The First Mage

Arax could have killed Berla with that first strike. I knew that from personal experience. Granted, a Fighter might be tougher than me, but certainly not enough to survive a serious strike from her. This was accentuated by the way Arax disabled Berla with ease, after evading every single one of her attacks. We didn’t stand a chance, it was as simple as that.

This made her proposal all the more peculiar. She held all the cards. Technically, there was no reason for her to make any deals. Even if she believed that I would plot her death for the rest of my life, she could without a doubt get me to give her whatever she wanted. It’s not like I wouldn’t crack under torture. Then again, when I thought about how she treated Berla, my blood started boiling.

“Defiance” she called this. More like utter stupidity...

I leaned closer to Berla and whispered into her ear as quietly as possible, “Try to think about absolutely nothing.”

She looked at me with slight confusion as I turned back towards Arax.

“Why do you want scripts so badly?” I asked. “Aren’t you strong enough as it is? If even the gods are wary of you... What do you need us for?”

Arax looked at me with pity. “Inexperienced little Miles, you know so little about the world,” she said as if speaking to a toddler. “Do you think you’re qualified to judge what I need? Besides, need and want can be two very different things. You should strive to be someone who can and will offer either to me. It will benefit you.”

“Possibly. But not knowing your long term plans is concerning.”

“You don’t trust me? That hurts. I’ve always been true to my word,” she sneered.

“Excuse my caution, you weren’t quite as accommodating when we last met,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s business. Then was then, now is now.”

We went from her choosing Tomar, to wanting Shadi, to offering me a collaboration. If she wanted Shadi instead of Tomar, a Sourcerer potentially had more value to her. More value than an aspiring scripter. Was the girl now off the table though?

“What about everybody else? The healer... Other scripters or awakened humans... The citizens... Will they be allowed to keep living their lives in peace?”

“Of course. I have no use for them.”

Arax had apparently seen something that convinced her she only needed me for her plans. Something about my scripts, or what she believed to be caused by scripts, was unusual to her. If she had dealt with gods in the past, and they used Omega, it made sense that she had some experience in the field.

Though I was surprised about how easily she switched targets. It was almost as if she didn’t truly know what she needed or wanted. She knew that scripts were powerful, she might have understood that Tomar had a long way to go yet, and she assumed an actual Sourcerer was the better option. Until she realized that I was the most capable scripter around.

She was right in saying that I was in a fortunate position. She could torture what I knew out of me, but if she had loftier goals than shooting some water and being able to walk after losing a leg, she wouldn’t get very far with my current scripts. Getting me on board was the strategic approach. She was also very generous. She could just as well ask for Shadi too. We wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. But she seemed to understand that a fair deal benefiting both parties would be more well received.

She’s definitely the most intelligent beast we dealt with... Really, she seems more like a human in a beast’s body.

I glanced around the main square, hundreds of people still all around us. They were pressed against each other and the buildings behind them, putting as much distance between them and Arax as possible. Most were unable to find a way out of there. Some were leaving through alleyways or hiding inside houses, but there could only be so much space to go around. I didn’t see the other beasts from this position, but they would still have to be there if the people couldn’t flee. This also meant that Riala and the others hadn’t been able to deal with the two wolves yet.

Next to the stage behind us stood a large group of guards, still rooted to the spot where I had commanded them to stay, though a Ruler was next to them, desperately pointing in our direction. I was actually impressed that he dared coming out of hiding, just to—presumably—instruct them to do something about Arax. Equally surprising, and a little creepy, was that they were ignoring him entirely, all staring at me instead.

This goes a little beyond just giving them instructions or scaring them with my aura... What did I do there?

I took our entire situation in and thought all of it through. Our options weren’t great, but I wanted to improve our negotiation position and lessen the risk for others at least a little bit. Talking to Arax helped a little, but it seemed like Riala unfortunately wasn’t working as quickly as I had hoped.

I was probably silent for a little while, because Arax eventually interrupted my thoughts. “What’s it going to be?”

Our eyes met, but I still didn’t say anything. How long will I be able to stall her?

“In case you’re trying to buy time,” she said, practically reading my mind once again, “your girl already surrendered.”

My eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“She’s impressive for a child, and my lackeys aren’t as strong as I am, but what do you think she was able to do if your scripts weren’t effective on them either?”

A malicious smile creeped onto her face. She hadn’t bat an eye when I told Riala to take the right side. I thought Arax just didn’t care about her minions, or that she wanted to take care of me first, but I had evidently been mistaken.

I hung my head. “She wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” Arax said, before shouting, “Bring the little one!”

Turning around again, the human wall seemed to part slowly, creating a narrow path through which Riala and one of Arax’s wolves came walking our way. The people looked on in horror as the beast pushed through them, its fur stroking their faces. The moment Riala walked into the open space and her gaze fell on us, she bit her lip and looked down as if ashamed. Even after walking all the way up to us, she didn’t raise her head.

“Ria, it’s okay,” I said.

“It’s not...” she whispered. “I’m too weak...”

I glanced at the two wolves, one standing threateningly behind Riala, the other towering over Berla and me, crouching on the floor submissively. Arax seemed to understand what I was silently asking about, and she gestured towards Riala with her chin. I walked two steps towards her and got down to take her into my arms. She embraced me in turn.

“We’re all too weak. But it is okay. Don’t get bogged down by something you can’t change.”

Riala clung to me. “But I don’t want you to die!”

I had never seen her cry before, but at that moment I heard a quiet sob. I swallowed hard, a lump in my throat. This seven year old girl thought that her failing to kill the two beasts had doomed me. That I would now be murdered again. I was stunned into silence momentarily. Somehow I hadn’t realized how much weight she was putting on her little shoulders.

Way to go, you idiot... You actually managed to make her cry.

“I’m not going to die, you hear me? None of us are. I promise.”

The words left my mouth faster than I could think. It was the first time in my life that I promised something without feeling certain that I could keep it. After all, it wasn’t even in my hands.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Arax said.

Riala and I let go of each other and turned towards the three meter large wolf. Her conclusion was that I would accept, because that was the only way nobody would die here. And truth be told, that was the only plan I had.

Live to fight another day...

However, just before I could address the terms of the agreement she was proposing, I noticed something. Looking her up and down out of sheer frustration, I realized the area where I had hit her was slightly discolored. Her fur was a blinding white, shining silver in the sunlight. In that one spot though, it was ever so slightly less shiny.

I really am an idiot, I thought, exasperated with myself.