Malik

Malik is a seller of all manner of illegal wares – weapons, stolen goods, intel; you name it. But his specialty is potions, which he very proudly and skillfully brews himself.

He is an expert at his trade, able to charm any manner of person with the right words and an easy smile. However, Malik should not under any circumstances be trusted. He's more than happy to tell people whatever they need to hear to open their wallets to him – even if it's not particularly truthful.

[BACKGROUND]

Malik has never known anything of his real parents, having been raised at the Van Straten Orphanage from infancy. Even at a young age, he showed incredible aptitude for potion making. This was first discovered by one of the night staff, who caught him mixing a foul-smelling concoction in the kitchen. Malik claimed that he was going to poison one of the girls as revenge for stealing his favourite seat at lunchtime that day.

None of the staff were quite sure where Malik picked up the craft, and several believed he was simply following insinct – his strange behaviour and cold comments unnerved many of the caregivers. Regardless, he also managed to catch the attention of a powerful underground crime syndicate known as the Nursery. Keen to put his talents to good use, he was 'adopted' by them at age 7.

[THE NURSERY]

Under the Nursery, Malik was made to brew all manner of potions – sedatives, stimulants, toxins; if he didn't know how, a book was tossed at him with the simple instruction to 'work it out'. Unsuccessful concoctions usually resulted in a beating, so Malik learned very quickly to get things right the first time. As he became more capable, The Nursery gave him a longer leash, having him sell his potions to the public to further their profits.

Malik had always been good at reading people, but dealing with customers helped him to learn how he could apply that knowledge to his advantage. He learned how to charm, tempt and swindle, and even the syndicate was surprised at how profitable their little apothecary had become. Of course, he knew that he had to always keep the Nursery's best interests in mind. He hid his affiliations, selling duds to any less desirable business partners. Those fortunate enough to survive his sabotaged concotions often came back for revenge, but Malik always managed to weasel his way out of danger – though he often acquired a new scar or two in the process.

When Malik turned 16, he felt that he'd finally outgrown his place in the Nursery. However, he also knew that his talents were far too lucrative for the syndicate to simply let him leave. Instead, he waited for an opportunity, when their base was a little emptier than usual, and filled the vents with a sedative gas. As those meant to guard him slept, Malik made his escape. Though the populous capital made it easier to hide his presence, that wasn't enough to completely shake the Nursery, and he still ran into a few 'old friends' trying to drag him back from time to time.

Nothing much changed in the eyes of his customers, but being able to put 100% of his profits back into his newly-independent business helped Malik to grow his reach exponentially. He began selling more than just potions – contraband, smuggled treasures, information; whatever he could get his hands on.

[MALIK THE UNTOUCHABLE]

Between the Nursery, law enforcement and a handful of aggrieved customers, Malik faced more than his fair share of physical abuse in his line of work. However, as the tapestry of past injuries began to pile up on Malik's skin, he realised that scars were a big turn-off when it came to sales. Using his prowess in potion-brewing, he concocted a powerful elixir that masked his pesky blemishes.

Of course, it wasn't long before Malik's enemies started to notice that nothing they did to him ever seemed to stick. He picked up the nickname 'Malik the Untouchable', and it became somewhat of a goal to be the first person to mark his perfect skin. Little did they know that Malik's real skin was far from flawless at this stage, and their more determined attempts only resulted in more and more scars to add to the count. It reached the point that Malik didn't think of his natural appearance as 'real' anymore – only the way he looked with the elixir's help.

[PROLOGUE]

After more than ten years in the game, Malik earned himself quite the reputation. It was through his connections that he first caught whispers of Lester – an heir to the fire mages that had distanced himself from his lineage to parley with 'common society'. Such an act was highly abnormal, making Malik all the more intrigued. Not only would a member of the mage elite make a lucrative business partner, but winning over his trust might just earn him a powerful favour or two. By scratching Lester's back, he hoped to scratch the itch of his curiosity  – and make a quick buck, too.

Although Lester was initially distrustful, Malik saw an in by means of his travelling partner, Abner. By offering to try and concoct a cure for Abner's invisibility curse, and sharing some of his intel with them in the meantime, Malik was able to strike up a deal. Whenever the two of them defeated or placated a creature, he had first dibs on any spoils – these were typically rare or expensive potion ingredients, like wyvern scales or the hair of a selkie. Through this symbiotic relationship, Malik became an ever-present shadow to their journey.

[TRIVIA]

• Malik often used himself as a guinea pig when brewing new potions for The Nursery. Though he was always able to whip up an antitode, a lasting side effect was the loss of his ability to taste salty foods.
• Because of this, he has a real sweet tooth.
• Malik is a polyglot – in his mind, more languages equates to more potential customers. He might not be fluent enough for a deep conversation, but he can describe the effects of a slow-acting poison with incredible precision.
• Malik has a severe phobia of heights, but would rather die than have anyone find out.