The wanderer trotted along the road at a steady, deliberate pace.
He had been many things. Conqueror, savior, empire builder, mercy giver, sorcerer, hero; and his appearance was as ever changing as his goals. Most recently he had taken the guise of an old man, a collector of magical trinkets. The havoc he had wreaked in that form while selling bobbles in that musty old shop still brought a smile to his face, and he had to wonder what had happened to the company after it's CEO vanished. Surely, Spells R Us would never be the same.
Still, that was in his past. He was a different man now. His current form was one of his favorites, a man of middle age, average height, average build, and except for the shock of wild black hair, average appearance, clad in black denim jeans and a black jacket.
He had wandered far over his long, long lifetime, but tonight he had a specific purpose in mind. His power had waxed and waned over the centuries, sometimes being stolen by great heroes, or being given up voluntarily, or even simply forgotten. But always, it would return. He had shattered worlds in his time, he knew, but those past lives were often difficult to remember.
But for all his power, he had finally discovered a quite marvelous trinket that surpassed him entirely. And he knew, with terrible certainty, that he would find it in the small town right down the road he was walking.
No doubt he would do much and more with the power he was about to claim. Great times and great things were ahead. But what's the point if you can't enjoy the simpler things in life? And at the moment, he thought he'd take some simple pleasure from the stone's soon to be former owner, and anyone else who got in the way.
