I was glad for once my phone couldn’t hold onto information so I had Krya’s number memorized. Specializing in lightning bumped up my personally electromagnetic field dozens of times the average person when not using magic, so it was understandably a pain to live in a modern city without my amulet to keep me from burning out electronics within a dozen paces. The more analog the harder I would have to try to break it as opposed to the more delicate pieces just burning out by proximity.

It didn’t take long for Kyra to arrive after our brief phone conversation. I was waiting in the foyer when I heard the knock. I opened the door for Kyra to see a man in a white suit. In the darkness he almost looked like a walking suit with a set of unblinking eyes hovering over it.

His face split into the approximation of a smile, the image more terrifying now that my more magical senses felt none of the man in front of me. I dared not look closer at what was beneath that visage of humanity for fear of what it truly was being a scar on my psyche. “I’m glad to see you have yet to disappoint me.” said Nathan Temple. “I look forward to your continued performance.” He reached out a leathery hand and I could see as he touched the wards around the house they bent and warped like a thin film. Blue sparks shot away from the contact. He seemed to gather the barrier in his hand like so much plastic wrap. I watched the wards around the building pop like a soap bubble effortlessly under his touch. He stood there grinning literally ear to ear before he was gone like he had never been there.

My legs gave out and I let myself just sit there on the floor. My heart was still racing when I saw Lynda land beside me. I hadn't heard her come down the stairs behind me so she must have jumped them. Another man emerged from a side hall. He was impeccably dressed and held a pair of short swords. I recognized the style of sword to be a gladius. He was very ordinary looking next to the lady of the house. Curly ink black hair framed his unremarkable face. His eyes were as black as his hair and held a defiant look. They both surveyed the empty room and open door. Seeing no immediate threats the man, I assumed him to be a butler or other service staff, checked the door and outside as Lynda came over to me.

“What happened?” she asked. She only let her eyes rest on me for a moment. Her slow predatory scan resumed as I regained my wits.

The front door closed and a deep voice drew my attention. “There is no trace of anyone save for the wards were breached.” He centered on me with a hard glare. The look seemed to blame me but he waited without another word.

Lynda spoke gently. She could, apparently, see the shock clear as day on my face. “What happened?”

Her words cut through the haze of fear and I answered, “That, whatever he is, was at the door.” I told them of his cryptic words before I reached my conclusion to why he said them. “I think he is about to step up what he sends to make it more ‘interesting’ for him.” I shuddered a bit at the thought that the attacks from before were just to test my capabilities.

Another knock came from the door. The man I labeled butler in my mind moved cautiously to the side of the door. Lynda stood from where she crouched beside me and stood in front of me. I got to me feet as I saw a nod come from Lynda. The man nodded back and jerked the handle down. The door flew open as he raised the swords. Kyra stood at the bottom of the few steps that led to the door.

Lynda stopped him with a word. Kyra looked over the people in the room. “Anyone want to explain or do you all just want to stare?” she said with a touch of snark to her voice. We all stood there for a moment. “This bag isn't getting any lighter ya know.”

Looking around Lynda I could see an over stuff backpack on her leather clad form. I had asked her for supplies and there were very few things on that list I had given her that that could be counted as light items.