Msaka performed the ritual with great care, not wanting to make what could be a dangerous mistake in the casting. Fortunately, his invisibility kept the lone guard who patrolled through the plaza during its performance from noting his presence or action, and the spell was completed without difficulty. A perfect casting, as far as Msaka could tell.

As he completed the final gesture, he raised the empty waterskin to eye level, holding its top upwards. Under the power of his magic, the bindings of the water elemental suddenly gave way, as mastery of it suddenly was transferred to Msaka. Responding to his will, the elemental rose from the fountain in a small jet, arcing gracefully up into the air, then down into the mouth of the waterskin. It quickly settled into its new home, filling the container completely.

Msaka quickly stoppered the waterskin, glancing at the fountain as he did. It had stopped flowing, the elemental no longer present to power it. Water still remained within the basin, of course, but without the elemental generating more, it would quickly become depleted, whether through use or evaporation.

He looked around the plaza to see whether the elemental's loss had been noticed. It seemed to be empty at the moment, which suited Msaka perfectly. Extending his arms out to his sides, he quickly incanted the Return spell, and his body faded from the area.

He blinked back into being, still invisible, in his room at the inn. A glance around himself told him that he was alone. He quickly locked the door to prevent anyone from intruding. With that done, he set the waterskin down on the table and called his staff to himself. All that was needed now was to send it to his home, and the deed would be untraceable.

He invoked the spell to send it there with a quick pass of his staff, but was surprised when nothing happened. Frowning, he reenacted the magic, and again there was no response. He sighed, silently cursing the elemental for not doing what he wanted it to. A third attempt likewise failed, and his frustration grew. "This is not what I need!" he thought angrily. "The shaman is not going to be happy if I can't get this thing home!"

He made one final attempt to send the elemental where he wished it to go, but it was no more successful than the first three times. Wondering what the problem was, he sat down hard on the bed, staring at the waterskin as though it had betrayed him. There was always the option to carry it home personally, but that would most likely delay the creation of whatever the shaman had planned by a few months while he travelled. Apart from that being a situation that wouldn't please the shaman at all, it would also mean the defense he had planned would be absent during that time.

Msaka forced his thoughts onto the question of why the spell was failing. After several minutes of pondering the matter, he concluded that the elemental's magical nature wouldn't allow it to be teleported in the manner he was attempting. It had, strangely, teleported along with him just fine when he'd Returned to his inn room, so perhaps the trouble was that it needed a person to go along with it - or perhaps whoever it was bound to to go along with it. That seemed quite likely, and would certainly explain the matter. Unfortunately, it still left him with the same problem. He'd have to carry it home personally.

Not only that, but he'd have to be careful to hide the thing until he could leave. When its removal from the fountain was noticed, it was entirely possible that the city would be searched, and visitors to the city would probably have their possessions searched first. There was also the possibility someone would try to trace it magically. As long as it was on his person, that wouldn't be an issue, but it would be necessary to protect it when he wasn't carrying it as well.

He stood and raised his staff, then launched into another ritual spell, again focusing it upon the elemental. He wasn't certain the magic would 'take' on the thing, but it was the only means he had to protect it from scrying attempts.

The spell again took some time to complete, and his Hide spell had expired by the time he'd finished it. He reached out and laid one hand upon the waterskin, finishing the enchantment. The magical energy he'd built up around the elemental flowed into and wove itself around the elemental, forming an invisible, intangible protective shield around it.

Msaka sighed and stepped back, somewhat relieved that the Ritual of Shielding seemed to have succeeded. One problem solved. Now it just had to be hidden from conventional searches. Looking around the room, he couldn't see anything that would provide a secure hiding place should a determined search be performed. Besides which, if it was found within his room, it would certainly result in his being held responsible, a situation he didn't want to have to deal with. No, he'd have to hide it somewhere else...

He looked upward, considering an idea. Nodding to himself, he recast his Mark spell, intending to make a quick return once he'd placed the elemental where he wanted it. He then picked up the waterskin and unlocked the door, heading back out to the dining room. It proved to be empty of people, the late hour apparently having convinced the owner to finally go to bed. Cracking open the front door, he peered out into the plaza. "No one out there, either," he thought. "Perfect."

He quickly stepped outside and shut the door, then proceeded to cast his Hide spell before stepping out a short distance to be even with the edge of the roof. If someone came by, he could simply stop moving and disappear, even if that meant hanging in the air for a few moments.

Raising his arms overhead, grasping his staff in both hands, he enacted the Levitate spell, and rose quickly and silently into the air. Fortunately, no one showed themselves, and he soon was even with the roof. He allowed the spell to fade as he reached out and pulled himself onto the roof, balancing carefully on the uneven surface it provided. Looking it over, he realized that it was just the place he was looking for. Rather than being fairly flat, there were many protrusions, most of them decorative in nature. While he cared little for the aesthetics of the building, they would help screen the area from being viewed from other buildings.

Moving cautiously, he padded to the middle of the roof, next to a chimney. Carefully, he wedged the waterskin between the chimney and the slant of the roof, in a spot which would be difficult to see it in, even if there had been no decorations screening it.

He heard shouting from the plaza below, and crouched down, letting his invisiblity take effect. Peering carefully into the dim light of the plaza below, he could see a guardsman running towards the gates, bellowing something in Arabic. Msaka wasn't familiar enough with the language to know what was being said, but could easily guess what the cause of the excitement was.

"No reason to stay up here, especially if they start searching soon," he thought. He stood, still invisible, and again extended his arms and invoked the Return spell, blinking back to the spot he'd Marked in his room.