That's So Wizard

Chapter 36 - Pointy Ears

Twas the night before Christmas Eve, when all through the city, criminals were stirring, and he showed them no pity. From roof he did leap by each chimney with care, and even by himself he did so with flare.

The Dark Mage. He thought it was goofy at first, but truthfully, it grew on him. Nobody knew who he was. He was free to help anybody in need without the worry of someone seeing his face, and taking him down. He wondered why he hadn't done this in the past, at least to such an extent. Though, he knew he couldn't let the rest know, especially Deena. She'd be furious.

"It's the 23rd," he thought to himself. "Almost Christmas. I got everyone a gift, I helped a bunch of people already tonight. It's a good holiday. New city, new start. A better start."

Eldrian glanced down from the rooftop. Just a moment ago, the man beneath his feet had another man at gunpoint. But now, he was wrapped up completely by an old rope taken from the nearby dumpster. The thug never even saw it coming. With a whip of his finger, Eldrian captured him from above, and he watched as the victim fled to freedom.

Thanks to his friends, and the chaos that followed them, he had already improved greatly. He could tell. Spells came more easily, and he'd already been practicing a bunch of new ones. He actually started to wish something disastrous would occur just so he had an excuse to use them. Safety was nice, but he wasn't the type to stay idle for long. Boredom was a fate worse than death.

So he flew. With his cloak fluttering behind him, he moved to the next building, and then the next, enjoying the freedom he felt blowing through his clothes.

He stopped for a moment on top of a particularly tall office complex, leaning a hand against the air conditioning unit to catch his breath. The sky was clear. Despite the city's light drowning out most of the stars, he could make out several, and the moon was bright and clear. A click caught his attention, and then the grunt of a young man. He spun his head, and his yellow eyes locked on to somebody threatening him with a pistol.

"I don't know who the hell you are," the stranger muttered. "I don't know who sent you. But you aren't catching me."

Eldrian looked down. In the man's hand was a briefcase nearly overflowing with cash. On his shirt, there were stains of blood and tears in the fabric.

"I wasn't planning on catching you," he replied.

"Well, you've seen too much. All right? You hear me? You're dead!"

An invisible wave fell over Eldrian. It felt like a tickling blanket, but only for a moment, and when he turned around, he saw a faint aurora flowing through the air from a specific direction. He shivered.

"Did you feel that?" asked Eldrian.

"Feel what? Shut up!"

"You're just great to talk to, aren't you?"

Eldrian was distracted. Something happened, and only he could see it. He immediately decided it must have been due to his innate connection to magical things, including his magic eyes. It was much more interesting than these random thieves.

"That's it," snarled the man. "Take this!"

He pulled his finger back against the trigger, however, the trigger wasn't present—the entire gun was gone. The man panicked and looked around himself, but then he noticed the weapon in Eldrian's grip instead, though he still seemed to be paying more attention to the direction of the brief magical wave than the criminal.

"How—" the man stuttered.

"I gotta go," said Eldrian. "You can have this back."

From the palm of his hand, a shock of energy exploded. The kinetic force sent the pistol in a straight line towards the young man's forehead, and it made direct contact. He fell backwards and the money spilled all around him, but when he looked up, the wizard had vanished.