Chapter 39 THE OFFER IN THE ALLEY
Magnus stood with Xyra in front of the mayor's castle. He was looking down at his hand in which he held a talisman. There was a bright smile on the sorcerer's face. He finally had it, the seventh talisman. Now there were only five left. These last four had been the easiest to get ever. The first hadn't been too hard to receive, but the other two had really been rather difficult. He was happy that his luck had seemed to improve.
"So where are you heading now?" asked Scarlette sweetly.
"We're gonna keep going north, so we'll probably go through the mountains," Magnus responded.
"There's still a blizzard up there," said Christian. "It's dangerous right now." When he saw how disappointed the sorcerer looked, he quickly thought up a way to fix things. "You could always go around the mountains. It will take longer, but it's definitely safer."
"But I really had my heart set on traveling through it…" Magnus whined. The most disturbing part about that was that he wasn't lying. He really had wanted to hike through the mountains.
"You must be kidding," said Xyra, but by the small pout on his face, she knew he wasn't. "It's safer going around. Why would you want to go through during a blizzard?"
"There's also a town on the way around," said Christian. "It's small, but it's a town nonetheless."
Magnus sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to win. He was going to have to go around the mountain. Besides, he had to remember that he wasn't alone anymore. He had to look after Xyra, and dragging her through a blizzard probably wouldn't be the smartest idea. He had just put her through a lot just so he could get a talisman. However, he had wanted to kill those demons simply because he felt like it. They had really caused a lot of trouble in this town.
"Please?" pleaded Xyra. She really didn't want to go through the mountains. Magnus only sighed in response, rubbing his head a bit.
"Why not," he said. "I guess even a small town can have information."
Xyra smiled brightly at his response, happy to know that she wasn't going to deal with any life-threatening situations for the time being. She really hadn't wanted to walk through a snow storm, even though her company was a sorcerer. He probably wouldn't have a problem going through the mountains. However, this path was much safer. Nothing would happen to them this way.
"It's about a two-day walk, so you better get going," said Christian. A soft, very warming smile spread across his face. "We really want to thank you for what you did. This meant so much to us."
"No problem," Magnus responded. "We were happy to help. Besides, the talisman really made it all worth it."
"Out of curiosity, just what do you want them for?" A smirk spread across the sorcerer's face.
"To kill a demon."
"That's all? Aren't you capable of that without the talismans?"
"Not when the demon is one like Raheem."
Christian's eyes widened, and he didn't press the matter any further. Despite how little he knew about demons and hunters, that was one name he recognized. The demon was just as well known as Albus himself, and probably just as powerful if not more so. Magnus would need all the talismans he could get in order to beat someone like that.
"Well then," began the sorcerer. "We're gonna get going. Thanks for letting us stay here."
"It was no problem," Scarlette assured them. "You're welcome to come back anytime."
"Thanks," Xyra replied sweetly. She and Magnus turned around and began heading off to the exit of the town.
"Bye!" called Reeve, waving wildly at them.
"Bye!" they both called back, soon out of hearing distance and view.
Scarlette and Reeve went back into the massive house, leaving Christian standing outside. He was still watching, a smile on his face. Well, this was quite the adventure. I hope they both find what they're looking for. Take care. With his cheerful demeanor still intact, he turned around and went back in, praying that both travelers had a safe journey.
Two days had passed, and Magnus and Xyra found themselves in a rather quaint little town. It didn't have much to show, only a few shops, a small inn, and some resident houses. All were rather old-fashioned though, made out of dark and broken-looking wood. There were very few residents there.
As they entered the town, a few people stared at them, but they all quickly averted their eyes and went back to their business. They probably weren't used to seeing travelers. Not many came out this far. No one probably traveled past the mountains. That was understandable though. Nowadays, most travelers were hunters or bounty hunters, and since there weren't supposed to be any Sorcerer's League setups anywhere up north, it made sense that they didn't come here.
"I doubt I'm gonna get any information here," Magnus told Xyra, sounding a bit depressed about the matter.
"Then we'll just have to keep going to the next town."
As they walked down the streets, they noticed that people were becoming more and more. They were all accumulating in one area, and out of curiosity, Magnus and Xyra began heading over. When they turned a corner, what they saw through them both went through a loop. Stationed right there in the alley was a Sorcerer's League stand. People were lining up to buy from them, and the men working there seemed delighted.
"Great," Magnus mumbled as she shoved his hands in his pockets. "They're spreading."
"Wow," whispered Xyra in awe. "I didn't think they had these out here. Can I get something?" That was obviously the wrong question to ask. Magnus's eyes darkened immensely, and the glare on his face was most likely enough to send any demon running. The cheery sorcerer really could be rather threatening.
"… Do as you like," he said coldly before turning around and walking off, leaving her to buy if she so pleased. She wasn't so sure now. Magnus obviously really hated the league, but he wouldn't say why. It was hard to believe he could hate something that made some people's lives easier.
Xyra sighed and began to walk away from the stand, deciding that she didn't need anything right now. However, before she could leave the alley, a man stepped in front of her. By the clothes he wore, she knew he was from the league. They were far nicer than anyone in town. He was probably going to try to advertise. She had every intention of leaving until two more men came.
"Greetings," said one with a bright smile on his face. "How are you this fine morning?"
"Okay, I guess," she answered. I'd be better if you'd get out of my face…
"We're from the Sorcerer's League, the biggest corporation…"
"Look," she began, feeling a headache coming on. "If you're trying to sell me something, then just get to the point." All three men quickly lost their smiles, their faces becoming a bit more business-like. Whatever they wanted was obviously serious.
"So you're a traveler?" asked one.
"Yeah. Just who are you three?"
"I'm Lambert. This is Jex and Gian. We're all here on behalf of our leader, Mr. Nixon." Xyra's face paled. That name was one she knew well. He was the founder and head of the Sorcerer's League. No one ever saw him though. He mainly stayed at headquarters, producing the items and monitoring the manufacturers.
"What do you want with me?" she asked.
"It's not so much you," said the taller, rather lanky one known as Jex. "It's the boy you were with."
"Magnus?" What would the league want with a sorcerer?
"We would like his help," began Gian, a shorter, slightly rounder man.
"Then why not ask him yourself?"
"You know how he feels about us. He would instantly refuse no matter what our reason was. He won't cooperate. Believe me, we've tried."
"So we decided to see if you'd like to help us," said the first man, Lambert. A rather sly smirk crossed his face.
"I don't think he'll listen to me," she said, knowing full well that Magnus didn't want anything to do with the league. He hated them with a passion. Nothing anyone said or did was going to convince him to offer his assistance. Still, she didn't see what they needed him for, although his knowledge of magic was truly remarkable, even for being a sorcerer.
"Exactly," stated Gian. "This is why we came up with a plan."
"What kind of plan?" she asked rather skeptically. That was only natural though. These men really seemed to want Magnus's help, and they were probably willing to do whatever it took to gain an audience with him.
"All you would need to do is keep him here for a while. Bring him down this way when no one else is here. We'll take it from there."
"What do you plan to do?"
"We'll knock him out and take him to headquarters ourselves. There we'll be able to talk to him about helping us."
"You can forget it!" she shouted. "I'm not doing anything like that! He's a friend. I'm not selling him to you guys. Don't bother me again." She shoved past them, ready to leave the alley.
"We'll pay you," called Lambert.
She paused for a brief moment, and before she could keep going, her mind stopped her. This meant getting money. The Sorcerer's League had a lot of it, so the reward for her cooperation would probably be great. Just thinking about it made her head spin.
However, she couldn't do something like that to Magnus. He was a friend now, and he trusted her. It would be lower than low to sell him out like that, to let them take him by force. But then again…the Sorcerer's League is there to help the common people. Magnus could probably help them make even more powerful spells. That would be better for everyone, right? Magnus is just too stubborn to help.
"… How much?" she asked. Part of her mind couldn't believe she was even considering this, but the other part knew how much she wanted and needed that money. Besides, it was for the common good of the non-magic people. She would be doing them all a favor.
"We would probably pay you in rubies, but the amount would be one billion gold pieces."
"You're kidding!" That kind of money was unimaginable. Not even Magnus had that much. With that kind of cash, she could buy two entire towns and then some. She'd have more than enough for what she wanted. Maybe I should cooperate…
"We'll throw this in too," said Jex as he held out a vial. In it was a yellow liquid, but she knew better than to think that that was all it was. This was a spell. "We developed it recently. It's a teleportation spell."
"Teleportation?"
"It can move any mass from one place to another of choice. I'm sure it will come in handy."
Xyra smiled and reached out to grab it. However, the second her hand touched it, she knew what it meant. She would have just sold out her companion. She was going to lend him to these people without knowing exactly what their intent was. She had to make sure of one more thing before she sealed the deal.
"You won't hurt him," she demanded, her eyes harsh and containing a definite threat. "You have to promise you won't hurt him."
"You have my word." That was all he had to say before she took the vial from his hand.