The Demons of Rome

X - The Source Stone

"Can you sense it yet?" Iatus asked.

They had been walking for over an hour since the sphinx and Iatus' feet were hurting, not to mention he was getting exceedingly bored.

Before Aelith could get a chance to respond they heard a scream echo down the tunnel. Iatus frowned and, the pain in his feet forgotten with the promise of something new ahead, jogged forward until they reached a crossroads, the person screamed again and it sounded to Iatus like a child.

Out of the gloom, a little girl of no more than six came running full pelt at them. Before they could react she nimbly skipped past them and kept running in the other direction.

"Help me!" she screamed as she passed them.

Iatus glanced back to see what she was running from when a large shape leapt over their heads in pursuit of the girl. It appeared to be a large cat, perhaps a tiger in size, but it was pitch black and only its teeth and eyes could be clearly seen.

A laugh from in front of them drew their attention. In front of them was a small green man, hideously disfigured with a hooked nose and warts all over his semi naked body, he only wore a greasy loincloth, and holding out to them an open box displaying a black crystal.

Even without his enhanced senses Iatus could feel the magic radiating from the stone, it was so powerful it made his very soul quiver. It could only be the source stone.

The man laughed again, a wicked, high pitched cackle and ran off down the tunnel he stood in front of.

"The stone!" Iatus shouted and ran off as fast as he could after the little man.

"I'll get the girl then," Aelith said and transformed into a crow, shooting off after the girl at breakneck speed.

The little man was fast, Iatus could barely keep up and the twisting tunnel made sure he could never get a magical attack to hit it.

He cursed and pushed himself to go even faster but somehow the man was always just ahead of him.

However, the bends in the tunnel seemed to be in a regular, snaking shape and a thought occurred to Iatus.

He held out his hand in front of him as he ran and tracked the movements of the little man. The pattern of his movements was long and complicated, but it was definitely repeating.

With a word he shot out a beam of light just as the man was appearing, catching him in the back and sending him flying.

Iatus quickly caught up with him and pounced, wrapping his arms around it and grabbing for the stone.

The thing screeched in terror and tried to thrash away but Iatus was stronger and after a few blows to the head it slumped to floor unconscious.

Iatus sighed in relief and wrenched the box out of the thing's still clenched fists. He opened it up and smiled at it lovingly. It was even more beautiful up close; dark as night but flecked with twinkling lights like stars.

He picked it up with his first finger and thumb, but as he touched it, it crumbled in his hand, spilling out of the box and onto the floor as black powder.

"No!" cried Iatus as his prize melted before him, "No, no, no! NO! AELITH! What is happening?"

He screamed in rage at the stone and threw away the box, he turned back towards the thing but it too was gone, disappeared into the air.

He screamed again and marched off back the way he had come, looking for Aelith.

Eventually he got back to the crossroads and turned down where Aelith had gone, only to see the bird flying towards him.