Magium: The Chronicles of Varathia

Chapter 2: The Healer In Armour

I stand in despair, looking out at the sea, as the rest of my comrades sit mourning.

I take some time to absorb what had just happened. The shock runs too deep for me to be able to put it into words. I stand motionless, as I think back to the events that had unfolded today.

Yet I know deep down, that I am the reason. Had I been just a little more careful, he would have been alive. Had I never forced him along on my whimsical adventures, he would have been alive. And had he never vowed to protect me till the end... He would have been alive.

With Daren's demise, all our hopes... had been crushed.

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"Who are you calling a coward?" I say, stepping out of the forest and into the clearing, facing him directly.

The cutthroat pauses for a bit as he measures me up and down. I try to remain calm, not letting my aura fluctuate too much, but in vain.

I haven't checked on my 'Stat device' yet, but I am assuming it is disappointing - I don't think I had acquired any points so far. That would mean the aura stats aren't accessible right now too, are they? Shit! My aura must be flickering like crazy right now! Wait... I am pretty sure this guy couldn't call out my bluff the first time. I should be in the clear then.

My observation skills are lacking as well. That confirms it - my Stat device has been completely reset.

Damn it. All those points I so painstakingly gathered are lost now. Well, at least I am still alive.

"A stillwater, eh?" he says, finally. His sudden change of attitude was to be expected. He tries hard to maintain his composure, but the tremor in his voice gives it all away. He is dead scared.

Stillwaters - they are among the strongest mages in Varathia. Nobody knows how they came into existence, at least not yet. Last time, Eiden had managed to keep it a closely guarded secret for as long as 600 years - right until I found out.

I had first come to the tournament pretending to be a stillwater thinking that it could help me avoid some fights, if not all. But after I met one for the first time, I ditched the idea immediately.

Come to think of it, the 'Creator' is going to appear pretty soon too, isn't he? He will know something is up the moment he sees me. And considering what he is like, I bet he will pester me even more now. I better be prepared this time.

"You... You don't scare me, stillwater! I bet your legends are no more true then they were for the sad excuse of a mage standing next to me!"

I saw Daren, still on the ground, the same old Daren I knew and respected - dark skin, bald head, mid forties, wearing heavy armour and with the famous 'X' on his forehead.

This is still back when he hadn't mastered the shield spell, right? There is no other reason why the 'Healer in Armour' would get bested so easily by the likes of this guy.

I hadn't thought about it so far, but if I really am to make a difference in this life, I will need to do things a lot differently than I did before. I can't expect the Magium to keep sending me back to correct my mistakes. This might as well be my final try.

Getting Daren to learn the shield spell faster may be my best bet at saving him from his fate. But that isn't going to be so easy.

"Don't ignore me, you cocky bastard!" said the Cutthroat, going for his knives, pissed off at my calm stance in front of him. But when I turn to look back at him with a stern gaze, he stops immediately. He doesn't avert his eyes even for a second - not daring to drop his guard.

"What did you say? I don't scare you, huh? That's funny. The people of Olmnar told me exactly that before I razed their city to the ground."

That is a lie, of course. Only a handful of people know the truth, all that the general public knows is that a single stillwater caused the destruction of the entire city. Come to think of it, this lie got me into deep trouble last time, didn't it?

"You're bluffing." he says, as his face tenses up.

"Only one way to find out then, I suppose." I tell him, as I hold my ground.

As we wait, I think back for a moment at the memories of my first day.

For some reason, I find some parts of it blurry. As I look into them further, I realise that the memories of my past don't match up perfectly. Could it have been because of being sent back in time? I shrug off the thought for now, to focus on the enemy at hand.

After a long pause, the Cutthroat finally speaks up again:

"You're in luck, stillwater. I feel... merciful today. I'm going to be out of here just as soon as I finish this guy here." he said, pointing at Daren.

"Do that and you'll regret it."

"Are you kidding me?! You'll go so far to defend this lowli-"

"That man is no lowlife, Cutthroat. He has saved far more people than the likes of you will even meet in your entire lifetime. Which isn't going to last much longer if you do not leave right now."

His face contorts into a scowl, but he says nothing. Reluctantly putting his daggers back into his belt, he spits on the ground next to Daren, then turns away in anger as he heads into the woods on the other end of the clearing.

"I'll remember this, stillwater. You'll rue the day you messed with Cutthroat Dave! You and that Healer in Armour!" He screams, before disappearing into the forest.

Soon after, the mage in Armour sheaths his sword, picks up his shield from the ground and starts walking towards me. I turn towards him with a smile, happy that he is still alive and kicking.

"You had no obligation to save me." he said, starting the conversation just as I had expected. "But you did so anyway, at the risk of your own life. I cannot let such selflessness go unrewarded. I, Daren-"

"I just did what I felt was the right thing to do, Daren. Do you expect rewards when you help somebody out of goodwill? No, right? Neither do I."

"You're not wrong, good Sir. But as the one who was saved, I'd feel indebted to you for the rest of my life if I don't return that favour. Allow me to reward you, both for the debt I owe you, and your unselfishness."

His formal speech took me by surprise for a second. I am not used to hearing him talk so formally to me.

So this is what his 'Healer in Armour' persona is like. Either way, he is still the same at heart.

"I'm Barry, by the way."

"I, Daren, vow to protect you with my life until the very en- wait, did you say your name was Barry?"

He tries to contain his laughter, but fails miserably.

"Didn't take long to drop that solemn and dignified act, huh?" I say.

"I-I'm sorry, but that's the weirdest name for a mage I've ever heard in my life, especially a stillwater. Is there something I should know, Barry?"

Oh, trust me. There is a lot you are going to know soon. It's going to be one heck of a journey, my friend.

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