Chapter 9 SHADOWS IN THE CITY
Magnus stood in front of a door, one that led into a rather odd looking shop. It was small, having a very quaint feel to it. However, despite that feeling, very few would ever enter. Only darkness could be seen through the windows. That fact chased away any would-be customers. Not many people were in this area of the city anyway. Very few were walking the streets, and only a handful were entering the shops. That was mainly because this was a place for hunters and sorcerers. Most of these locals were neither, and with the rumor of Albus being in the small city to the east, most of the resident bounty hunters, as well as the normal hunters, were off pursuing him.
With a small sigh, Magnus pushed open the door and walked into the dark room. Very little light managed to seep in, and when the door closed, he was left in complete and utter darkness. Quickly he conjured up a simple, harmless lightning spell and just held it in his hand in order to illuminate the area. There wasn't much in this room, so he didn't have to worry about tripping over or bumping into anything. However, even with his light, he couldn't seem to find the person he was looking for. There was a man he was supposed to be meeting here.
"Hello?" he called, glancing around a bit more. He heard something tip over and soon the rustling of fabrics against the floor began echoing in the empty space. A man suddenly appeared in the doorway of the next room, and he had to quickly raise his arms to shield his eyes from the light of Magnus's spell.
"Geez, boy. Must you do this every time ya come?" the man responded in a gruff tone, the irritation crystal clear in his voice.
Magnus only smiled and dimmed his spell.
"Well, if you weren't such an antisocial curmudgeon, maybe light wouldn't hurt your eyes."
The old man said nothing to that and simply walked over to a chair in the other room. He motioned for Magnus to follow him, so the sorcerer took a seat and set his spell down in the center of the table. The old man scowled at the gesture, his gray beard ruffling under his chin. He had to squint a bit due to the light, his charcoal eyes now nothing more than two points on his face.
"I'm surprised yer still alive," he told Magnus, a small smirk present on his face.
"Well, Gareth, it's nice to know you haven't changed any. You're still a sarcastic and bitter old man."
Gareth frowned a bit at that comment. He glared at Magnus, but the sorcerer just didn't seem to care. That was no surprise. Nothing ever bothered him. Very few could successfully frighten or irritate the boy. He always just grinned and laughed everything right off. Sure, in moments of peril, he was incredibly serious, but the circumstances had to be very drastic in order to get a decent reaction from him.
"Yer too damn confident fer yer own good," Gareth remarked softly, but Magnus just grinned more, his smile crossing over to a smirk.
"That's true, but you have to agree that I have every right to be."
"… Why did you come?"
"Two reasons. First, I have something to ask you about." All the humor suddenly drained from him, his posture stiffening. His smirk had become nothing but a straight, pursed line. "I need another Lazufeer talisman…"
"Still goin' after Raheem, I see," Gareth sighed, placing his arms on the table and leaning in a little closer. "You should just forget it. Alone, yer no match for 'im. Even with yer magic, I doubt you can win."
"I can't accept that," Magnus stated softly. "I'll die before I give up."
"That could happen at the rate yer goin'," he mumbled inaudibly, not wanting to strike a hostile nerve in the young sorcerer. "If ya want a Lazufeer talisman, you should check up north, 'round Millmore. Someone up there oughta have one. Plus, it's one of the few areas the Sorcerer's League hasn't spread to."
"Alright. Sounds good."
"Now that that's taken care of, what's the other reason ya came?"
Magnus's grin returned as he leaned in, placing his arms on the table.
"Is it fixed yet?" he asked curiously, a childlike excitement present in his voice. From the look on Gareth's face, the old man already knew what he was inquiring about. A while ago, he had left one of his most prized possessions in his friend's care. The sorcerer wasn't going to leave without retrieving his favorite trinket.
With a sigh, Gareth reached into one of the many pockets of his long navy robes, drawing out a necklace. It was a pendant, to be exact. The necklace appeared to be normal, but the stone in the middle—surrounded by a golden plate—was not something to take lightly. It was a dull gray in color, but despite how poor it looked, there was a great deal of magic in it.
"I knew you'd be askin' about this old thing."
He tossed the pendant to Magnus, and the sorcerer just smiled more. He slipped it over his head, marveling at the sight. He wasn't sure how he had managed to survive so long without it. The necklace just felt so natural hanging there around his neck, almost as if it were a part of him.
"I really missed it," he told Gareth softly. "Felt kinda strange not having it on. I had quite a few close calls, now that I think about it."
"Then next time think before you go breakin' it."
Magnus said nothing to that. He simply stood up and pushed his chair in.
"You gonna leave town right away?" Gareth questioned plainly while motioning over to the sphere that was still sitting on the table. The last thing he wanted was for Magnus to leave it there. The light that thing gave off was horribly blinding to an old man like him.
"Can't," Magnus stated, reaching over and taking back his spell. "I have some people I need to wait for."
"Companions?" Gareth asked, nearly laughing at the word. "That's rather unlike you. How many?"
"Two for now, but I'm not sure how long it'll last. Xyra will probably follow me for a while, but I don't know about Darren…"
"He's a passin' local, that Darren boy. He hangs around 'cause all the demon bounties. The kid's a good hunter, there's no denyin' that. Probably one the best we got. He takes off a lot though—likes fightin' and action…really likes women…"
Magnus suddenly felt a little nervous about that last revelation, faltering slightly in his stride to the door. He had left Xyra alone with Darren, and even though the hunter seemed like a decent man, one could never be too sure. No wonder he seemed so happy about our deal last night. Maybe I should head back… From what he could tell, Xyra wasn't the type to be comfortable in that sort of situation. True, he had only known her for about a day, but he prided himself at being able to read people. She wasn't the type who wanted a guy to hang off her like that. Hopefully, Darren was behaving himself.
"I'm gonna get going," he told Gareth. "Thanks for the help."
"Just be careful," he warned. "Don't go gettin' yerself killed."
Magnus only smiled before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him. He quickly began walking down the streets, ignoring most of the people that passed him by. He was a man with a mission. It was about time he went and saved Xyra from Darren.