"She's taking a bath. I'm sure she'll be along shortly." He lifted his cup and gestured towards me. "Would you like some tea? It's my own special blend. I think you'll find it to your liking."
When Magnolia returned, I almost leapt out of my chair. The door opening was a gunshot to my senses; I flinched at the sound and shook the table. Magnus looked up with a grin and drained the rest of his tea.
By the time Magnolia reached the table, I'd calmed my shot nerves. She sat down a large cup of tea with a wink. "I made it special for you."
The smell rising from it was heavenly—a mixture of black tea, lemon, and a sharp, bitter undertone that I recognized well. I took a large gulp. The tea was delicious, but the liquor was what made me sigh in pleasure. The bite of the alcohol soothed my aching head almost instantly, and I drained the cup in several gulps before setting it back on its saucer. Guess let's get this over with. I need some answers.
"Can we talk?"
He looked up from his papers to answer me. "Of course. I'm sure you have many questions."
"That I do."
Magnus picked at one of the biscuits on the plate, tearing it apart with his fingers and flicking the pieces into his mouth. "I'll answer what I can, but as I mentioned last night, there is still much I myself don't know."
"Yeah, I got that, but let's work through what you do know. Before we go off speculating, I'd like to have a good grasp of the situation. It was a lot to take in last night, and I want to fully understand the situation before we add to it."
"Go ahead."
I fumbled with the knife next to me, buttering a half of a biscuit I had no intention of eating. Let's start with the easiest thing for me to understand. "So the world used to be much bigger than it is now?"
"Correct."
"And up until three hundred years ago, everything was fine, until something happened. You don't know what, but it caused a massive crash."
"Indeed."
"So the system compensated for this by deleting shit, including people and even history itself?"
Magnus nodded. "A bit more eloquent than I'd have put it, but you have the basics."
“Why haven't we noticed any of this?"
"A few have, but the main reason is that everyone's memories get deleted."
"Wait, what?"
"Memories take up quite a lot of data, and with our limited hard drive space, it was the simplest option."
I paused to consider his words. I got the gist of it, but the technical aspects behind it boggled me. "How does that even work?"
Magnus sighed, rolling up his parchment and sliding into his pocket, giving me his undivided attention. "It's basically on a cycle. We have enough space for about a hundred years of everyone's memories. When the storage starts to exceed our allocated space, the A.I. resets the world."
"It deletes our memories and resets everyone back to square one?"
"Precisely. It hard resets everything back to the first backup, which was made when we reset the world the first time and erases the data."
I pointed a finger at him. "How do you know all this?"
"Perks of being the lead programmer. I've kept all of my memories since the very beginning."
I whistled. "That's a thousand years of memories."
Magnus took a sip of his tea. "It's certainly been a burden to bear. It's hard to make friends when they'll just forget you in the end." He smiled. "Though there are a few exceptions."
Aliria, of course, but there have to be others from the sound of it. I was about to ask when Magnolia returned with more tea.
The clink of china interrupted my chain of thought; Magnolia sat the full cup down on its saucer, and from the smell wafting past my nose, it was at least as strong as the first cup. I picked it up and took a tentative sip. It was more alcohol than tea. I took a big gulp, enjoying the burn of the booze as it went down.
It helped me get my thoughts in order, or at least sort them into manageable chunks for me to digest. Okay, let's not go off and ask every single question that's running through my head right now. We'll be here for hours if I pester him about pointless things. I need clear, concise, and understandable information.
"The void at the edge of the world—I'm assuming that's a threat?"
"Not by itself, no, but it's indicative of a much greater problem."
"Which is?" I hedged.
"Chaos, or for lack of a better term, instability. It means something is wrong and the system is compensating again."
"Can't you just use your admin access and find out what's going on?" I asked before drinking another sip of tea.
Magnus shook his head and sipped tea. "I could, if I still had it. I lost my contact with the A.I. and haven't been able to access any higher system functions."
"How'd that happen?"
Magnus paused, his eyes shifted away from me. "I don't know."
Liar. But I didn't press further. It would only anger him, and he was entitled to his secrets. There were much bigger things to worry about.
"Are we in danger?"
"Not at the moment, but something needs to be done, or it could turn into a serious problem."
I leaned back in my chair while I digested what he'd just told me. There were things Magnus was keeping from me, it was obvious, but what was also obvious, was that something was wrong. Okay, so something is going on here. Something big. It's not just Magnus's words, but whatever that's been taking over my voice. I'm being pushed into this, whether I want to or not. I can't afford to sit this one out, even if I had a choice in the matter.
Wonder what the Aspect thinks? I closed my eyes for a second, reaching down for its presence. It's been unusually quiet since meeting Aliria.
Hey, Aspect, talk to me.
It pulsed, keeping me alive, but it refused to answer my call. I pushed, and it sent a spike of frost through my heart. The pain was sharp and took my breath from me before fading and disappearing.
What the hell is going on with it? It was terrified, which in turn terrified me. The Aspect was strong, abomination or not, and it had saved my life more than once, so for it to be afraid meant serious news.
I ran my fingers over the cup of tea, trailing over the smooth porcelain under my fingers. It was a real, physical sensation that helped ground my fear and let me work through it.
As I was about to respond, there was an itch in the back of my head. Eris is up.
That thought made me happy for a split second, but it couldn't erase the fear and unease running wild. There was too much unease flowing through me that there was no way I could keep it from her. I was so afraid, and Eris knew it.
She opened our bond, and our emotions mixed. They poured over one another and did nothing to quell each other; if anything, it made things worse. Her misery at my absence only magnified when my terror slipped through. There was no way for me to communicate with her, and her tidal wave of emotions flooded into me, drowning me.
I had to close off our connection, though it pained me to do so. It had to be done. Our emotions would only hurt the other, and it wasn’t what I needed to focus on right now. Throughout all of this, I tried to keep my distress off my face, but Magnus saw right through it. He was looking at me with a quizzical expression on his face. He put down his tea. "Something troubling you, Duran?"
Instead of answering him, I picked up the china cup in front of me and drained the contents. As always, the booze helped to calm my racing heart and mind. As I sat the cup on the table, I spoke. "Uh, I'm fine, just a little headache."
My weak lie did not get past him. "Trouble with your wife?"
"That obvious, huh?"
He laughed. "Only to me. Like you, I've spent ample time with an entomancer; you pick up a few things. While I’m not bonded to Aliria, I understand the concept easily enough."
His words surprised me. "I'd assumed the two of you were bonded."
"Oh, by the stars, no. Not that I'm opposed to the idea, but Aliria, for obvious reasons, refuses to be bonded ever ag
ain."
Well, with how things ended with her first bond-mate, I can't say I blame her all that much. She doesn't want to end up like me. The door to the dining hall opened once more, and Aliria strolled in, her pale skin flushed by heat, her hair damp, turning the golden strands into tarnished brass. Her hair was tied back out of her face in a ponytail, and she was garbed in a dark crimson dress that flowed down to her ankles, though her feet were bare. Like mother, like daughter.
Magnus looked from me at the sound of the door opening, "Ah, speak of the devil. We were just talking about you, dear."
Aliria smiled at his words. "All bad things, I hope."
"All right, Magnus, what do you need from me?"
Magnus stopped mid-sip, his teacup frozen halfway to his lips, and confusion lit up his eyes. "I'm sorry?"
"There's obviously something big going down. Now that I know about it, what can I do to help?"
Magnus looked from me to Aliria and back again. His confusion washed away to amusement as he realized my meaning. He chuckled, but it wasn't his usual laugh; there was absolutely no kindness in it. "I think you've misunderstood things. After our meal, I'll give you a teleportation scroll and send you home."
What? I couldn't stop my anger from boiling out. I slammed my fist down on the table, knocking over my empty cup in the process. The table shook at my outburst. "Excuse me?" I yelled, spitting fury across the wood. “After all this, everything you've told me, just to go home?"
"Precisely."
Magnus picked up his cup and continued to drink his tea as if we were discussing nothing more important than the weather, his face betraying no hint of his reasoning.
"Why?" I tried and failed to keep my voice level.
"Do you want the truth?"
"Obviously!" I said through clenched teeth.
Magnus sighed, setting down his cup and looking me square in the eye. There was judgment and darkness in them.
"You're clearly a capable man, I won't deny that. Tough and strong-willed, but you’re also quick to anger, dangerously unpredictable, and your penchant for drink borders on alcoholism. You bring much to the table, but you also leave much to be desired." He paused and took a breath, leaving me in stunned silence. "In short, I have no use for a man like you."
His words stung me, but purely from the audacity of them, they rang hollow in my ears. Magnus clearly didn't understand the kind of person I was. Alcoholism? Ridiculous. I've never had a problem.
His words should have enraged me, almost did, but to give in to my anger would have just proved his point. Instead, I countered his accusations with one of my own. Who is Magnus to levy judgment when he keeps the worst kind of company? “Yet you employ the likes of Darren, or Liam? Yeah, you clearly have discerning tastes, all right."
Magnus looked up, eyes widened. “You've met Liam?"
"I have."
"Liam’s been with me for many years and has proven himself loyal time and time again."
I laughed in his face. "Loyal? Liam was a right bastard. A slaver, like Darren, who preyed on the weak."
Magnus couldn't help but notice my wording, the inflection in my tone betrayed Liam's fate.
"Was?" Magnus asked.
"He got in my way."
"You killed him?" Magnus's tone changed from bored to incredulous, as did his face. He didn't believe me.
I inclined my head. Well, it was a combined effort, but I don’t think he needs the details. Magnus took his eyes off me to stare at his interface. His eyes dropped when he realized I spoke the truth. A flash of sadness, tinged with righteous fury, crossed them before Magnus could compose himself.
"You weren't lying. You must forgive my disbelief; Liam was one of my strongest lieutenants. Few were capable of besting him."
He shook his head, brushing his blond hair from his face as he composed himself. Even if they were friends, Liam will be back in a few months once he respawns.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises," Aliria said from beside me before she leaned over to whisper to Magnus.
I strained my ears but couldn't pick up more than half a word or two. Nothing that could help me make sense of anything. As Aliria broke away from him, Magnus spoke.
"You make an excellent point. I hadn't considered that." He turned his head to me. “Very well; you say you wish to help. If you have the skills to defeat Liam, then despite my reticence, I could use your assistance."
I don't like this one bit. I rose from my chair. “Why do I feel like this is a trap?"
Magnus smiled at me, back to his cheerful self. “Not a trap, a test. It’ll be dangerous, risky. I won’t lie, but if you truly want to help…”
I'm going to regret this, but what the hell. "All right, what do you need from me?"
Magnus set down his cup of tea and pushed the remains of his breakfast away from him. He picked up the pristine white cloth in his lap and dabbed at the corners of his mouth, wiping non-existent stains away. "Why don't we continue this conversation in the war room?"
"The what, now?"
Magnus grinned wide, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Oh, you're going to enjoy this."
Chapter 4 - Just Another Job
Magnus said I'd enjoy the war room, and what met me as we stepped through the heavy iron door did not disappoint. The room was large, easily the same size as the dining hall or throne room, but there were no windows or stained glass here. No, there was floor-to-ceiling stone. Bright green lights hung along the walls and in gigantic wrought-iron chandeliers from the roof. They all bubbled and frothed effervescent, casting dancing shadows onto the muted gray wall, which came alive with darkness.
The lights were mesmerizing, and it took a concerted effort to pull my gaze from them. I growled under my breath. What the hell is Magnus thinking? "Some warning would have been nice, Magnus. Mage lights aren't things to play around with."
He cast a small grin my way. "If you can't handle little mind games, you’d be utterly useless to me."
“Little mind games.” I scoffed. “People can go insane from just one, and there’s hundreds here.”
“You’re not people. I stand by what I said, but I now have much higher hopes for you.”
As we walked through the room, we came across the first area. The entire room was divided into sections, each one taking up one-fourth of the space. The first one looked like nothing short of a military command center. It held an exact replica table of the one in his study, though this one had a few noticeable changes. From a quick glance, I could tell what this table was for: planning conflicts, assessing threats.
I scanned over it, but I’d already seen its tricks in his study, so it was far less impressive a second time.
When I stood up from the map table, I caught the glint of metal in the far corner of the room, and when my eyes adjusted, I saw what the latter half of the room was hiding.
Rows and rows and rows of armaments. Hundreds, if not thousands of them. What must have been one of nearly every weapon in the world, lined up in neat order next to one another.
A full rack of swords was next to a rack of spears, which continued to a rack of daggers.
None of them were below hero-tier. Which put just one little rack at easily the most expensive thing I'd ever seen.
And there were dozens upon dozens of weapon racks.
I'm staring at tens of millions of gold, just in weapons alone. By the nine kings of hell.
This, more than anything else I'd seen since coming here, terrified me to my bones.
Magnus was a truly powerful man, but his magic was so far out of my purview that I didn't understand it. I was so far out of my depth regarding him, but I understood these weapons. I understood the unthinkable amount of wealth they represented.
If Magnus so desired, he could overthrow the entire Compass Kingdom, could topple the five kings, and proclaim himself emperor of humanity…and he hadn't.
This amount of money was enough to corrupt even the Whisper herself, and I knew deep in m
y soul that I wouldn't have been so noble; this money would have destroyed me with the power it could grant.
And this was just one-fourth of the room.
The other half was a mixture of over two dozen sets of armor, each one clearly hero-tier, the highest quality that existed. Alongside the armor were quite a few sets of mage robes. All of them humming with untapped power, even to my nearly magicless senses. I couldn’t ignore the power they gave off.
And if the weapons and armor weren't enough, the last section of the room was dedicated to miscellaneous items. Potions of every kind. Every one I'd ever seen, as well as many more that I'd only ever heard about. On a large wooden bookcase next to the potions was a small library of scrolls, sectioned off and labeled.
The more I looked, the more I was amazed. Jewelry and charms, magic items that did gods knew what. Everything was neatly organized and displayed like a prized collection, but I knew exactly what I was looking at.
An armory.
This room was an armory, built to wage war, and I believed with my entire being that there wasn't a force alive that could stand against Magnus.
He might as well be a god, and with his unnatural powers, he might actually be one.
I turned to him, my mouth hanging to the floor. "Why do you have all this?"
Magnus laughed. "A product of my nature. I'd rather have it and never need it than find myself wanting."
"If you need this much firepower, I weep for all of us."
Magnus laughed again quietly. “Perhaps. Once Aliria gets here, we can go over the assignment,” he said, then busied himself with the table, already lost in his thoughts.
I decided to have a look around at the unbelievable weapons while we waited. Naturally, I was drawn to the swords. I walked over to the rack and admired the gleaming metal.
The first row was dominated by what I would say were the lowest quality weapons, which baffled me to even think about, because I saw a similar sword to the one I carried. And this was just the lowest shelf. The unbelievable quality only increased as I reached the next levels. The top two racks only held a single sword apiece, and these enraptured me.
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