"What? 'Chateau du Death Metal'?" It really did look like the living, breathing cover of a Megadeth album as he pulled from his own pocket a small black satin pouch and, leaning his staff against a half-rotten end table, pulled a well-used piece of white chalk from the pouch as well, and moved to the entrance where he began drawing a line of runes from memory along the door frame.

It was a simple warding spell, meant to strip whatever spiritual or psychic entity that shoved its way through it of a lot of its power, but each window in the small apartment would need the same inscription, and then be activated before they were effective. He had to move quickly.

Training with the army had given him the ability to multitask, though. "What's the cigar case for?"