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.
When they arrived at the blacksmith's workshop, a man wearing an apron was forging a sword. He hit the hammer against the red-hot metal on the anvil. As soon as Ganzorig noticed their presence, he stopped working to ask, "Hello, sir! How can I assist you? Are you in need of a sword or a sharp knife?"
"I don't need any of those. I just need some information," said Klaus with a bag of coins in his hands to bribe the man.
"Usually, I know about everything that goes on in town."
"That's why I came to you. Someone gave me your name."
"What do you want to know, outsider?"
"I want information about a Mongolian couple that has settled here recently. The woman is short with dark hair and the man is fat, medium height. His name is Nergüi."
"You must be talking about the people that rented the house in the hill. The property belongs to Mr. Xiao."
"Thank you. Don't tell anybody that we were here."
"For those coins, I can say that my tongue was plucked out."
The man and the creature went after their prey, both bloodthirsty. When they arrived at the Mongolian couple's place, they knocked on the door.
Not expecting danger, the man opened the door innocently. For him, that place was the end of the world, right below the Tibetan mountains. Only monks would pass by and ask for some water and food before they began the steep walking.
Klaus checked the man's features. He had disguised himself as a local.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"Are you Nergüi?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I know that you're a wizard and that's enough for me."
Nergüi's wife showed up behind her husband.
"What's going on, darling? Is this gentleman bothering you?" She asked as soon as she heard Klaus's intimidating voice.
She was carrying a double rifle ready to shoot.
"Wait!" The Mongolian wizard said, and then took some powder from his pocket that he spread in the air.
Beside the unexpected visitor appeared another creature whose shape was revealed by the magical powder. The Mongolian wizard saw the Doppelgänger showing its sharp teeth right after it had been uncovered.
"Lower your rifle, Sarangerel. These people don't use guns to kill."
Slowly, she obeyed her husband.
"What do you want from us? Nobody has a Doppelgänger for no reason."
"I've come to take your soul."
"I told you there were witch hunters everywhere," Sarangerel shouted nervously.
"This one won't catch me that easy, I assure you."
The Mongolian wizard spoke a few words, and then two serpents involved Klaus and Fratello in a mortal embrace.
The monster turned into smoke, and as it was about to cut the serpents' flesh with its claws, Klaus transformed them into worms with a soft touch.
"Do you have more tricks, wizard?"
Nergüi raised his arms and the weather became dark. The woman ran back to the house. A vortex dragged Klaus and his monster upwards. The warlock just raised his staff and, making a circle movement, he sent the wind away.
"That's enough! I'm not here for silly jokes. Lightning and bolts, bring death to this unfortunate being."
The sky became dark, strong winds began to blow, and a lightning descended Klaus's staff, targeting the Mongolian wizard. As soon as the man realized how powerful Klaus was, he shouted, "Wait! I have an offer to make, before you kill me."
Klaus was interested in Nergüi's offer, so the sent the lightening back to the cloud. Suddenly, the sky was calm again.
"Tell what you have, useless wizard."
"Kill me if you want, but please spare my wife. I don't understand why you're hunting me. Maybe I did something terrible to someone you love. But I beg you to leave her alone. In exchange, I can give something of value... A fabulous secret."
His words were attracting Klaus. He opened his ears as Fratello positioned himself besides the wizard's wife in order to cut off her head. Her husband was getting so nervous that he said everything he knew at once.
"Have you ever heard of the invaluable Book of the Dead? The one that grants all the power over Hades' kingdom?" As he spoke, he was in great agony, for his time and his wife's were running out fast. "I can tell you where you can find it."
Klaus's eyes shone with curiosity.
"I had the Book of the Souls in my hands, that's how I became immortal. But that other book doesn't exist."
"You're wrong! It does exist, and the one who owns it becomes able to speak with beings from other worlds. You shall know secrets never revealed, words never said before, and you may summon the flame of evil."
"Hurry up and tell me, Mongolian wizard. Where is that book?"
"I'll tell you, but before, you have to promise me that you will spare our lives. It's a fair trade. You get more than enough to forget us for all eternity."
"Of course, I agree to spare your lives. I give you my word, me, Klaus, the last Basnet warlock alive."
Anxious to preserve his life, and, most of all, his wife's, the Asian wizard said, "The book was taken to the Buddhist monastery at the top of Tibet. It's kept there away from curious people. The book is behind a stone that is different from the other stones for it can only be seen when the sunlight touches the surface at noon. The ray goes through a breach in the walls and then reveals the sacred place. The monks are the book's spiritual guardians, so they hid it to keep it from falling on the wrong hands."
"In my case, the book will be in the right hands." Klaus laughed so loudly that it echoed through the desolated mountains.
Immediately, the evil warlock looked at the beast and passed his thumb on his neck from side to side. The Doppelgänger showed its sharp teeth, and didn't wait another minute to do what he enjoyed the most. And then a head rolled down to Nergüi's feet.
"Bastard!" The man shouted, crying in desperation. "Warlock from hell! You've killed my dear wife that I loved so much. I shall destroy you with my own hands."
The Doppelgänger flew towards Nergüi, but Klaus made a sign with his right hand that stopped him.
Nergüi unsheathed his sword and aimed it at the warlock, who dodged it.
Klaus struck back by drawing out the blade he had hid in his sleeve, and then throwing it right to the Mongolian wizard's heart. He fell on his knees, blood running from his mouth, the eyes lost as he saw his beloved wife beheaded.
Before his last moment of life, Nergüi said with a hoarse voice, "You promised to spare our lives..."
"I've changed my mind. I need your energy."
The dead wizard was lying on the floor when Klaus raised his hands to the sky and felt the power electrifying his soul.
"Let them rot here, Fratello. We have a book to steal."
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