Geek the mage. After never making a deal with a dragon, it's the most important rule of running. Always. Geek. The. Mage. First.

My friends joke that being a pacifist mage is something of a bad thing to combine with shadowrunning. I usually laugh along, but my friends, they know. They know it's a ploy so I don't have to. And it's done its job. I'm never targeted and I just keep my friends alive and patch them up. I scout with spirits, boost and shield. But I'm deemed useless and 'just a healer'.

Before I awakened my magic I was studying to become a doctor. I've always wanted to save lives and when I was visited by my guardian spirit we didn't see eye to eye at first. We eventually got along. We made a deal. I would get near limitless knowledge about the human body so it could help my healing efforts, and my guardian spirit would have free reign if I wasn't observed by friends and asleep.

Unusual, sure, but not unheard of. And one of the terms was that I would be unrecognisable. Another was that if my body was threatened, I could call in the help to solve problem to our mutual benefit.

So when I remained of my running team, all bleeding out, and stared down the barrel of what I assumed was a heavily modded Aztechnology LMG, I called out.

The world turned black and time stood still. My guardian spirit stood before me, sharply dressed in a black suit with burgundy and gold trim. On his lapel a tiny pin of a star shining bright on a torch.

"I'm calling in the emergency clause. But no destructive magic. You know my vow."

My spirit smiles and says

"Very well. You can watch. But we will renegotiate."

Usually when he takes over I lose consciousness. This time I'm fully aware.

Time resumes. As the person wielding the gun gloats about how I am a useless mage and how they could keep me for last I see my body move. I feel the magic course through my body and leave my fingers. As my eyes get suffused with magic as well the bodies around me become translucent.

I see nerves being cut. Not the sensory ones, but the ones signalling motor function.

I hear the enemies becoming confused. Confusion turns to panic. But without nerves to carry the signals to muscles to move they can't do a thing. They are completely paralyzed.

Next, my body magically removes the vitamin C from their bodies and accelerates their metabolic rates for wound closure. Small white lines turn slowly red. White dots getting bigger and opening up. Teeth start falling out. Blood starts dripping at first, but as old wounds open up and scar tissue dissolves, blood gushes and spirts out.

More magic flows. This time it moves into the hearts of the enemies. It strengthens the movements and boosts the heart rate.

The enemies are no longer humans, but fountains of blood.

In 5 long minutes my body is almost drained of energy, but 7 armed gunmen lay before me. Fully drained.

I awakened into a tradition of Black Magic. And for my skills I made a deal with Lucifer, The Adversary, my guardian spirit. Tonight, will do so again.