Chapter 4 SHADOWS IN THE BAR
"Over here," Xyra said as she sat down at her usual table. She was happy to see that no one had confiscated it during her absence. She enjoyed being secluded at the far end of the bar. It was much quieter than sitting amidst the chaos that converged in the middle.
Magnus hesitantly took his seat across from her, feeling just the smallest pinch of unease as he took note of the stares that followed his every move. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, slouching forward as if the eyes upon him were weighing him down. Everyone would be a little on edge if over fifty people were staring so suspiciously at them. As far as he was concerned, there was no reason for them to be so apprehensive. It's not like he posed much of a threat…at least not now.
They look like vultures, he noted, trying to lighten his own mood by laughing inwardly at the bounty hunters. It worked to some extent. They were expressing an animalistic, almost voracious behavior, as if he were nothing more than a form of prey.
"Ignore them," said Xyra. "They're all just a little edgy right now."
"Why?" asked Magnus.
"They say Albus was spotted in town."
He looked contemplative for a moment, but in the end he just smiled, relaxing in his chair. All the earlier tension just flowed right out. That one name explained everything. Bounty hunters flocked to Albus like moths to a flame. It was unfortunate that both wound up getting burned. I guess this explains the unusual number of bounty hunters I've seen today.
Magnus took a quick survey of the room, making note of how many people there were. Bounty hunters truly came in all shapes and sizes. Some obviously relied on brute strength while others focused more on speed. They all had one thing in common though. Every single one lacked magic. There wasn't a sorcerer amongst them. That would surely be their downfall if they ever encountered Albus. A sorcerer as powerful as him was best countered with magic. What a pitiful bunch. They all look second-rate. I bet not one of them has ever fought a real sorcerer.
After a few more moments of surveying, he returned his attention to Xyra just as she finished speaking to a waiter. She had already ordered both of their drinks. That fact made him a little nervous. He could only hope that she hadn't picked something too strong. He wasn't incredibly fond of alcohol, but some drinks did have a rather delightful, underlying flavor.
"So," began Xyra as she propped her arms up on the table, "what's your story?"
"What do you mean?" he asked with a smile, although he was pretty sure he knew what she was asking about.
"I want to know why you're here. As you can see, most sorcerers have been avoiding this town ever since Albus showed up. The only people here are residents and bounty hunters."
"I'm only passing through on my way to Drester. Just a traveler—nothing more, nothing less."
Xyra gave him a small, knowledgeable glare, and his smile twisted into a nervous grin. He wasn't sure he liked the way she was staring at him. Apparently she didn't like being lied to. It was as if she were trying to dissect him with just her mind, and if he was reading her right, she was easily figuring him out.
"You're no traveler," she stated at last, smirking a bit. "Most talismans act as magic amplifiers and are used solely by sorcerers that go demon hunting. Everyone who knows anything about magic knows that, which happens to be almost the entire population. So what are you…really?"
She waited patiently for him to respond, but all he did was sigh. His arms came up to rest on the table before he fixed her with a very hard stare. Her smirk fell quite a bit as a lump rose in her throat. Whatever he was about to say was serious. This just fueled her curiosity. He was an interesting person, and since her new goal was to try and "befriend" him, it was good to know whatever she could about this odd sorcerer. In the end, if he refused to tell her, she was just going to keep bothering him until he spilled his story. Even if it was none of her business, she couldn't let this go. Curiosity was a powerful and demanding force.
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to mention anything," he told her in a low, threatening voice. "If word gets out, I could be in trouble."
"Okay," she responded, her voice shaking just slightly. She wouldn't tell, at least not intentionally. This was a man who could kill someone in an instant if he so pleased, and despite his earlier demeanor, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to erase her if she broke her promise. His eyes were just as hard as their color implied. He meant business. She would simply have to behave and listen.
"…I'm hunting Raheem."
Xyra nearly fell out of her chair, the shock hitting her full force. Had she heard right? Did that really just come out of his mouth? Raheem—that was another name that just about everyone on the planet knew. Few had the courage to speak it so bluntly, but he had said it as if he were ordering a drink.
"You're hunting him?!" she exclaimed, earning the two of them quite a few stares from the surrounding men. If they hadn't been watching suspiciously before, they certainly were now. She began scolding herself the second she yelled. Usually she was more reserved than that, but his answer had not been the kind she had expected. Thankfully, most of the men in the bar were from outside the town. Drawing that much attention to herself could have easily gotten her in trouble in other cases.
Magnus sighed a bit and rubbed his forehead to try and fight back an impending headache. He watched as Xyra slowly sank down in her chair, a soft blush on her face after making such a scene. Luckily, most of the bounty hunters went back to talking amongst themselves, leaving the two of them alone for the time being. He prayed they would just leave him alone entirely. Thankfully, it was illegal to apprehend someone on assumed charges, so as long as he behaved, he would be safe. Only those with a bounty on their head could be condemned to a life in prison.
"It's nothing to get so excited about," Magnus assured her, trying to lighten the situation, even though he doubted he could. That claim was so blatantly a lie. "He's merely another demon."
"He's not just a demon," she responded, sitting up straight again. "You know the rumors. They say he can use magic and that he looks human. How are you even going to find him?"
"I have my way."
Xyra was about to ask another question when a woman came over with their drinks. She plopped them down on the table, giving a smile to Magnus and then shooting a glare at Xyra, causing the younger woman to shrink back in her chair. She had a pretty good guess as to why she was being glared at. She came into the bar often enough to find out about the people who worked there.
This particular girl liked bringing drinks to men…men who were easy on the eyes and alone. The sorcerer in her company was handsome; there was no question about it. He was probably the best looking man in the bar, whether he realized it or not, and it had to just be killing her that he was currently with someone. In some ways, Xyra found herself feeling pleased about that. Even though they barely knew each other, she could still get satisfaction out of being seen with a guy as handsome as him. It prevented this flirtatious wench from getting what she wanted, and for some reason, the thief felt a sense of pride about that.
Seeing how there was nothing the woman could do about the situation, she really had no choice but to leave them in peace. With one last glare, she stomped off to go and bring drinks to someone worth her time.
Magnus, unaware of the small exchange between the two women, was happy to see that Xyra had at least made a good choice with her order. This was a drink he could easily enjoy, one with a strong flavor that contained very little alcohol. Rarely did he have the time to enjoy something so simple. He was suddenly very happy that he had taken the thief up on her offer, and she wasn't even that bad of company. He could certainly do without the questions though.
"So, do you hunt for money?" Xyra asked after a while, finally regaining her composure.
"Sometimes," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "If the bounty's high enough, I'll take the job."
"Then why not be a real bounty hunter? If you want money, go after Albus. He's worth more than any demon."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
He raised his glass, gulping down about half of the drink. He hadn't been that thirsty, but he really didn't want to answer any more questions. The sooner he finished drinking, the sooner he could leave.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I refuse to hunt an innocent man."
"Innocent?!" she exclaimed in mild shock, drawing a few eyes to herself yet again before quieting her voice a bit. "How can you say someone like him is innocent?! Have you seen his bounty?"
"I'm well aware of it."
Once again, he calmly raised his glass, not seeming too bothered by the way Xyra was screaming at him. He really didn't care that much about this particular topic. No matter what he said to her about Albus, she wouldn't change her mind, so any effort to fully explain his reason would surely be wasted. Everyone knew the man's reputation. Albus was a fiend, or at least that's what everyone made him out to be. In all honesty, there probably wasn't a soul alive that knew of his actual charges. He was a wanted man and worth a lot of money. That was all anyone needed to know.
"Then how can you say he's innocent?" Xyra asked, not grasping this concept. She received a look from Magnus that instantly silenced her.
"Tell me, what crime has he committed?" he asked. "What act earned him that bounty?"
He received no answer other than silence.
"That's what I thought. It's pointless to hunt a man when no one even knows what he's done. If someone can tell me why he deserves to be killed, then I'll hunt him."
Xyra said nothing as Magnus finished his drink. She had nothing left to add to this conversation. She couldn't defend her point after an attack like that. True, she didn't know what Albus had done to earn himself so much attention. One day there had just been a bounty on his head, issued by the same people who posted all bounties for corrupt human beings, and with it had come plenty of rumors, so no one had questioned it. The money was incredibly tempting to all the ravaging bounty hunters that were running out of criminals to apprehend.
However, there was only one problem with hunting the renowned Albus, a rather big one: no one knew exactly what he looked like. Most of the sightings turned out to be empty rumors, and those who started them were never really identified, but people flocked to the locations nonetheless, just in case it turned out to be true. The only things known about Albus were that he was a man somewhere in his thirties or twenties and that he was an extremely powerful sorcerer. No one else had managed to gather anything more than that.
"Thanks for the drink," said Magnus, snapping Xyra out of her reverie. She hadn't even noticed that he had gotten up. "I'd like to stay and chat more, but I really do need to get going. I have to reach Drester by nightfall." He gave her a small bow, and without offering a word of departure, he began to leave the bar.