Mordoe stood over Malcolm and silently watched the threads of magic billow and roll across the the House of Darkness's main room.<span style="font-style: italic">Do I explain what happened or cover it up?</span>Covering it up would be hard, and if he was found out there would be serious, maybe even fatal consequences. On the other hand, revealing what happened would hold certain consequences, though the worst of which would probably be expulsion: to Mordoe, a more serious loss than it sounded. His mission was to unlock all the secrets of the world and this school held far more than any other place he had visited. He needed to stay here as long as he could hold out. Then again, he wouldn't learn anything if he was dead or locked in a dungeon. Paranoid Mordoe had a horrifying suspicion that Paver Valentine could easily imprison him for centuries. Not a prospect he looked forward to.<br/><br/>â€œI'm at that man's mercy, aren't I?â€ he finally said to Malcolm's pale head. â€œDammit.â€<span style="font-style: italic">But I can't exactly leave the room like this for the other students or professors to find.</span>Rumor hhad it that the new student coming in today was a wizard, and so would be here any moment. It wouldn't be good if he walked in and found this.<br/><br/>And then a thought struck him and he paused for a moment.<span style="font-style: italic">Would it be good if the new student found this.....if I was with him?</span>That would make it hard to suspect Mordoe. He'd just need to act fast and come up with a reason to accompany the newcomer. But that could wait until after he disguised the death as an accident and got the Hell out of there. How then? Based on how the amulet removed the concussive force or the fireball and only exploded afterward meant it likely worked by absorbing some of the spell's own magical energy to power it's reflective properties. That would also explain why it only protected against magical spells in the first place. So it was simply overwhelmed by the amount of energy it had to absorb during that last attack. But that could have happened in any number of situations. Anything that would put high magical fields around Malcolm. Like the alteration spells he had been practicing!<span style="font-style: italic">And we just happen to have a dead gnome right he that would have made a great rabbit or frog.</span>Mordoe smiled.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Quickly now. They'll be coming inside soon.</span>he reminded himself, glancing out the window to make sure they hadn't reached the oversized school doors yet. Next he jogged over to the door leading out of the dorm. It was wide open and provided an easy view of the carnage. He stepped though it and looked around, but the hall was empty. He couldn't even hear anything, so he stepped back inside and closed the door behind him.<span style="font-style: italic">Now to make it convincing.</span>Dashing to Malcolm's room, Mordoe grabbed all the things his friend would have used, then dashed back to the main room. He tied up the dead gnome and dropped it in front of Malcolm...er...Malcolm's body, then carefully place the traps all around it. They were an odd assortment of tools from strangely shaped candle stands to metal frames holding intricate weaves of wire to a willow tree sapling. A trap didn't have to be pretty, it just had to be the right shape and material to hold a spell in place. Intricate spells, like one to turn a gnome into a frog, often required the caster to preform the entire spell in sections and use traps as sort of place holders along the way. At least that's how it worked for an average wizard.<br/><br/>â€œConvincing.â€ Mordoe, the con artist said, stepping back. The burn hole in the gnome could even be mistaken for damage from the same explosion that killed Malcolm. â€œExcept for me.â€ he added, looking down at the blood on his clothes and hands. This was taking too long. He quickly stripped down to his boxer-briefs and tossed his clothes in the fireplace; all but his socks and shoes, of course. Another quick fire spell (covering up fire with fire) and nothing was left but buttons. Then it was up to his room for a wash, a new outfit and out through the window. Hopefully he could make it inside through another door before the tour group got too far.