Chapter 3 DEBT AND RUBIES
Xyra slowly got to her feet after calming down a little, still focusing on the man who had just saved her. She already recognized him. They hadn't met that long ago, and a traveler as poised as him was hard to forget. Her stomach began to hurt as something twisted inside. She had started trembling again. Oh, man…it's the guy I robbed. She swallowed hard, feeling an unfamiliar sense of guilt as anxiety and fear started to build. I had no idea he was a sorcerer! What have I gotten myself into? If he finds out that I ripped him off…
"Miss?" Magnus questioned gently, instantly snapping Xyra out of her small trance. She hadn't realized that he was standing in front of her. "Are you alright?"
"F-fine," she answered, avoiding his eyes. The more she looked at him, the guiltier she felt.
"That's good," he sighed, a smile crossing his face. He didn't say anything else as he turned around and began to leave.
"Um…thanks."
He glanced back, catching her eyes. He made no motion to move; he simply stood there, staring. It almost seemed like he was waiting for her to continue. Now she really needed to say something. She felt somewhat ashamed about the situation. This man had just saved her from who knew what fate, and he had done so without expecting anything in return. Very few were willing to risk their wellbeing for a stranger, especially for a poverty-stricken thief like herself. Guilt was not normally a problem, but she practically owed him her life. If she could pay him back, even just a little, then that feeling of guilt—as unfamiliar as it was—would eventually subside.
Besides, this man was a sorcerer. Magic was a powerful force, depending on the will of the caster. Being in the presence of someone powerful had her feeling a little uneasy. She continuously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, biting at the corner of her lip. Breaking eye contact, she changed her focus to the ground, hoping it would help her calm down, but it didn't. The fact that he was still watching her didn't make it any easier.
Despite the earlier display of power, she knew she probably had no reason to fear him. If he were to actually harm a citizen of the town without a decent reason, the bounty hunters would be on him in a second. Taking that into consideration, there wasn't really much to worry about concerning his power. Since that was the case, she would just go about treating him normally for now—as normal as she could treat someone she owed a favor. No matter who or what he was, the fact that he had saved her wouldn't change. Debts needed to be paid, no matter what kind they were.
"If there's anything I can do for you, just tell me," she said.
Magnus smiled as he turned around and began walking over. With every step he could see her becoming increasingly nervous, shying away from him and crossing her arms over her stomach. He hesitated just slightly before continuing, wondering why she was behaving like that. It almost seemed like she was afraid of him. He had no intention of harming her though. He just wanted back what she was hiding.
"There is one thing," he told her as he extended his hand. She calmed a bit and looked down at it, confused. "You could return the money you stole."
Xyra gasped before clamping her mouth shut. She wasn't sure just what to say to that. A part of her was surprised, but at the same time she felt a little irritated. So he knew all along! Her eyes narrowed as she processed his request. Maybe her initial impression of him hadn't been so far off after all. Idiot. If he knew, he should've stopped me.
Without a word, she reached into her pocket and withdrew the small leather pouch she had taken from him. She dropped it into his outstretched hand, waiting to see what he was going to say or do next. However, all he did was open the bag and pull something from it. Xyra's eyes widened when she saw what he was holding between two fingers.
Magnus's money pouch didn't exactly contain common, stereotypical money. What he had taken out was a small ruby. It was not bigger than a pebble, but it was worth more than a hundred gold pieces. If she remembered correctly, the exchange price was four hundred. If that's the kind of currency he was carrying, then he was packing an incredible amount of wealth. With just that little pouch, he could probably buy the entire town.
There are very few truly wealthy travelers nowadays. Most only carried what was needed to get them from one place to another. More people would probably prefer to carry around rubies instead of gold and silver pieces simply because they took up less space and weren't quite as heavy, but it was pointless to carry around only rubies. Most practical things didn't cost even the worth of one of the red gems. A lot of food products were sold in amounts of silver and gold pieces. Five silver coins were equivalent to one gold coin. That meant that one ruby was worth two thousand silver pieces! It was the largest form of currency as far as the amount went. There had once been the idea of establishing a gem that would reign even higher than a ruby, but the idea had been shot down. It just hadn't been practical enough.
"Let's see…" he said out loud as he withdrew a few more and then some gold pieces. "This should be enough. Here." He effortlessly tossed the bag back to Xyra, who barely reacted in time to catch it.
"W-what?" she asked, obviously confused. Was he just going to give her all of that money? Was this man generous or just plain foolish? To give away money like that…he had to be insane!
"This is all I need. You can have the rest."
"But…" She wasn't sure what else to do or say. Was it really alright to accept this after what had just happened? Part of her was screaming to just take the money and go, but she did have a conscience. This was not equivalent payment for what he had done for her. Despite how much she loved money and how desperately she needed it, this man had saved her life. He deserved more of a reward than some of his own money.
Magnus began walking away, so Xyra quickly made up her mind and followed after him, grabbing her discarded cloak in the process. She fell into his slow pace, and he either hadn't noticed or didn't care. He was just going about his business, completely ignoring her.
"Hey," she called out. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need any more?"
"Yes."
"Then at least let me buy you a drink or something."
She watched as a smirk crossed his face.
"That sounds good. There's just something I need to take care of first."
It wasn't long before he stopped walking and turned to face a small street stand. A lone woman was working there, reorganizing and dusting off some of her merchandise. She eventually glanced up, receiving a smile from Magnus.
"I'm back," he announced as he set his money out. "I assume this is enough?"
The woman leaned down to get a better look at what he was handing over to her, and her eyes widened. He was paying her in rubies and gold pieces! Not many possessed currency like that. It wasn't technically rare, but it wasn't common either. A person would have to save up gold pieces for quite a while in order to make an exchange for a ruby. One of the fine red stones would be plenty to pay for what he wanted, so it was beyond her as to why he had put down three plus some gold pieces.
"Sir, one ruby is enough," she told him, but he didn't pick up the remaining money.
"I think you deserve what I laid out," he said, keeping his voice low. "After all, you were so patient with me. Besides, I have more than enough, and I know not many of my kind have passed through here today."
The woman—her hands trembling in surprise and pure delight—took what he had given her and gave him a bright smile in return, whispering a "thank you" before picking up the talisman on the shelf behind her and handing it to him. He just smiled, marveling at the object. It was beautiful and in the perfect shape of a cross. The entire body was made of a special stone that was white, gleaming with a radiance that resembled the moon. Embedded in it were a few blue and white gems, all centered around a brilliant translucent crystal. The talisman was flawlessly crafted, having an ethereal appearance. Something so wraithlike was definitely worth more than a single ruby.
"Thank you," said Magnus, offering her a slight bow. "If I'm ever passing through again, I'll make sure to stop by."
"Please do," she responded with gratitude, sighing in content as she squeezed the money in her hands. "You take care now."
Magnus nodded in recognition, turned, and started walking down the street again with Xyra in tow. She was a bit surprised to say the least. It was easy to tell that he was a nice guy and all, but what he had just done was considered strange by most. Not many people just give away money like that. He was either incredibly wealthy or a complete idiot…or maybe both. There had to be a reason behind his behavior, and she found herself wanting to know why he acted that way. Why was he so nonchalant about his money?
As they walked down the street in silence, Xyra couldn't help but stare at Magnus inquiringly. He was just so much of an oddity, and his behavior had managed to pique her interest. There was a lot you could tell about a person just by watching them. The way he carried himself implied that he was confident or perhaps proud. Was it possible that he came from a noble family? The qualities certainly fit. Nobles were also rich, and this man definitely had wealth. That was one thing she couldn't ignore. Perhaps if she managed to "befriend" him, she'd be able to get even more money. Even though she had managed to acquire a great deal from him already, it just wasn't enough. It would probably last her for an entire year, but it couldn't get her to where she wanted to be, both physically and financially. She needed more, and this man was possibly her ticket to just that. The wheels in her head started turning as a plan began to take shape.
"… Is this it?" Magnus asked as he stopped walking, interrupting her thoughts. They had paused in front of a building with a bar sign above it.
"Yeah," she answered as she opened the door, shuddering slightly as the bell chimed. She had the sudden urge to reach up and rip it off the door, but she managed to suppress the desire and instead continued forward. "Come on."
The two of them walked into the dark and dank room, and they instantly received quite a few strange glances from the bar dwellers. It was no surprise. Magnus wasn't dressed like a citizen or a bounty hunter, and with all the rumors going around about Albus, it was dangerous for someone who looked even remotely like a sorcerer to be in this town. It was crawling with bounty hunters.