text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious]
  
  Serena's advice might've pointed you in the right direction, but as far as you needing the help of others you're going to take a pass on that. You don't need anyone else except yourself. That's the way it's been for a long time and that's the way it's going to stay.
  
  That leaves you to go where various other students have gone when they want to get something illegal and keep it to themselves. "Big Red".
  
  Technically Big Red isn't actually all that big, in fact for a demon he's probably on the smaller size, but like most demons he likes to think he's very important. Big Red typically hangs around in the seedy parts of Nuro, but he also hangs around the park area on campus late at night. His presence in Nuro is barely tolerated, but he's been known to acquire things for high ranking officials and provide important information that is beneficial to Nuro security.
  
  Oddly for all his mercenary criminal behavior he's tight lipped for a demon and will only tell on someone if asked directly and only then for the right price. Given how low profile you are, it's unlikely anyone's going to ask about you, let alone what for. Chances are if anyone does see you with Big Red they'll just think you're another college student looking to get high.
  
  You wait until night and then stalk the campus park area looking for Big Red, but instead he finds you, catching you off guard.
  
  "Y'know you'd look less guilty if you weren't lurking around like a damn dark elf assassin. Haven't seen you around before, I guess that explains why you're coming to me AFTER finals are over. Most students come and get the answers before hand y'know."
  "You sell those? Damn, I didn't have to fail my nature test final after all."
  "I could probably fix that too, for a price of course."
  "...maybe, but what I'm looking for is uh...a little different."
  "Ah, so high exactly do you want to get?"
  "No, not that..."
  "Well, I'm not selling sex slaves if that's what you're looking for...well at least not here."
  "No! I'm looking for something different!"
  
  Big Red gives you a strange look.
  
  "Okay, what kind of freak are you exactly then?"
  "I'm looking for something on Necromancy."
  
  Big Red throws you up against a tree when you make that remark and begins to whisper to you in a harsh tone. You can feel (And smell) the brimstone emanating from his breath.
  
  "You fucking little mortal pissant, you trying to get me killed? I don't sell that shit! Get the fuck outta here!" he says before throwing you on the ground and walking away.
  
  Now it may be that he's telling the truth, but he may be more worried that you're trying to set him up. You're determined to find out regardless of the consequences. You run back to him, but stay out of his immediate range.
  
  "Look, I know you're a guy who can get a hold of lots of things and I also know you're available for a price. I'm not a spy, I'm not gonna rat you out, I'm not working for anyone, I just have a...need..."
  
  Big Red turns back towards you and walks in your direction, you think he's going to attack and you nearly run, but chances are he'd catch you first anyway. He's looking around in all directions and speaking in a low tone.
  
  "Alright. Look. Since you're obviously new and not hip to how this works, I'm inclined to believe you're not working for someone. Someone undercover wouldn't be so obviously clueless as you seem to be, at least not to catch the likes of me. Plus I can sense the darkness around you...it's a neat ability we have and again let's us tell who's a goody two shoes and who isn't. You don't seem to be either though just yet. You seem to be more confused and curious than anything which is almost as bad."
  "So you can't you help me?"
  "It's not that I can't, it's whether I should. This isn't selling you some Hobgoblin Hashish so you can go get high and wind up naked the next morning with a Dwarf in your ass."
  "Um...what? Excuse me?" you stutter at Big Red's odd scenario outcome.
  "This is serious shit, if word got around that I was selling information on the Dark Arts, let alone books on it, my ass would be strung up and killed. And to have some dumb ass college student fucking around with something as dangerous as that is asking for trouble since YOU'RE probably going to get yourself caught, which will then lead to possible questions before they kill you...which can then link to me. And that can't happen."
  "I'm not going to get caught."
  "Hah! Heard that one before from people getting busted for less. I dunno, I don't see you as a good risk and even if I did consider this request my price would be VERY high and I don't see you as having that kind of money to spend."
  
  Big Red's denials of your request are actually making you want what he has even more. You KNOW he can help you. In fact you're beginning to get irritated. Why the hell is he denying you this? He's a fucking demon who sells illegal shit! He shouldn't care at all! You're desperate for his help though so you tell an outlandish lie.
  
  "Look my parents are rich! I can get the money for you, just gimme your price and I can get it...it might take me awhile, but I can get it."
  "Oh you can huh? Alright then I'll play your game. He's my price." Big Red pulls out a little pad of paper and pencil and writes something on it and then hands it to you. You read the astronomical price while Big Red's face turns into a smug demonic grin. He probably did that for dramatic effect.
  
  There's no way you can pay this, even if you somehow managed to convince your parents to give you money to support your grossly illegal studies in necromancy. You're not going to let it stop you though.
  
  "Wow...that is high...okay. I can get this, but it'll take me a few days." You say feigning a mixture of shock, but calmness too. Big Red himself looks surprised that you agreed. He begins to write down something on his pad again and gives it to you.
  
  "Well alright money bags, we got a deal. You come meet me at this time and location in a week. If you ain't there, then you can forget about coming to see me for anything ever again. If you come and you don't have the money...well I don't think I need to stress how bad that would be. So my advice is if you don't have it, don't show. See ya."
  "Hey wait, you said you can fix my grade too." You suddenly remember.
  "Don't you think you've spent enough money tonight? Alright then maybe you ARE made of gold after all, so what's the class?"
  "Nature magic."
  "Oh yeah, you said that. Yeah, that's definitely doable, mainly because the professor is, I just need to slip the deviled ham into her and she'll be willing to pass anyone."
  "I thought she was a lesbian."
  "Feh, not when it comes to Big Red. It ain't just a name ya know. Alright, my price for this task is two hundred gold pieces. Normally I might charge less, but hey you got the money right?"
  
  Indeed, but you don't have much now after forking it over to Big Red. You were hoping the gold you brought was going to go towards a necromantic tome, but instead it's just going to cheating.
  
  "Thanks, and as appreciation for your generous business tonight, I think I'll go take care of that grade situation of yours right now, if I'm lucky maybe she'll have one of those little elven bitches with her. Ha ha!"
  
  As Big Red leaves you, you head back to your apartment to scheme for the rest of the week. You go through a wide variety of emotions: fear, anger, desire, anxiety, obsession, etc. None of it really means anything though since you don't really have too much in the way of choices now. You're either going to have to kill Big Red when you go to meet him, or just forget about this necromancy stuff and go home for vacation.
  
  > go home
  Once again you have second thoughts. You can't do this. You can't become a necromancer; it's not going to make your life any easier and is only going to make it vastly more difficult. You figure with your mediocre grades and magic skills, you can probably get a job working at children's parties or something after you graduate. That least if you make a mistake it'll be "funny" and just be part of the act. Your Mom probably won't be too disappointed since she also works with children and you give a shit what your Dad thinks.
  
  Yep, that'll probably be your "life".
  
  You don't go meet Big Red and instead take the next carriage home to visit your family for vacation. Your Mom is happy to see you and makes the appropriate fuss. Your sister is okay when she stops by between her duties. In fact for awhile you don't feel so bad about your life. Sure it'll be dull and not very glamorous, but you can deal with it...
  
  After a month of your visit, your Dad finally comes back from one of his mercenary jobs. He's in a typical asshole mood and gives you a bunch of shit as soon as he walks in the door. He belittles what few accomplishments you have, compares you to your sister and is a general dick to you as usual.
  
  While your Mom attempts to rein him in, you leave the house and curse your Dad. He always spoils everything for you. You can't wait for classes to start again just to get away from the old bastard.
  
  You almost wished you'd taken that risk and attempted to kill Big Red and get that necromantic book. The powers it must've contained...you know you would've been able to master them. The more you think about this, the more you think that might be what you'll do when classes start again.
  
  After two more months of putting up with your family, you're heading back to school. Once again your "feelings" have died down again. You're not going to kill Big Red or any of that, you're going to go to class and struggle as usual.
  
  You're going to be less than an average nobody. You're going to live the rest of your life like a halfling.
  
  But not for long...
  
  About a week after classes start, something terrible happens in the city of Nuro. Portals suddenly open up all over the city and demons come pouring out of them. Loud explosions take place and there's a strange feeling of "slowness" occurring to you and most others.
  
  You're in class at the time when this chaos begins. It's obviously an attack of some sort, but nobody knows from where or who, right now everyone is just trying to escape.
  
  Demons run amok through the streets and campus gleefully killing people. Running while suffering the effects of this aura of slowness is proving very difficult so you try to stay hidden most of the time.
  
  Demonologists direct this attack, you even recognize a couple as students you went to class with. Apparently you weren't the only one with the dark arts on your mind.
  
  Eventually you get closer to the city gates and that's when you see a horde of recently raised corpses lingering around it. You think maybe you can make it. The dead aren't known to be fast after all.
  
  You make your run and the group of corpses and skeletons notice you and shamble in your direction. Normally if you weren't slowed, you probably might make it, but instead they manage to surround you and cut off escape in any direction. In desperation you cry out for this to stop and wishing that somehow they would stop attacking you.
  
  And for a moment, they do. They just stand there obediently. You can't believe it; you just stand there in shock, not taking advantage of the situation.
  
  Did you really have a natural gift for necromancy after all?
  
  Unfortunately, you'll never know because they quickly resume attacking and strike you down before moving on.
  
  As you lie in the street dying from your wounds, you laugh at the absurdity of it all.
  
  "Ha ha...I coulda...(cough) been...the next Great Lich Lord..."