text: Though you are not entirely sure where the words are coming from. "Tonight we will gain revenge on Dr. Hopkins. From the moment I met him, he tried to worm his way into my sympathies with jokes and a facade of kindness. I am ashamed to say it nearly work. It would have worked if it were not for Seria, for she told me the truth. Hopkins murdered my mother, a powerful spirit, and he has wronged each of you too. Tonight we will make him pay for what he has done."
  
  It is a simple enough speech, but it seems to inspire the daemons. "We will follow you, great spellcaster," Jarobaal says. It is disconcerting to hear good English come from a snake's head, not to mention to receive obedience from a daemon, but you just nod. The others give their assent too, and Seria comes to your side.
  
  Her voice is forceful and her face wears a sneer as she speaks of the enemy. "Hopkins is asleep in his bed, so and if fortune favors us he will be dead before he wakes. There is a chance, however, that he will raise the alarm, and then we will have a true battle on our hands." She squeezes your hand. "The students are not to be touched at first and nor are the other professors, though if they attack you may of course slaughter them. But it would be better to put the fear of daemons into their veins, to teach them never to oppose us."
  
  You whisper a quick spell, and your window vanishes without a sound. The daemons leap out at once and you follow, commanding the wind to soften your landing. You lead them slowly from the grounds and into the streets of Covingsford, watching for any sign of trouble, but there is none. The town is silent and deserted at this time of night, and only the stars and the vast moon above witness your daemonic army on the march to Dr. Hopkins.
  
  About halfway there, you begin to notice some muttering between two daemons near the back of your column, their voices carrying easily in the quiet. Semkhapu the sphinx seems to be arguing with the raksha Anumun, her voice nearly a hiss. "We follow where he leads and kill his target first. Then, and only then, will we settle all our other unfinished business."
  
  Anumun growls, unable to keep his voice low. "I have waited long enough for my revenge. Bullock must die, I must feel his life petering away as his blood pools at my feet. We hardly need so many to defeat one man, no matter how strong." They go back and forth for a while, oblivious that you are listening. The other daemons can clearly hear them too, and from the looks on many of their faces, they are of the same mind as Anumun. You realize that Seria did not tell the whole truth- these spirits have little interest in Hopkins, at least most of them; they are here for their own private grievances, probably against every professor at the College.
  
  Seria, watching you, leans in close to whisper. "They are strong and rebellious, but you are stronger by far. You can master them, make them fear and respect you. It is the only way to kill Hopkins." You nod, trying to decide how to persuade a band of daemons to follow your orders against their instincts.
  
  > use reason
  You stop and turn to face your horde. They gather around you in a semicircle, their eyes roaming to the houses and shops that line the street, no doubt wondering which you will attack. Taking a deep breath, you speak, your voice admirably confident. "We have a ways to travel yet, but there is something I must say. Some of you, it seems, disagree as to the wisdom of our plan. You wish to gain vengeance for the wrongs done to you, not just by Hopkins but by all the daemonologists. I understand that, I who have hungered for revenge ever since I learned of my mother's murder. But we have come too far to turn back now. There is too great a danger that we will be spotted, than someone will raise the general alarm. So I say we continue to Hopkins' house, and once he is dead, we can discuss our next move."
  
  The daemons murmur their assent, and even Anumun gives a slow bow. You certainly haven't solved the problem, but at least it won't interfere with your primarily goal. You'll just have to think of something later to dissuade or prevent them from wrecking general mayhem on the College.
  
  In a few more minutes you are at the house. No light burns in the window, and the nearest building is a quarter mile away. You are quite fortunate that Hopkins lives on the very edge of town. The viper-headed Jarobaal comes to your side as you gaze at the door. "I am experienced in defeating defensive charms, lord," he says, his voice just barely audible. "Let me try." You nod, and he takes your place and stares. Occasionally his thin tongue flicks from his mouth. A few minutes go by, and you are nearly ready to try something else when he draws a sharp breath. The daemon begins to murmur in a strange language that makes your skin crawl, and you watch as a thousand tiny black lines form on the door, slithering together in a pattern far more complex than the one on your chest. They are still moving when he turns back to you. "It is safe."
  
  You lead the horde through the door, which is not even locked, and it seems that Anumun was right. None of your spirits suffers any ill effects, and so you creep up the stairs. You can hear someone snoring and follow the sound. Now that the moment of revenge is finally here, you can hardly contain your excitement. Your forces gather around the bedroom door, and you give everyone a second to get ready.
  
  Then you give the signal, and the minotaur Lignor smashes through with his great axe. There is a scream as you lead the charge, and the room is covered in the door's splintered remains. Running to the bed, you grab the figure that lies there, the words of a terrible curse already on your lips.
  
  But you stop when you see that it is not stooped Dr. Hopkins whose neck you are gripping. It is a mousy woman in a gray nightgown, her face terrified. It is Hopkins' wife, and you shove her back roughly. A wave of disapointment washes over you, but you soon master it.
  
  > question the woman
  "Where is your husband?" you shout, your face only inches from hers. The daemons cluster around to hear her response with bared teeth and hideous expressions.
  
  She does not answer, and you repeat the question again. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out, so you wait patiently for her to regain a little courage. This goes unrewarded, however, as her eventual answer is a long and surprisingly detailed string of expletives and insults against you, the daemons, and everyone you've ever known.
  
  Spulliso taps you on the shoulder. His blank face means, of course, that his expression is unreadable, and when he speaks his voice is similarly flat. "I can make her talk." You have no doubt that he is right, but the sight of these daemons salivating over an innocent woman has reminded you that you are different. They seek only vengeance and to inflict more suffering, most of it on innocents like Hopkins' wife, but your revenge is true justice. Hopkins killed your mother, so you will kill Hopkins, but you will not let the blank-faced man torture this woman.
  
  You tell him so, and he slides away calmly, but your words start off a fresh round of complaints from the others. Your suggestion that they split up and search the house buys you a little more time, but you know you will have to deal with this bloodlust eventually. It does not help that the search is fruitless. Hopkins is not at home. You stare at his wife again, choosing your words with care. "You will not tell your husband that we are hunting him. If you do, I will leave you to the tender mercies of my associates here, and you will wish I had strangled you when we first arrived." She does not answer, and you doubt the warning will do any good if she does have a magical way of contacting Hopkins, but it is better than nothing.
  
  Once you are out of the house you turn to address the daemons again. "We need to be quick. He could be anywhere in Covingsford, but I'm almost certain he is at the College. We will break into groups and search, and hopefully each will be strong enough to defeat Hopkins if they find him. If not, signal for assistance. Remember, killing anyone else will only draw more attention." They agree and divide up, grumbling but obedient for now. You stay with Seria, naturally, as well as the girl Yfrigge and Semkhapu. The others bound away into the darkness as you lead your daemons back a different way.
  
  You enter the College through a little-used gate in the walls you discovered one evening. It is near the library, and you are unsurprised to see that lamps and candles still burn dimly behind its windows. There is almost always someone researching inside. You did not, however, anticipate the trouble this would cause.
  
  The sphinx darts away, sniffing the wind, and returns a moment later. "There are daemonologists inside, young ones." Semkhapu's eyes are bright, and her fangs shine in the moonlight. "They are vulnerable."
  
  "They are students," you correct, "and they are not to be touched. We need to find Hopkins, and I think he might..."
  
  She interrupts you with a roar. "Enough about Hopkins! If you want him dead, go and tear his head from his shoulders, but I will feast on these young ones." She regards you for a second. You only have one chance to change her mind.
  
  > Command
  "You will not attack the library, I forbid it. I will banish you if you take another step towards those students," you say quickly, running the words together. Gone is the authoritative voice you used earlier, and so you are surprised when Semkhapu listens. She does not move from her spot and gazes down at the ground. Good, you think, she is humbled.
  
  "As I was saying, I think that Hopkins might be in his office, and if not then we can look for him at a tavern. I know he favors the Stag, but there are a few other..." Your voice trails off as you notice the sphinx pawing at the ground. Puzzled, you open your mouth to ask her what she is doing when she jumps, her powerful legs pushing her through the air and onto you. You hear Seria scream and glimpse her rush towards you, but it is too late. Semkhapu's huge jaws have locked onto your head, swallowing up your entire upper body, and with a great and sickening crunch she severs you in half.
  
  Then she gives a screeching roar and falls back, and your frenzied brain can just barely make out Seria, holding the sphinx's spine in her hands, her face full of rage. Their screams mingle as you pass, and by the time Seria comes to cradle your head you are gone. You hope she will track down Hopkins out of love for you and tear out his spine as well, but die not knowing if your mother will ever be avenged.