Chapter 33 A HUNTER'S BARGAIN
Everyone but Xyra was staring at Magnus in complete shock. The sorcerer just sat there, his smug smile still plastered across his face. By the looks they were giving him, he knew they thought he was insane. Most probably would, especially people like these who hadn't met a hunter before. Killing demons was his profession, and he greatly enjoyed it. Now that he was getting a talisman for doing so, it made things even better. This was his joy in life.
"Are you insane?" asked one of the servants. "Those monsters are unstoppable. Not a single one of our soldiers succeeded in taking them down."
"Demons are a lot different from people," Magnus stated. "A normal soldier can't do anything about them. A situation like this requires a hunter, and I just so happen to be one."
"Would you do this?" began Christian, "Just to get the talisman? Is it that important to you?"
"Yes." His voice was completely serious, his expression heightening the intensity of the situation. "I would do anything to get it."
"… Very well." A smile graced the young mayor's face. "If you get rid of those demons, I'll give you the talisman."
Seeming content with the deal, Magnus stood up and began heading for the door. He didn't say anything to them as he began leaving. If Xyra hadn't called out, he probably would have left without an explanation.
"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.
"Out. I want to take a look around, maybe get some information. I'll be back later." He left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
They all sat in silence for a moment, thinking over what had just happened. Xyra knew that most of them probably considered Magnus's suggestion as suicide. They had no faith in the sorcerer. It was evident just by the looks on their faces. Even Christian didn't seem very sure about this. He looked just the slightest bit hopeful though.
"Can he really do it?" Reeve asked suddenly, his voice so quiet that Xyra had not almost heard him. "Can he actually get rid of them?"
"I hope so," said Christian with a small sigh. "If he can't, we'll really be in trouble. Those demons would get mad that we made such a deal, and I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to destroy this town."
They collectively sighed, and Xyra wasn't sure if she could take their negative attitudes for much longer. They obviously didn't know what a hunter was capable of, especially one like Magnus. Darren had once mentioned that Magnus was indeed a rarity amongst his kind. Not many could take down demons with the swiftness that he could. He had even taken on a dragon, and not only had he survived the battle, but he had managed to completely erase the beast. Something like this was nothing for him.
"He can do it," Xyra stated, drawing their attention. There was a bright smile on her face. "He may not look it, but he's strong. Sure, I've only known him for about a week, but you can definitely trust him. He'll do just about anything for one of those talismans."
"Does he have any?" Christian asked curiously. Magnus obviously wanted it pretty badly, but if his reason was simply to own one, then he needed to get a life. He had been far too eager.
"Yeah. I think he has about six now."
"Six?!" The mayor really hadn't been expecting that. The young sorcerer was really on his way. He was halfway there now. If he was able to take care of the demons, he would only need five more. Why does he need so many? Is he trying to collect them all? That's next to impossible to do!
"Alright," began Xyra as she leant forward a bit, a smirk on her face. "Now let's get onto business. Tell me what you can…about these demons."
Magnus was wandering aimlessly around the city, simply observing everything and everyone around him. He had to start thinking up a plan. After all, this battle was going to be a bit more difficult than some of his others. He didn't have the luxury of a wide area to fight in. He had to take care of them within the town and without destroying anything. That was going to be the hardest part. His magic was powerful, and he often didn't have control over how large the explosion was from his spells. He needed to find an open area to lead them into.
He had already asked a few people some questions about these demons, so at least he knew what he was dealing with. They were a group of about twenty, and each one stood well over six feet. He would be at a height disadvantage, but that wasn't of too much concern. He didn't plan on fighting with his fists. Only an amateur would take on a demon like that.
A sigh escaped his lips as he found himself at the beginning of the town. He just stood there for a moment and watched as some people moved in and out of the house that had been destroyed by those demons. The owner was still sitting outside. She had stopped sobbing, but there were still wet trails down her cheeks. Her tears had yet to run dry, now just leaking from her eyes. She looked so dead. She must've lost something valuable…
"Hey!" called someone, knocking him from his stupor. The call had come from a man who was currently carrying something from the house that looked rather heavy. "You gonna just stand there and watch? How about helping?"
"Um…alright." Magnus walked over and helped the man lift the huge box he had been trying to move. With the two of them, it didn't seem so heavy.
"You're a traveler?" the man asked Magnus.
"Yeah."
"You should leave as soon as you can. Those demons will be back in about a week, maybe earlier."
Magnus smiled a bit. This was a chance to get more information. He hadn't received too much, just the same few things. This guy seemed to know a bit more. With this being a risky battle in the first place, he needed all the information he could get.
"What can you tell me about them?" he asked, not wanting to make his question seem too strange. Not many people take a fine interest in demons.
"They come through here a lot to tear up the town," he began. "Usually they just rob one house, sometimes two. Occasionally they kidnap people, usually women."
As he helped the man set down the box, a thought crossed his mind. A plan was slowly forming as to how he could corner these demons. If he got them into an open area altogether, they would be easy to kill. The problem was getting them there, but now he had an idea. She'll kill me for this…
"You're going to stay here and help a bit?" the man asked him. Magnus just nodded and followed the man into the wrecked house. When he got in, he stopped dead in his tracks. His breath caught in the back of his throat, and his eyes went wide. What he was being faced with wasn't just a ruined house or some stolen valuables. He finally understood just why this was such a big deal. That woman had every right to cry.
The walls of this house were smeared with crimson. There was blood all over the place. It had yet to dry in the dark environment. It still dripped from the wall, gathering in puddles on the floor. No one seemed to mind right now as they all went about their business within the broken house. Perhaps they had already gotten over it, or maybe they were too used to it.
Magnus tore his eyes away, but they instead landed on the woman who was sitting outside. He could see her back as she sat by the doorway outside. A great deal of sympathy filled his eyes. Those demons had killed someone. They had taken away an innocent life. He wasn't sure just who they had killed; a husband or a child, but no matter what, it was unforgivable. Anger was slowly gripping at his mind. These demons needed to be punished. This was no longer about his own personal gain. Something like this couldn't be left alone.
"A tragedy," said a man who had walked up next to him. "He was so young…just turned seven a few weeks ago." Magnus looked at the man. He was staring at the blood on the wall. "Those monsters killed him by accident, but they didn't care at all. He was caught in the explosion… Those damn demons…"
Magnus turned his attention back to the wall, but he quickly had to look away again. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to see something that horrible. This wasn't acceptable, especially to someone like him. He was going to make sure he killed those demons, every last one of them. This town was going to be liberated. He couldn't allow another family to go through what this woman and Reeve had. His pride as a hunter wouldn't let him. I'll do something about this. I promise.