Sorcerer… Cyborg???

"Kothar, I didn't expect to see you back so soon, don't tell me you've gathered all that Magesteel already!" Utna had just put the final touches on an ornate breastplate before directing her attention to Kothar, who had been waiting for nearly an hour.

"No Utna, actually I was hoping that you would be able to tell me a little about the situation in Balin, I'm planning on heading home for some time."

"Look kid, we've already been over this, no way am I letting some little Novice Mage travel all alone." Utna fixed Kothar with a firm stare, frowning slightly.

"You'll be glad to hear then, I'm not a Novice Mage anymore." Utna's eyes widened, and Kothar leaned back and crossed his arms.

"You're having me on kid, there's no way tha..." Utna trailed off as Kothar sent a ball of lightning dancing through the air.

"Wow, alright. Jotun and Simon told me you were a talented kid, but this is something else, keep this to yourself." Utna's brow furrowed.

"Of course, only one of my professors is aware of my progress." A hint of smugness in his voice.

"Alright kid, I guess you'll be okay on the road, but I want you to rendezvous with Simon on the way to Balin, he's staying in a small town, north east of the city. The town's called Nief, let me scribble down some directions." Utna took a large piece of parchment, and taking a piece of charcoal, she began to deftly sketch out a map, talking as she drew.

"After you and Simon left, your mother took care of most of the rebels in the capital, and Kultas' forces were demolished, however he managed to escape."

"You parents are both back in Balin, but it would be best if you travelled with Simon from Nief onwards. Since we have no idea what mischief Kutlas and his men may be up to."

"Of course Utna, thanks for the information."

"Don't forget this" Utna handed him the map.

"Take care on the road."

[What was that Kothar? When did you become so smug?]

[Alright Silane, no need to rib me every time I display some emotion.]

Kothar was making his way along one of the many roads the lead way from Trinquile, he hoped to take the most direct route to Nief, taking the rarely travelled mountain roads. The now familiar lush foothills of the Fidour mountains rose up to either side of the narrow road, and a clear sky completed the picturesque landscape. It was as if Kothar was walking through a painting.

[Kothar, I sense no mana signatures, but the sky has become abnormally dark very quickly.]

The blue sky gave way to the sky you might see on a gloomy afternoon, and continued to darken.

[Silane, do you detect anything now?]

The sky was now pitch black, devoid of stars. Kothar summoned a ball of lightning to illuminate his surroundings. The glow of the lightning illuminated everything with an eerie glow.

A tall figure strode into the circle of pale light, cloaked in a long black cloak, with black mist swirling all about him, Kothar could barely make out his features. Kothar glimpsed the man's oddly colored ashen skin, and the handles of a pair of blades poking over his shoulders. The mana surrounding him was chaotic, and Kothar could not make heads or tails of what it was doing, or whether the man was even utilising any magic.

Kothar sent more mana to the ball of lightning already floating above his palm, and reached for his sword.

"I wouldn't do that." The man finally spoke, in a cold, dreary voice, He sounded utterly exhausted but his voice also had an underlying severity.

"Look, fighting me is only going to make things harder for you, you really think you could take me on, look at the sky you fool." Kothar felt an indistinct pressure beginning to weigh down on him, becoming increasingly severe, and he involuntarily began to shiver.

"Settle down, I only need to ask you a couple questions." Kothar nodded, unable to speak due to the pressure weighing him down.

"Alright, hands off your sword and settle that spell down, then we'll have a nice little chat."

Gradually, the pressure weighing Kothar down decreased, and he was able to shift his hand away from his sword.

"Okay, first question. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Balin, the capital of Urste-" The man interrupted Kothar.

"No, none of that drivel, where are you really from?"

"I don't know what you mean? I was born in Balin, what else do you want to hear?"

[Kothar, I believe he is aware of our origins. It may be best that we comply with his inquiries.]

"I am from Garden, a small planet in sector S-1 of the Galactic Alliance."

"There we go, most of you lot don't give way even after hours of torture." The man gave Kothar what could almost be called a smile.

"How odd, planet? I assume you mean plane?"

"No planet, a celestial body orbiting a star."

"Oh I see, you're from one of those planes. No mana, so you only explore the vacuum, instead of doing the common sense thing and traveling sideways."

"Since you're being so cooperative, I'll get straight to the point, what are your intentions here, on our plane?"

"Well, I'm trying to return home, to find the beast that destroyed me and I presume destroyed my homeworld."

"Hahahahaha" The man's laugh sounded like ice cubes rattling in an empty glass.

"Sure, I believe you." The mist around him swirled and surged towards Kothar, wrapping tightly around him.

"No way. All you outworlders want to do is take advantage of the innocent unknowing citizens of whatever plane your soul ends up in. You should've given me a more believable excuse, like wanting to become a king or fulfilling some ridiculous fantasy of yours." The mist wrapped around Kothar's neck, tightening as he gasped for breath.