The Phantom Man 2 - The Book of the Dead

X - The Mongol Wizard

17TH century, Italy

Back in the Castle, Klaus was staring at his crystal pyramid. It became black when he smoothed it with both hands. He said a couple of magical words that made the pyramid show him the witches that by any chance were still alive. It showed him the image of an individual with Asian eyes. The wizard, from a distant land, was talking to his spouse.

"Now that we have escaped the emperor, we shall have a quiet life here in the countryside, at the south of Mongolia."

"Nergüi, I've always warned you that life as a mage is not worth the burden. We're lucky to be alive. In the West, many sorcerers have been killed, and there are rumors that supernatural beings hunt them down to steal their souls."

"Don't be silly, woman! We must fear ordinary man, that are much more dangerous."

In the dead of the night, the Basnet warlock had found some good information that cheered him up. An Eastern wizard that had served the Mongol empire was now on the run from Chinese witch hunters that dominated the region. Klaus decided to go after him.

"What do you think, Fratello? We're going to catch another wizard. I've always wanted to travel to the East. Maybe the wizard is rich. If so, I'll leave him absolutely poor and bankrupted, like the way he came to this world."

"Master, you know that I'll always be by your side, even in the most distant places in the world," the creature said, smiling with pleasure at the prospect of killing again.

"Make the preparations for our departure, Antonella," Klaus ordered the new servant.

"Yes, milord," the woman said, and bowed her head.

The other servants followed her.

The warlock checked the leather bag where he kept a flask with rum, some fruits, and other instruments for the trip. He sheathed his sword in the belt, and hid a dagger on his forearm. Fratello followed him through the passage that Klaus had opened.

The castle's servants were now three, two men and a woman. They took care of the horses, the cleaning, the cooking and other domestic cares. Klaus had become a very rich man thanks to his ill practices. For this reason, the castle's servants would never dare to betray him. They were totally aware of what would become of them and they feared their boss's dreadful creature.

The portal took Klaus and Fratello to the city where his new target lived. It was Tibet. The wizard lived in a house on the outskirts of the city. His house was surrounded by tree stubs and the clay roof was covered with hay. The construction gave view to the mountains.

Klaus arrived in an alley close to an abandoned shack. Fratello was right behind him. They went straight to a tavern. The monster became invisible so that he would not scare the people around.

Klaus sat down and asked for beer. As he tasted the drink, he observed the clients' behavior. He took some more sips and then decided to have a chat with the owner.

"Have you heard of a couple that has moved here recently? I'm looking for a man that came from Mongolia. He goes by the name Nergüi. Considering the name, it may not be too hard to recall him."

"I haven't heard of anyone with this name, but there's someone who knows about everything that goes on here. His name is Ganzorig. He is the blacksmith. For some coins, he will certainly provide the information that you want."

Klaus left the tavern right away, without thanking the man.

"Let's go Fratello."

The owner looked around, but there was no one with the foreigner. Suddenly, a wind whistled in the man's right ear. It was the hidden creature. Glasses trembled with its passage, but the man didn't quite understand what was going on.