The Mage Demetri

"Hello?" Called an elderly man. He looked toward the door that opened, but his eyes didn't see. He scented for a moment with the swift cool breeze that came in and smiled. This older man was no ordinary human, and he sensed who was entering his shop.

"Xerxes! This is a very pleasant surprise. I haven't heard anything from you in nearly ninety years."

"I'm surprised you are still alive old man," Xerxes said, his bright green eyes looking around the odd shop that smelled like old paper and herbs. The place was on the darker side without much light and had all different kinds of artifacts. Things that could be incredibly dangerous if one knew how to use it. Most times humans just thought it looked cool and put it in their house. What a waste.

"Do you still have your friend?" He asked coming around the counter and stopping in front of him. Xerxes was a good foot taller than the man. His hair was a wiry golden grey and he wore ridiculous clothing. Completely eccentric, with robes of blue and green with yellow beads hanging around his neck. but the only other person in the world that Xerxes had a conversation with besides Zani. More importantly respected.

"As always." Zani sat perched on his shoulder looking down at the man who held out a hand. Zani snapped up the large chunk of dried meat that he had held out there.

This is why we keep showing up. Moose jerky is delicious.

"I only carry it for my best customers." He said turning and moving back to his counter. Xerxes looked around the place and his eyes rested on the volumes that were to the left of the counter space.

"You've read all of those, what could you want?" Xerxes looked at him, he might be old and blind, but he never missed a single thing. Kind of creepy his odd ways, it just made Xerxes smile.

Demetri was close to two hundred years old now. Xerxes remembered him as but a child in his mother's store. She'd been a crazy old lady too, but she'd chosen to just let time take her well over a hundred years ago. Mages were an interesting people, and most so self-centered and using the dark arts that they died at young ages from heart failure. The energies needed to use the magic they wanted took a toll on the body.

"I wasn't very happy with my metal transmutation the other day. The blade wasn't as sharp, and I missed the stale smell of this place." Xerxes said and moved to the shelf of books and moved down them. Xerxes was extremely accomplished in the magick area. Humans weren't the only ones that could be mage.

"I'm sure it was flawless."

'He was a bit slow, but still got the vampire.' Zani said mentally, jumping off his shoulder to sit on the desk and looking at Demetri. He hadn't always been blind, but a fight with a very strong dark mage some time ago had cost him his sight, he still won.

"Are you ridding the world of the vermin then?" Demetri asked. "They run rampant through the streets here. I'm thinking of picking up and moving on."

"Without telling us where?"

"I figured you'd find me, you always do. I'm still upset that you won't bring me some of the tomes from Alexandria."

"I've offered to take you to see them, but they will stay where they are," Xerxes said, and that was not a light offer to make. It spoke that he did consider Demetri more than just a human acquaintance.

"Some day, someday," Demetri said. "I'm growing tired, when you take me, that will probably be the day that I ask you to take all of this with you to keep safe," Demetri stated with a sigh. This world he did not feel should be allowed much of what he had. He did however have hope in a couple of young ones he was teaching.

"Just like so much before," Xerxes said with a sigh. "I saved a lot from that library by the way, after all, I could walk in the fire where no one else was able to. Still, it was a sad day, a day that showed humans were turning on themselves." Xerxes thought about the fire at Alexandria, such a beautiful place. Such a horrible day. By the time he'd seen it, the fire was already raging beyond control, and only a few humans had dared try to save some of the tomes.

"True. But that is the past, what are you in need of?" Demetir asked.

"Do you know where some of the nests are in this city? Covenants or dens?" Demetri smoothed his beard and seemed to think.

"What for?" Demetri asked. "I thought your anger was toward the humans."

"It normally is, however, I'm not stupid. I know that their numbers will win out. I want to talk with these groups to see if they would be willing to slowly work at the human numbers. Help control or guide, that is if there are any salvageable vampires or supernaturals in the area."

"That so?" Demetri said. "Not all humans are bad."

"Then we will remove the ones that are. If you haven't noticed I don't think all other species deserve the planet either. If they are a threat to existence, they are expendable. The space on this planet is growing smaller. Humans don't deserve it and we do not deserve to be killed off or housed in pens." Xerxes said his eyes growing brighter. Zani sat, his tail moving back and forth off the edge of the counter. Everything Xerxes said he agreed with.

"They are my kind," Demetri said as if he was trying to decide whether or not to tell him what he knew. The thing was that Demetri remembered how Xerxes looked. His determination and power, he could still feel it, but what made Xerxes most powerful was he knew his limits and he didn't underestimate the enemy.

"They are not your kind, tell me how do they treat you? Like something lower than humans, even with their shared blood. They judge on your looks, not on who you are and what you can do. You could level this city if you wished it." Xerxes reminded Demetri.

"But I don't, I don't enjoy killing," Demetri said. Xerxes moved picking up a few crystals and feeling the energy in them. He closed his eyes a moment and imbued them with his own energy. You could see an odd liquid movement inside the two he held now.

"Killing is only worth it if there is a reason. Everything dies, nothing is completely immortal, even those that think they are. They are not gods, and even the stars die, but that death still creates more. Animals kill to survive, humans kill for stupid reasons, pointless reasons, and so do other species."

"You don't?" Demetri asked.

"I have, it would be hypocritical of me to say that I didn't. Now however I kill to give others the chance to live. Since humans can't be completely taken out, then the disease of their race should be taken down, just like with any other. Look at this city, a perfect example."

"So you want to recruit them, start a war?" Demetri asked Xerxes about these dens he was asking to know of. The supernaturals he wanted to talk to.

"No not a war per se, but for a while now I have been going from place to place and seeing the changes and they are not for the better."

'Humans need to learn that they have a place, and it is not always on top. Soon those of us that are different will be no more, and then other species will follow. Our wild is leaving us, and with that, it will be our death.' Zani spoke up. Demetri looked at them with his supposedly unseeing eyes.

"Humans are a selfish breed, as are vampires. I heard the world crying as of late, and soon one will pull the trigger and some huge catastrophe will happen." Demetri made a motion with his hand and what looked like a small globe was there. It was lush and green and then it started to change and grow sicker. "This is our planet in the span of my life alone." Demetri sighed looking at the trend.

"Alright, I'll tell you where they are staying. They never give an old mage much credit, and these young ones, they ignore the old ways. They aren't as powerful, but I will tell you." Demetri said with a smile, "I have a couple that I'm training."

"I thought you weren't going to do that," Xerxes said with a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't, but these twins came in and I knew that I had to. They will respect the art like I do, I feel it. I always knew." Demetri said. "You should meet them, seeing that I am willing everything to you, you were my best student."

"I never studied under you," Xerxes said.

"You studied from me, and just like me can name every object in this room and its uses," Demetri told him what he wanted to know. Xerxes took Demetri's hand and dropped the crystals into it.

"Try not to waste it." Demetri smiled at the gesture.

"I never squander a gift. Without you, I might have lost to that dark mage." Xerxes smiled and Zani moved going up his shoulder.

'We were watching the whole time, we would have interfered if needed.' Zani told him.

"That's why I didn't want to lose. One you'd make me look bad, and two you'd never let me live it down."

"Use one for yourself this time, I sense that you are waning, it's not your time yet." Demetri gave a halfhearted smile.

"I didn't have much to live for you know, but I think I will with these twins I must train. If humans only knew the healing power of your energy and blood." Demetri said and set one gem down on the table and waved a hand over the other. What looked like a ball of water was there with a swirling white. Demetri tipped it to his mouth and drank it down.

"Then they would strap me down somewhere I'm sure. Bleed me dry until there was nothing left.

"Zani, you should really give me a few scales, I could use them." Zani made a rude sound.

'You don't need them.'

But they sell so well with the necklaces, I put them in glass. People love them, I tell them they are dragon scales. Of course, they think it's some lizard scale and I'm just giving them a good story." Zani bristled a little bit. The scales on his body shimmered for a moment with agitation.

'Some lizard? The next one that says it, I will char them on the spot. My look can start fires.' Demetri laughed. Zani bit at his leg and dropped the scales into Xerxes' hand. He put them on the table and Demetri smiled again.

"Just for you." He said and handed him a small bag of dried meat. Before Xerxes could even open the small pouch Zani had hoped down grown in size and ate the bag and all.

'Thanks.' Zani said via mind to Demetri.

'Glutton.' Xerxes said privately with humor to Zani.

"Be careful there are humans in this city looking for people like us," Demetri said. Placing his last crystal over a small disc and it hovered there rotating.

"They do not worry me."

"They should, at least a bit. They are roaming the mountain area looking for hiding areas. Plus this group is known to have captured several different mythical creatures. I've been keeping tabs on them." Demetri waved a hand over a bowl of water and an image sprung up there. Several people talking but no sound. Xerxes studied it for a moment and the information Demetri was giving.

"I see. Well, I'll keep an eye out then." He said turning and moving to leave.

"Xerxes…" Demetri started and then stopped, but Xerxes looked at him. Zani sitting on his shoulder.

"Don't feel so alone, you won't be forever."

"No, I'll die and then maybe something will come in another life."

"That's not what I meant. I see that you and Zani are alone with what you are doesn't mean that something isn't coming. You won't be the last ones." Demetri just felt it right to say. Something just told him that change was coming.

"We are the only ones left old man. Besides there are none left in this world that can change. They were killed off as well." Demetri frowned, he could not possibly know that for sure.

'I'm just saying…" Demetri felt like he shouldn't let it go.

"We're at peace with it. Don't worry." The door to the shop opened suddenly and a boy and a girl were standing there with dark hair and silver-colored eyes. They looked up at him and took a step back. They appeared to be the age of ten.

"Whoa, mister you have serious magic around you." The boy said. The girl elbowed him.

"Don't say that stuff, people think you are crazy." She said straightening herself. Her eyes went up to Zani and they widened.

"He's a…." She looked back at him, her mouth nearly hanging open. She stutter but didn't finish her words.

"Jax, Isla come in here and stop gawking at the man." Demetri snapped. Zani touched Xerxes' neck with his snout and was gone. The tattoo appeared out of sight below the shirt he wore.

"How cool." The boy said moving around Xerxes and Xerxes felt the talent in these two, he also felt the goodness as well. They felt a lot like Demetri to him. Perhaps he would come back and meet these children, but not right now.

"Don't wait so long to come back," Demetri said and the two children were looking at him with no real fear. Just awe and that was a different kind of feeling to him. It was a nice change compared to fear or disgust.

"I'll be around," Xerxes said and left the shop moving down the street. Even from here, he could hear them talking and the two children knew what he was. No doubt Demetri had told them he and Zani were both dragons. Though Xerxes wasn't the literal dragon, he was the spirit in a sense. Zani was the physical form. Dragons were a complicated species.

"Let's visit the werewolves first. I have a better feeling with them." Xerxes said and wandered down the streets to find where he needed to go. He and Zani were ready to make humans take note once more the power of those that were more than mortal.