10-09-2016, 08:50 PM
The captain smiled his ugly smile as his eyes roved up and down the curves of her body with obvious intent.
“Oh, aye, missy, we can keep a place for you, right cozy in the captain’s quarters,” he said. He’d begun to sweat now; his dirt-caked forehead gleamed with it. Magus’ cold eyes moved from the captain to the woman and back again.
“No,” he said.
“What?” the captain glared at him, but his eyes kept trailing back to the beautiful lady in the tight clothes who’d so earnestly asked to be aboard the ship. His ship. “Ye might be charterin’ this boat but it’s me who is the captain-”
“And it’s me who promised to make you rich,” Magus turned his gaze to the lady who’d invaded his personal space. She really was quite lovely, but there was something clearly unnatural… predatory… about her. It was too much of a coincidence for her to show up now, too much of a liability. His eyes flicked back to the captain. “If you want your gold, you won’t take her.”
“Well, where is this feckin’ gold?!”
The wizard sighed and strode right past Alexandria, to a cloth covering a large container of some sort. With a single tug, he yanked the black cloth away, revealing not a container, but stacks and stacks of solid gold ingots.
The crew and the captain – once smitten by the beautiful woman who’d suddenly entered his life – were dazzled by the sight. The gold gleamed in the sunshine, and even the strongest crewman struggled to lift even one of the ingots.
“Either this is real, or it’s lead plated with the real thing,” one said.
Magus scoffed. “It would require just as much effort to make those from gold as it would to do it out of lead. Or marshmallow.”
“This much gold, just waved into being,” the captain breathed. “Gods.”
“And I’ll wave you out of being if you don’t get her off this ship and me to Rapture,” his tone was icy now. Non-negotiable.
“Now hold on,” the invasive woman coolly breathed, catching the eye of the strange, knife-eared man. Her eyes met his as she sought to read his motivations, but those bloody red eyes betrayed little.
There was anger there, something great and terrible. He had eyes like Martin, the eyes of a practised killer, cold and withdrawn, but unlike Martin’s, these were supremely calculating, too. There was something more, too. Guilt. It sloughed off of him in waves, chilly and sour.
But there was no lust, no curiosity. Whoever this man was, he was used to keeping his cards close to his chest.
She couldn’t see much more in those eyes. This was a man who’d trained himself to be difficult to read, but there were things he couldn’t hide. His regal posture belied a confidence – or arrogance – which could be manipulated.
“You need me,” she finally said.
Magus closed his eyes and took a breath, making no effort to hide his annoyance. He didn’t need to say anything to convey that he demanded an explanation.
“You’re looking for Omni, aren’t you?” she put her hand on his chest, but he immediately stepped back, out of reach. She looked up at him expectantly. The captain and the crew seemed wide-eyed; they knew he’d wanted to get to Rapture, but nothing more. What kind of man would attempt to get an audience with the Creator?
“…What? I hardly tried to keep it a secret; were you expecting me to be shocked that you knew?”
“And you’re going to Rapture, aren’t you?” she pressed, shifting her attack. “You’re going to need a guide when you’re down there. It’s very different than any surface city you’ve been to.”
Magus appraised her for a moment while Alex watched the gears of his mind work. Who knew if what she said was true? It didn’t matter, so long as he believed it.
“You’re a liability,” he finally said. “It’s too convenient that you’re here. Why did you come here? Why choose me?”
“Simple. You want what I want-”
“I doubt that very much.”
“All the same,” Alexandria continued. “You want to get to Omni. I want to get to Omni. I found out that’s who you were looking for, and you seem capable. I’m going to need help to get to him, and, let’s face it: so will you. The path ahead is a long one.”
“You’ve been to Rapture?”
The crossroads demon fought the overwhelming urge to grin in triumph, holding her poker face together perfectly. “Yes, that’s right.”
“You know how to get to the Void from there?”
That was a loaded question. He was testing her. “I have an idea,” she manoeuvered. “I know who to talk with to find out.”
Magus turned from her and strode across the boat to reflect on the sea for the second time that day. He scowled down at the sea returned his scowl with a blank stare.
“Fine,” he said before turning around. He glared at the captain. “Keep an eye on her,” he said, not that he needed to. He was confident the captain would be paying her more attention than his work, or anything else. He turned to the newcomer. “You cause me the slightest iota of grief, and I’ll send you to the bottom of the sea in pieces.”
“Oh, aye, missy, we can keep a place for you, right cozy in the captain’s quarters,” he said. He’d begun to sweat now; his dirt-caked forehead gleamed with it. Magus’ cold eyes moved from the captain to the woman and back again.
“No,” he said.
“What?” the captain glared at him, but his eyes kept trailing back to the beautiful lady in the tight clothes who’d so earnestly asked to be aboard the ship. His ship. “Ye might be charterin’ this boat but it’s me who is the captain-”
“And it’s me who promised to make you rich,” Magus turned his gaze to the lady who’d invaded his personal space. She really was quite lovely, but there was something clearly unnatural… predatory… about her. It was too much of a coincidence for her to show up now, too much of a liability. His eyes flicked back to the captain. “If you want your gold, you won’t take her.”
“Well, where is this feckin’ gold?!”
The wizard sighed and strode right past Alexandria, to a cloth covering a large container of some sort. With a single tug, he yanked the black cloth away, revealing not a container, but stacks and stacks of solid gold ingots.
The crew and the captain – once smitten by the beautiful woman who’d suddenly entered his life – were dazzled by the sight. The gold gleamed in the sunshine, and even the strongest crewman struggled to lift even one of the ingots.
“Either this is real, or it’s lead plated with the real thing,” one said.
Magus scoffed. “It would require just as much effort to make those from gold as it would to do it out of lead. Or marshmallow.”
“This much gold, just waved into being,” the captain breathed. “Gods.”
“And I’ll wave you out of being if you don’t get her off this ship and me to Rapture,” his tone was icy now. Non-negotiable.
“Now hold on,” the invasive woman coolly breathed, catching the eye of the strange, knife-eared man. Her eyes met his as she sought to read his motivations, but those bloody red eyes betrayed little.
There was anger there, something great and terrible. He had eyes like Martin, the eyes of a practised killer, cold and withdrawn, but unlike Martin’s, these were supremely calculating, too. There was something more, too. Guilt. It sloughed off of him in waves, chilly and sour.
But there was no lust, no curiosity. Whoever this man was, he was used to keeping his cards close to his chest.
She couldn’t see much more in those eyes. This was a man who’d trained himself to be difficult to read, but there were things he couldn’t hide. His regal posture belied a confidence – or arrogance – which could be manipulated.
“You need me,” she finally said.
Magus closed his eyes and took a breath, making no effort to hide his annoyance. He didn’t need to say anything to convey that he demanded an explanation.
“You’re looking for Omni, aren’t you?” she put her hand on his chest, but he immediately stepped back, out of reach. She looked up at him expectantly. The captain and the crew seemed wide-eyed; they knew he’d wanted to get to Rapture, but nothing more. What kind of man would attempt to get an audience with the Creator?
“…What? I hardly tried to keep it a secret; were you expecting me to be shocked that you knew?”
“And you’re going to Rapture, aren’t you?” she pressed, shifting her attack. “You’re going to need a guide when you’re down there. It’s very different than any surface city you’ve been to.”
Magus appraised her for a moment while Alex watched the gears of his mind work. Who knew if what she said was true? It didn’t matter, so long as he believed it.
“You’re a liability,” he finally said. “It’s too convenient that you’re here. Why did you come here? Why choose me?”
“Simple. You want what I want-”
“I doubt that very much.”
“All the same,” Alexandria continued. “You want to get to Omni. I want to get to Omni. I found out that’s who you were looking for, and you seem capable. I’m going to need help to get to him, and, let’s face it: so will you. The path ahead is a long one.”
“You’ve been to Rapture?”
The crossroads demon fought the overwhelming urge to grin in triumph, holding her poker face together perfectly. “Yes, that’s right.”
“You know how to get to the Void from there?”
That was a loaded question. He was testing her. “I have an idea,” she manoeuvered. “I know who to talk with to find out.”
Magus turned from her and strode across the boat to reflect on the sea for the second time that day. He scowled down at the sea returned his scowl with a blank stare.
“Fine,” he said before turning around. He glared at the captain. “Keep an eye on her,” he said, not that he needed to. He was confident the captain would be paying her more attention than his work, or anything else. He turned to the newcomer. “You cause me the slightest iota of grief, and I’ll send you to the bottom of the sea in pieces.”
![[Image: Magus.jpg]](http://rpnexus.com/sig/miscsig/Magus.jpg)