wall of the chamber to wait. Hopefully, it's not gone too long. -- It's back. Christ, what's it been, three hours? Four? All this damn hardware and I don't have so much as a cheap digital watch. Okay, he's through the tunnel, almost to the workspace, here goes, I hope they hate our music as much as they hate us... The music comes in suden, loud, and from all around, just like it should. He's startled, but still quick, took out two of the speakers in maybe five or six seconds. Distract him more, before he gets another, there are two pyro charges right behind him. I singe him pretty good, and even better, his back's to me now; time to move. Boom, I make sure he feels it when I hit the floor. Eyes green, fists trailing energy, and a grin I hope the bastard can see; I should say hi. "Hello, little one." I wave my hand and a second later he screams. The fireball may not have hurt him, but the two needles full of nerve toxin and acid that hit his mask just after it sure as hell did. He's gotta be half blind, but he lashes out with some kind of energy bolt I've never seen and still hits me. Great job, genius, you just let him crack at least two of your ribs and I don't know what the hell hit my knee. Just don't let him see it. Anasthetic will kick in in a bit, but he knows he can hurt me I'm worse than dead. Hit him back; now I see if all that work getting into TRES vaults was worth it. The way he screams when a sliver of owsenite2 hits his foot tells me it was. That was a gamble, had no idea if the unbound stuff would work. Talk some more, press him. "Is that it, little one? I guess the fifth circle initiation isn't what it used to be." "Laaaaaa!" I don't know if the scream is rage, pain, or magic, but this time I'm ready for the bolt that follows it. It clips my shoulder, hurts, but nothing major. I cover it and deflect something that looks just like it toward the cocoons, some really slimy stuff splatters all over the place and something falls out of one of them that I'm really glad I just killed. Close in on him now, quick, extend the baton and bring it down on his arm before he knows its coming. Good, heard something crack. His next shot is just a fireball. Doesn't break anything, but I'll have to order a case of burn cream when I get back. I supress a wince. End this quick, I don't have much left. "I'm looking for your master, little one. Tell me where I can find him and I might be merciful." He yells again but this time the fireball doesn't even come close. Make a show of dodging it, an exaggerated whirl and I slam the baton into his left knee. Before he's even finished falling I've got the baton collapsed and away and I follow him down. Hit him where I hope it knocks the wind out, rip the mask off, grab him by the throat with one hand, and ignite a nice, green fireball in the other. Ramp up the eyes a bit too. I put every bit of disdain I can manage into my voice. "Now, tell me, before you die, where does your master hide on this planet?" When I get what I want from him, I decide to let him see my face. "Hu.. human!" he spits. Heh, bitter to the end I guess. "What did you expect, little one, god himself with a flowing beard?" *crack*