With a sigh, he set the brush aside next to the finely-wrought ink stone and its blot of liquid ebony. This was the 84th talisman and he still had another 434 to go. He told himself for what was also possibly the 434rd time that this was all probably a waste of time and no spirit would be summoned… but something nagged at him that even if the chances were slim, he had to at least try.