MAGUS INFINITE

I knew that whatever I was going to be doing next would alter the fate of these nine individuals, but I had not stopped to think on how it would affect me... perhaps I should have given more thought to this, but time was a resource that I needed to know how to properly spend.

Ruggah rose to his feet as I approached. His single golden eye studied me, taking in the compass in my hand and the blade I carried. I saw something in his eye that told me that perhaps this Beastkin was expecting me. "You have returned."

"I have," I said, keeping my tone even. "And I have something to show you."

I held out the blade. The golden light of the Unending Flame rippled across its surface, and I saw the fire reflected in their eyes. The blade was almost weightless, and I did not need to touch it to know that it was extremely hot and sharp, no armor would be able to hold against its edge for long, if not the sharpness, then the impossible heat was more than enough to kill most things.

Not even I would be able to survive for long if this blade was stabbed into my heart and head and I did not quickly remove it... sooner or later, I would just be a melted stain on the ground.

Ogg made a low sound in his chest. Thurrim leaned forward, his gnarled hands tightening on his knees. The Shades moved for the first time, and they drew in on themselves, as if afraid of the light from the weapon.

"That blade was forged by the God of the Unending Flame," I said. "It was made for cutting through the darkness that has consumed this world. It is the first of many."

Ruggah’s eye flickered. "The god made this for you?"

I shook my head. "Not for me, I have... other weapons. No, he made it for anyone here who has the strength and the will to wield it."

For the first time, one of the Shades spoke. I believe it was Sef. "Why would he give us weapons?"

I looked at the Shade in surprise, his voice was not at all what I had been ready for. Rather than something wispy, it was strong, something I would expect to hear from a general, and not from a being who could easily be lost in the shadows.

"Because he is no longer going to stand by the side and watch, and you were all here at the right time. But of course, power like this has a price, since every single weapon that emerges from his forge bears a part of his flame... and those could be lost forever if they entered the wrong hands. These weapons are a privilege and a burden."

The camp was silent, and I watched the light of the blade reflecting from the eyes of everyone here, even Coin could not seem to look away from the blade, finally it was Ruggah who stepped closer. "What are you offering us?"

I looked at him, at the Beastkin who had sacrificed his eye for a vision. "You want revenge," I said. "You want to make the enemy pay for what they took from you. I am offering you the chance to get it."

Ruggah’s eye narrowed. "Explain."

I held up the compass. "This compass will guide me to places of power and danger. Places where no mortal with any lick of common sense would enter, and even gods would think twice before going into them. I told you all I would end it all... this endless conflict. Well, the materials I need to build something that can change the course of this war are going to be found in those places. If you follow me, you will have more chances to fight than you could ever find on your own."

I looked at each of them in turn. "You came here seeking a purpose, a way to strike back. I am offering you both. I am not asking you to protect me. I am not asking you to serve me. I am asking you to walk beside me, and to take every opportunity that presents itself to make the enemy bleed."

Ruggah was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke. "And what do you gain from this?"

I met his gaze. "There are many things I would require on this journey from knowledge to companions, and this warband here is all I have. I gain traveling companions who want to fight as much as I do, warriors who will not flinch when the darkness comes... I gain people who remember what they are fighting for."

Ogg made a low sound in his chest. "You are offering us a war."

"War?" I chuckled. "The war is already here, and it would still be here long after everyone here is bones and the memory of our names is dust on the wind. No, I am offering you a chance to fight this war on your own terms," I said. "To strike at the enemy where they are strong, to make them pay for every life they took, and along the way, you may get to see something that would bring you the one thing you were never expecting... hope."

Thurrim grunted. "That is a dangerous offer."

"It is," I agreed. "But I do not think any of you came here looking for safety. I know most of you think you are hearing the rambles of a mad man, thinking he can end a war that is reshaping reality itself, but this does not mean that what I offer is false... you will all strike your enemies where it hurts the most... this journey would not be complete without it."

Ines spoke up, her voice small but steady. "What will we face?"

I looked at her, at the young woman who had lost everything. "I do not know," I said honestly. "This world is big and the horrors it holds are legion, and the journey will test us, but the path before us has already been paved."

Ruggah’s eye flickered. "What do you mean?"

I held up the compass again. "The god of this mountain forged this for me. It knows where we are going, even if I do not."

Tam spoke up, his voice bitter. "And what makes you so special?"

I looked at him, and I saw the hopelessness in his eyes, mixed with jealousy. "I am not special," I shrugged. "I am just someone who refuses to give up."

Tam looked away from my eyes and wanted to say something else, before Ines pinched him on the waist, causing him to curse softly.

Ruggah turned to his warband. "What do you say?"

Ogg was the first to speak. "I have been running for six hundred years, from one war to another. I am tired of running. If there is a chance to fight back, I will take it."

Thurrim nodded slowly. "The Great Fitting would consume everything. I would rather die fighting than die hiding. Count me in."

Tam looked at Ines. She nodded, and he turned back to me. "We will follow you."

The three Shades simply bowed, and Coin looked away, as if there was no reason for her to speak.

Ruggah stepped forward. "Then we will follow you as well. Lead us to the reckoning we have been waiting for."

A sad smile touched my face, the people of this time, all these races... they were magnificent.

"Then we leave at dawn," I said. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we begin. But first, what is your choice of weapons?"